Does Jonny Gomes have trade value?

[Benihana]

He is OPSing .989 after last night's game. He's OPS'd over .900 for one other major league season before, so it's hard to call it a simple fluke. In this respect, he reminds me a lot of another former Ray/Red Jorge Cantu.

Gomes is 29 years old making the league minimum. Could he be a valuable add for a playoff contender? Would he bring back much of anything in a trade? Discuss.

[Cyclone792]

If the Reds can find a buyer, then they need to sell Gomes.

Unfortunately, what's likely to happen is that management will suddenly think Gomes can reproduce what he's doing this year and will ink him to an extension. What you'll then likely see is the 2010 Jonny Gomes remind us of the 2009 Jerry Hairston Jr.

[REDREAD]

He is OPSing .989 after last night's game. He's OPS'd over .900 for one other major league season before, so it's hard to call it a simple fluke. In this respect, he reminds me a lot of another former Ray/Red Jorge Cantu.

Gomes is 29 years old making the league minimum. Could he be a valuable add for a playoff contender? Would he bring back much of anything in a trade? Discuss.

I'm not sure there'd be that much interest in him, although I have not been following other teams very much this year. If he wasn't a defensive liability, I think there's more interest. I guess I don't see much demand for a platoon LF that can not play D. If we did trade him, I'm not sure we'd even get a Maloney calibar prospect for him. I'd rather just keep guys like Gomes to finish off the year with. Obviously, if some team gets crazy and offers a prospect that is even a potential legit ML reserve, then you do it.. but I see no point in trading Gomes for just organizational fodder.

[traderumor]

If the Reds can find a buyer, then they need to sell Gomes.

Unfortunately, what's likely to happen is that management will suddenly think Gomes can reproduce what he's doing this year and will ink him to an extension. What you'll then likely see is the 2010 Jonny Gomes remind us of the 2009 Jerry Hairston Jr.

Or he could remind us of Jorge Cantu when we let him go for nothing and he continues to hit well somewhere else.

[Highlifeman21]

If the Reds can find a buyer, then they need to sell Gomes.

Unfortunately, what's likely to happen is that management will suddenly think Gomes can reproduce what he's doing this year and will ink him to an extension. What you'll then likely see is the 2010 Jonny Gomes remind us of the 2009 Jerry Hairston Jr.

Just as long as the Reds don't sell Laynce Nix.

The Reds can only break my heart so many times, so many ways over The Lost Decade.

[savafan]

Umm...eventually, we're going to have to still have someone left to suit up on the major league roster.

[Benihana]

Umm...eventually, we're going to have to still have someone left to suit up on the major league roster.

If they are punting the season, there's plenty of AAA fodder. Darnell McDonald says

[TheNext44]

If the Reds can find a buyer, then they need to sell Gomes.

Unfortunately, what's likely to happen is that management will suddenly think Gomes can reproduce what he's doing this year and will ink him to an extension. What you'll then likely see is the 2010 Jonny Gomes remind us of the 2009 Jerry Hairston Jr.

Hairston's highest OPS in seasons where he played 100+ games: .725 Worst: .523

Gomes highest OPS in seasons where he played 100+ games: .906 Worst: .757.

Gomes at his worst is better than Hairston at his best.

But I agree, it would be a bad move to sign Gomes long term. He's a butcher in the field.

[Falls City Beer]

An outfield of Nix (Rf) and Gomes (Lf) is better than Gomes (Lf) and Bruce (Rf).

Just sayin'.

[Benihana]

An outfield of Nix (Rf) and Gomes (Lf) is better than Gomes (Lf) and Bruce (Rf).

Just sayin'.

I don't know what you are sayin'.

[Cyclone792]

Hairston's highest OPS in seasons where he played 100+ games: .725 Worst: .523

Gomes highest OPS in seasons where he played 100+ games: .906 Worst: .757.

Gomes at his worst is better than Hairston at his best.

But I agree, it would be a bad move to sign Gomes long term. He's a butcher in the field.

You completely missed the parallel, which is that the Reds have a knack for picking up a veteran on a flyer, watching said veteran over-perform, then inking him to an extension and giving him far more playing time than he deserves the following season while regressing back to his career norms.

Jonny Gomes' career norms getting regular playing time in a corner outfield slot for the Reds in 2010 is not going to be getting the job done, just like Jerry Hairston's career norms aren't getting the job done in 2009.

[TheNext44]

You completely missed the parallel, which is that the Reds have a knack for picking up a veteran on a flyer, watching said veteran over-perform, then inking him to an extension and giving him far more playing time than he deserves the following season while regressing back to his career norms.

Jonny Gomes' career norms getting regular playing time in a corner outfield slot for the Reds in 2010 is not going to be getting the job done, just like Jerry Hairston's career norms aren't getting the job done in 2009.

I agree with you on that. Gomes should not get an extension, and should not get regular playing time, barring injuries.

[edabbs44]

You completely missed the parallel, which is that the Reds have a knack for picking up a veteran on a flyer, watching said veteran over-perform, then inking him to an extension and giving him far more playing time than he deserves the following season while regressing back to his career norms.

Jonny Gomes' career norms getting regular playing time in a corner outfield slot for the Reds in 2010 is not going to be getting the job done, just like Jerry Hairston's career norms aren't getting the job done in 2009.

What would you consider to be Gomes' career norms? He has had an erratic career, where he blew up in 2005, had average years in 2006-2007, awful 2008 (didn't he have shoulder issues in 2007-2008?) and now having a very solid season.

This was the argument versus Juan Rivera this offseason and I see some similarities in the 2 cases. When guys are coming off of injury riddled seasons, you shouldn't really use their stats as a true measurement of their talent levels.

[redsmetz]

So we wouldn't want Gomes on our bench (which was the plan originally anyway)? I don't buy that whole "if he's here, Dusty will play him" bunk. Gomes and Nix have gotten the playing time they have mostly due to the platoon that came up and the injuries we've suffered. I think Gomes can be of value off the bench. He's not a full time answer.

But if there is value for him (and that's the key word), then by all means trade him.

[Brutus]

You completely missed the parallel, which is that the Reds have a knack for picking up a veteran on a flyer, watching said veteran over-perform, then inking him to an extension and giving him far more playing time than he deserves the following season while regressing back to his career norms.

Jonny Gomes' career norms getting regular playing time in a corner outfield slot for the Reds in 2010 is not going to be getting the job done, just like Jerry Hairston's career norms aren't getting the job done in 2009.

All but one season in Gomes' career, though, he's played at or above the level of an average LF. That's despite playing in, what is quite honestly, a pitcher's park.

Now he's playing in a hitter's park (and doing that very well). And it's not like this is the first season he's performed at this level.

I don't advocate signing him long-term for a variety of reasons. But I do think the Reds should sign him to another year or two if they can get him for a reasonable price. He's teetering on the brink of earning a shot as an every day starter, and worst case scenario, would be a tremendous asset as a fourth starter - but again, he's performed (at worse) most of his career no worse than an average LF starter. He might not be inclined to hit this well beyond this year, but even some regression makes him statistically a worthy candidate to start for the Reds, IMHO.