Will Castellini Extend Krivsky's Contract?

[Oxilon]

It seems to me that the general concensus is that Wayne is going to standpat the rest of the offseason with the exception of maybe a small FA signing or trade, nothing major. And it seems as if most people are content heading into next year with our rotation, pen, and lineup as status quo.

However, this is Wayne's last year on his contract. Seeing how Castellini is demanding the Reds become contenders, and the Reds not contending for years now, do you think this is a make or break year for Krivsky? If so, If I were him, I would be very nervous heading into next season with the rotation and bullpen we have now. Now, don't get me wrong. I thought the Hamilton/Volquez was a good deal for both teams. And I think Volquez will eventually become a reliable starting pitcher in the majors someday. I also thought the Cordero trade will bring instant stability to the backend of the bullpen.

However, let's not kid ourselves. There's more than a better chance our young pitchers (Bailey, Cueto, Volquez, Bray, Belisle, Burton) are going to take their lumps this season, which again is fine for me, since I can see the overall picture. However, for Wayne, that might not be good enough.

So, being that most likely the Reds aren't goint to take over the Cubs or Brewers for the '08 season, do you think Castellini will extend Krivsky's contract, even barring another sub .500 year?

On another note, this subject brings me to another point regarding Bedard (I know, it'll never die). Seeing how this is Wayne's last year in his contract and there's no doubtly pressure on him to contend this season from upper management, I still think there's a really good chance Wayne will trade for Bedard, just for that reason alone.

[Dracodave]

Lets see what the young ones do that he drafted and how well he did with bringing in good pitching first...

This team is too messed up to say Kriv is doing any good or bad on his own right now. I give him a two year extension honestly, then if he fails..its time to get someone new.

[mlbfan30]

I wouldn't give him an extension.
The team has been through several GMs recently and what that means is bringing in your own people and new philosophies. If that changes every 2-3 years, there's no way for the orginazation to become stable and form a strong working environment. If WK gets fired, the new guy will do a bunch of new things to prove he's good (like WK making the trade) and it will just be a cycle. However having a really bad GM wouldn't work no matter how long he's been there.
I wouldn't extend him now because there's no reason to. At the end of the year I wouldn't use the winning or losing criteria as the decision, but the way he's running things. Are the drafts producing high quality players? Will he cut the players that ruin the team (Stanton/Castro)? Are the trades in the Reds favor? Are the FA signings working? These things can be answered at the end of the year, but not right now. If it looks like he's improving the club, even if they dont make the playoffs, it might be worth extending him just to not have another makeover, only if it looks like he's making more good decisions than bad.

[AmarilloRed]

It really will not take too much to contend in the weak NL Central. 85 wins ought to win the division. The addition of Cordero really shored up the bullpen. I am pretty optimistic about our rotation, as I expect Volquez, Belisle , and Bailey to each get between 10-15 wins and post a 4.50 or better ERA. As long as this years Reds show considerable improvement over last years team(5-10 wins), I expect Castellini will extend Krivsky's contract.

[ChatterRed]

I'm a fan of Wayne Krivsky.

I'm also a fan of continuity.

I don't think people realize just how bad of shape this franchise was in.

I think it is in much better shape now.

If we were the Yankees and Wayne could have gone out and "bought" an entire new pitching staff and position players, his job would be much easier. But Wayne has to weigh the future payroll, development of prospects, and the whole she-bang.

I think he has a tough job that requires patience. I have seen enough improvement in the talent level that I believe it will result in more wins on the field.

[gedred69]

Nobody's perfect, but he has proven to be a keen observer of the non-obvious diamond in the rough. I remember when he aquired Phillips, a lot of people were asking what do we need with another infielder, especially one who has never lived up to his expectations? Then Hamilton, Keppinger, et. al., and stole Cordero right from underneath the Brewers' nose. Unless they implode and don't improve BC acts as though he's inclined to keep him.

[durl]

I'm a fan of Wayne Krivsky.

I'm also a fan of continuity.

I don't think people realize just how bad of shape this franchise was in.

I think it is in much better shape now.

If we were the Yankees and Wayne could have gone out and "bought" an entire new pitching staff and position players, his job would be much easier. But Wayne has to weigh the future payroll, development of prospects, and the whole she-bang.

I think he has a tough job that requires patience. I have seen enough improvement in the talent level that I believe it will result in more wins on the field.

+1

Making the Reds a perennial contender will take more than 3 years given the payroll Krivsky's been given. All of his moves haven't worked out perfectly but he's forced to roll the dice sometimes.

[AmarilloRed]

He picked up Dunn's option

Helped out our bullpen with the signing of Cordero

Added a quality pitching prospect for a Rule 5 pick(although I will miss Hamilton)

He has made a number of good moves this off-season, so I expect we will soon see a new 3 year contract for Krivsky, if the Reds are able to contend next year in the NL Central(not a hard task).

