Jeff Kennard

[mth123]

According to Baseball America the Reds signed Kennard (from Centerville, Ohio) to a minor league deal. It also says they signed Jon Adkins and Adam Pettyjohn.

Kennard doesn't look too promising. He'll be 28 next season and his ERA was over 6 in AAA. Probably just a local guy (with a local connection??) finding a potential home for 2009 before the rush starts. Doesn't seem significant, but........

Maybe I'm reading more into it than I should, but given that the Reds seem to have a lot of bodies for the high minors pitching staffs, I wonder if these guys are back-fills for a few of the guys who will be dealt. IMO, the Reds should be marketing Maloney and Thompson (with other positional depth like Stubbs, Francisco and Valaika) in an attempt to fix the major league roster. Homer Bailey from the pitching side and Todd Frazier from the positional side would be guys I'd also be open to deal for the right return, but I'd rather the team hold onto them if it can get what it needs for the other guys.

[sjesu]

My guess is that you're reading too much into it. It is typically called "organizational depth." These types of guys are needed in case trades do happen, not because they will happen. They're also there for depth in case of injury and roster depletion at the ML level. Everyone loves to mention how stacked Tampa Bay's system is, with guys like Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann, and David Price all getting starts in AAA this year. Those three had 37 starts, while non-prospects Michael Prochaska and Jeremy Cummings had 23 starts between them. They also found 32 starts for former prospects Ben Hendrickson and Jae-Kuk Ryu in hopes they put things together again.

Yes, this time of year is boring for Reds fans (one could argue all times of year are boring for Reds fans, but that's a different thread), but the butterfly that flapped its wings and caused these signings isn't necessarily the same butterfly might cause a trade of Homer Bailey.

[camisadelgolf]

The "signings" of Adkins and Pettyjohn might just be formalities. They were taken off the 40-man roster, and no one claimed them, so they had the choice of becoming free agents or waiting until the season is over to become free agents. Maybe they signed extensions (as part of an agreement to temporarily put them on the 40-man roster in the first place?), but my guess is that Baseball America's report, although accurate, is just misleading.

[BEETTLEBUG]

Has this been confirmed by any in Reds system

[camisadelgolf]

In 2005, Kennard was suspended for 15 games for violating baseball's minor league steroid use policy.

[BEETTLEBUG]

Any trouble since then?

[camisadelgolf]

Any trouble since then?

Not that I've found.