at what point do we cut Mike Lincoln?

[Will M]

8.1 IP
14 hits
2 homers allowed
10 walks
3 KOs
whip 2.9
ERA 15.1

UGLY. this isn't just some bad luck. he can't find the plate and when he does the pitch gets crushed.

i suspect he can't be sent to AAA without his permission. why not pull him aside and say 'lets get you down to AAA & work on whatever the problem might be'. right now nobody is going to give you a major league spot. we have to pay you whether you pitch in Cincinnati or in Louisville. lets see if we can get you pitching better then we'll call you back up.

[HotCorner]

He's been horrid since the All-Star break last year. It's time to move on.

[WMR]

Awesome decision giving him a 2 year contract.

Really, just stellar.

[OnBaseMachine]

Mike Lincoln has an ERA of 15.12. The other 11 pitchers on the Reds roster has a combined 3.61 ERA.

I'd cut Lincoln and bring up Carlos Fisher.

[Falls City Beer]

I'm all for cutting Lincoln, but I'd like to replace him with an arm from outside this organization if at all possible.

[OnBaseMachine]

I'm all for cutting Lincoln, but I'd like to replace him with an arm from outside this organization if at all possible.

I wouldn't, because there are some nice options available in Louisville, most notably Carlos Fisher.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Lincoln since August of 2008:

26.2 IP
40 H
20 BB
15 K
5 HR
2.25 WHIP
10.12 ERA

That's half a season (3 months) of some pretty bad numbers.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Josh Roenicke is blowing people away right now in Louisville (7.1 IP, 12 K, 0 BB), after doing the same last year. He'll be 27 in three months. His time is soon, if not now.

Same with Carlos Fisher (10 IP, 12 K, 1 BB) and Robert Manuel (11.2 IP, 14 K, 1 BB). Both are 26.

Lincoln is a sunk cost. Time to move on and see what these guys can do. I know one thing, they can't do any worse.

[Falls City Beer]

I know one thing, they can't do any worse.

I'll disagree here. And agree to disagree.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

I'll disagree here. And agree to disagree.

We'll never know unless they get a shot. Mike Lincoln has had his shot.

[redsfandan]

Cut a player that is struggling when he's only one month into a 2 year contract? Even if a player in that scenario doesn't have any options I'd expect a dl stint first whether something is 'technically' wrong with him health-wise or not (been done before).

[Falls City Beer]

We'll never know unless they get a shot. Mike Lincoln has had his shot.

True enough. I'd rather replace failure with guaranteed production, but absent that, I'll settle for hitting on 19.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Cut a player that is struggling when he's only one month into a 2 year contract? Even if a player in that scenario doesn't have any options I'd expect a dl stint first whether something is 'technically' wrong with him health-wise or not (been done before).

Send him somewhere.

Anywhere but back on the mound, pitching for the Reds.

[camisadelgolf]

Maybe Lincoln can figure things out again while in a mop-up role. The Reds would have to pay him close to $4 million to not play for the Reds anymore. If he can put together a solid few weeks, maybe the Reds can send his contract to a team that needs relief help (and there are always lots of teams looking for relievers). If he doesn't figure things out by the All-Star break, I think it's time to let him go.

[Danny Serafini]

It's 8 1/3 innings. Sure they're 8 1/3 ugly innings, but it's too soon to panic. I don't care about his rough last month last year, because it's completely unsurprising that a guy who had been out of the game for a few years would hit a wall late in the season. It's not relevant to 2009. Everyone goes through rough stretches, give him a chance to work out of his. He's likely to be pitching in blowout situations for now anyway, so it's not going to hurt the team to let him work through his problems in those spots.