[GoReds33]

He picked up Dunn's option

Helped out our bullpen with the signing of Cordero

Added a quality pitching prospect for a Rule 5 pick(although I will miss Hamilton)

He has made a number of good moves this off-season, so I expect we will soon see a new 3 year contract for Krivsky, if the Reds are able to contend next year in the NL Central(not a hard task).

I see your points, but I have another one. Krivsky was told to win now. That has been the message all along. While I agree that this organization is in much better shape, he didn't always follow these guidelines. Here are a couple examples:

1. When he traded Lopez and Kearns, he basically traded away our playoff hopes that year. He said that he really wanted the bullpen to be improved by this deal, but that wasn't his only motive. Don't you think Castillini wouldn't mind their pay raises if we got to the playoffs?

2. The recent trade of Hamilton. Sure he is trying to get us to the postseason with this move. The only downside is that the guy we got will likely be worth less than Hamilton would have been in the short run. I honestly think a move like that could cost us the playoffs next year. I understand that Krivsky is good at evaluating talent, but he is trading away a young man who has tremendous talent. A man who in his first season of baseball in many years, came in and hit like he was a seasoned veteran.

I'm not saying these moves won't help in the longrun, but they certainly aren't helping now.

[Stephenk29]

I agree with ChatteRed, working in a small market franchise is not easy and I think he's done some pretty creative things to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Although I'm not a fan of all his work (Hamilton trade), otherwise I think it's been a pretty solid run for him thus far.

[ChatterRed]

I see your points, but I have another one. Krivsky was told to win now. That has been the message all along. While I agree that this organization is in much better shape, he didn't always follow these guidelines. Here are a couple examples:

1. When he traded Lopez and Kearns, he basically traded away our playoff hopes that year. He said that he really wanted the bullpen to be improved by this deal, but that wasn't his only motive. Don't you think Castillini wouldn't mind their pay raises if we got to the playoffs?

What have Kearns and Lopez done exactly since WK traded them? Please answer that. Or could it be that the Reds Organization's Brass knew more than we did that those two were playing above their heads? As I recall.....the Reds were 2 games over .500 that season at the break, and nearly the entire lineup when into an offensive funk the rest of the way, especially in September. I cannot understand how people CANNOT UNDERSTAND that they would not have made the playoffs, trade or no trade.

2. The recent trade of Hamilton. Sure he is trying to get us to the postseason with this move. The only downside is that the guy we got will likely be worth less than Hamilton would have been in the short run. I honestly think a move like that could cost us the playoffs next year. I understand that Krivsky is good at evaluating talent, but he is trading away a young man who has tremendous talent. A man who in his first season of baseball in many years, came in and hit like he was a seasoned veteran.

I'm not saying these moves won't help in the longrun, but they certainly aren't helping now.

I'm a big fan of Josh Hamilton, but I was also one of the first to say we should trade him because we had Bruce to replace him. A team should trade from an area of strength....and the Reds are strong in the OF. And if you read MLBtraderumors, many GM's were saying that Hamilton's checkered past was keeping many teams from going after him......and that the Reds were overvaluing him considering he only had 300 at-bats in the majors, was injury prone last season, and had a drug history. Quite possibly, this was the best deal Krivsky could get for him. Same goes for the Kearns/Lopez trade last season. I think we all tend to overvalue our own players.

[Oxilon]

He picked up Dunn's option

Helped out our bullpen with the signing of Cordero

Added a quality pitching prospect for a Rule 5 pick(although I will miss Hamilton)

He has made a number of good moves this off-season, so I expect we will soon see a new 3 year contract for Krivsky, if the Reds are able to contend next year in the NL Central(not a hard task).

I agree that's he's made some good moves. During his tenure so far, he's added quality players while giving up next to nothing. Our farm system has also improved each year. I'm not doubting that he's made this club better than it was before he was here. I'm just doubting that Castellini cares about all that rather just the Reds actually contending. And the Reds haven't been doing that during his stay with the Reds. Do you think Castellini will look past the standings and agree that Krivsky deserves a contract extension regardless of the Reds contending or not? You seem so, but call me skeptic.

[AmarilloRed]

I believe if the Reds are competitive in the NL Central next year, that Castellini will extend Krivsky's contract. They do not definitely have to make the playoffs; they just need to show they can be contenders to make the playoffs every year.

[SultanOfSwing]

Barring a complete disaster on the field or an obvious bone-headed GM decision, I believe it should and will be done. Krivsky has done nothing to show he shouldn't have the job, and the organization as a whole has vastly improved during his tenure. And I am a strong believer that you have to give a new GM at least 4-5 years so he can lay down a plan. A revolving door will never get permanent results.

[PickOff]

To answer the title question of the post, I think Castellini will extend Krivsky's contract if the Reds have a winning record and are in the thick of the wild card race at the break.

If they shoot out to a very strong start, he will probably extend his contract sooner to get more value for his dollar.