Doesn't he have to perform well this year to keep that Type A status? And wouldn't the Reds have to offer him arbitration (after they buy out his contract) even in that case (which he'd probably accept as a 34 year old catcher).
I'm still in favor of the deal, but I don't think his current Type A status will be much of a factor.
Go BLUE!!!
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
Unless his numbers fall completely off, he'll most likely remain a Type A free agent.
Good solid work by WJ. What's next?
Pennant or bust!
This is what Walt Jocketty does.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
I'm not up in arms or anything, I just think we're doing what fans of a team always do when their team makes a trade: playing up the value upside of the guy(s) they got and diminishing the value of the guy(s) they gave up.
The values of the sides here based on reasonable projections are close enough that it simply comes down to how the guys play in 2009 and if the prospects develop. I think he's roughly comparable to what we'll get from Hanigan and no matter what, there's only 700 PA to be had between them. I don't think Freel, Turner, Waring, and $2M is worth 200 extra PA of Hanigan. If Hernandez puts up his peak numbers again, it's a pretty clear win -- but I just don't see that happening. And I think there's a real risk of Hernandez continuing to decline, hitting .250/.300/.360, and still getting the lion's share of the PA's because he's the "proven vet".
My biggest concern remains our OF situation. I would've made Castillo my #2 catcher and focused elsewhere. I'm concerned that we're frittering away the room we have to maneuver and will be unable to do anything impactful with LF. As I said, deck chairs.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Plenty of time. They've made a run at Dye already...I would've made Castillo my #2 catcher and focused elsewhere.
We don't know how well Castillo catches.
"Strickland Propane... Taste the meat, not the heat." - Hank Hill
WJ
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
1. Making Castillo the #2 catcher leaves you with two HUGE question marks at one of the most important positions on the field, not to mention most likely well below average production.
2. Freel and Co. were not going to be primary trade chips to focus anywhere else. There is no reason why you can't "focus elsewhere" beginning now.
I applaud this trade.
Go BLUE!!!
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