Listening to Wayne

[Homer's Ghost]

Sounds very unlikely Rich will be back next year.

[Homer's Ghost]

He is talking VERY positive about Dunn. Mentioned how many strengths he has compared to his negatives.

[Homer's Ghost]

Sounds like Loshe will be back and in the rotation. Says the #5 spot will be decided in spring training between EZ, Belisle, and hopefully somebody from the outside whether it be by trade or free agency. He didn't mention Claussen or Homer.

[Homer's Ghost]

Wayne said they were "never close" to bringing Homer up last year. Said he and Jerry had fun with the media last year. He says Homer did everything he wanted him to last year. The goal for Homer is to come up and never go back. Used Phillips as an example about how devastating it was to be sent down. Says Homer controls his timetable, whether it be in spring training or Louisville (so I think he will start in Louisville at worst).

-Claussen won't be ready for opening day.


End of interview.

[edabbs44]

Sounds like Loshe will be back and in the rotation.

Here's a new game.

Lohse and Milton: What's higher in 2007, their combined ERAs or salaries?

I'm going to go with salaries, by a slim margin.

[pedro]

so that means Milton is the #3?

That's worked out great so far.

[Joseph]

I felt, if encouraged is the right word, encouraged by him saying its up to Homer to decide when he's ready. He backed off earlier talk of it being a certain that he'd go to Louisville, and intimated that he could break camp with the big boys.

Will Hatt give up the number though?

[Redsland]

Wayne said they were "never close" to bringing Homer up last year. Said he and Jerry had fun with the media last year....The goal for Homer is to come up and never go back. Used Phillips as an example about how devastating it was to be sent down.

That's great to hear. I'm glad all that ink was nothing but a smokescreen, because I agree with taking it slow and I love it when people pull the press's chain. Plus I watched the whole Brian Reith thing.

[RedLegSuperStar]

so that means Milton is the #3?

That's worked out great so far.

In this ballpark and even his road stats indicate he is at best our number #4 starter. Hopefully he will pitch better this year because this is his walk year. I've got hope that Pole can work with Milton and Lohse on improving their game.

[RedRoser]

He is talking VERY positive about Dunn. Mentioned how many strengths he has compared to his negatives.

Maybe that means that Dunn's a goner then, and WK is just trying to "sell" some team(s) on his "many strengths"???

[redsmetz]

In this ballpark and even his road stats indicate he is at best our number #4 starter. Hopefully he will pitch better this year because this is his walk year. I've got hope that Pole can work with Milton and Lohse on improving their game.

I'm hoping that they're just tossing around numbers and what they're saying is we need one more starter. I'm comfortable with Milton being #4 IF he's healthy (and I understand the whole degenerative knee thingy folks keep throwing around). Healthy last year, he was a good pitcher, not healthy he was chopped liver. I'd like to see Lohse reach his potential too. The key, as I think others are saying, is finding a bonafide #3 (or better).

[RedLegSuperStar]

I'm hoping that they're just tossing around numbers and what they're saying is we need one more starter. I'm comfortable with Milton being #4 IF he's healthy (and I understand the whole degenerative knee thingy folks keep throwing around). Healthy last year, he was a good pitcher, not healthy he was chopped liver. I'd like to see Lohse reach his potential too. The key, as I think others are saying, is finding a bonafide #3 (or better).

very very true.. but the free agent market is expensive. I our better bet might be to make a trade.

[vaticanplum]

Maybe that means that Dunn's a goner then, and WK is just trying to "sell" some team(s) on his "many strengths"???

This occurred to me, but I'll be honest, hearing Wayne last night made me more convinced than ever that he's intent on keeping Dunn for the time being. When talking about him, he praised his strengths and definitely downplayed his weaknesses ("anybody who hits that many homers, you're going to have a lot of striekouts.") But the one thing he seemed to be hammering home the most, curiously, was his work ethic. Maybe this is projection on my part, but I think this was for Reds' fans sake. A team that wants Dunn has already decided that either Dunn has a great work ethic or he's so good that it doesn't matter; Dunn's work habits are not really questioned around MLB. But they are amongst Reds fans. Krivsky said several times that Dunn needs to work on his defense, he knows it, and he does. He said he saw Dunn improving on defense throughout last season. he really focused on what a worker he is, at least that's how I interpreted it.

Although I don't remember the context, he also, in a completely unrelated question having to do with the team as a whole and not at all Dunn specifically, mentioned Dunn in the future tense when referring to the possibilites of the team (contending, maybe?) next year. This borders on a psychological slip to me...ok, again, maybe I'm projecting, but if he was bound and determined to have Dunn out of his hands by the end of next week, I don't think it would have come out that way.

I do think that 2007 may be Dunn's "last chance" with this team. If his defense and his OBP continue to decline, then the team may well decline their option on him or even trade him at the end of the season to a contending team if the Reds are not. I don't think that contract was by happenstance, it's a very smart contract. And it's one of the first things he did in office. He's said over and over not to focus on Dunn's strikeouts. He's said that if Dunn were traded, the Reds would have some serious numbers to make up. I think he loves Dunn. For now.

[redsmetz]

Someone today at Redsfest asked about Dunn taking off some pounds and getting more fit. Wayne said his trainers were going out to some players to see that they're working on their regimin (how do you spell that dang word????) and that he would definitely be going to Texas this offseason.

[Chip R]

so that means Milton is the #3?

That's worked out great so far.

Either him or Lohse. Of course that's akin to choosing between being shot or stabbed to death. Neither prospect is something to look forward to.