Hugs, smiling, and interactive Twitter accounts, don't mean winning baseball. Until this community understands that we are cursed to relive the madness.
"Even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me." Roy Tucker October 2010
Carrasco has a legitimate shot to be a quality starter. As good as Stewart may be, he's a bullpen arm. That's a considerable difference.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
They won't trade for him regardless. But trading some chaff for him and getting him for a shorter commitment, wouldn't be a terrible move.
Whatever the Reds would have accomplished this past offseason vis offense wasn't going to matter anyway; the pitching is what's totally collapsed.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Where I agree with your assumption is that this deal should be understood as Stewart for Rolen. Where, in all due respect, I have to say that you're only reflecting an opinion is in the judgment about "special" and "decent." All kinds of guys with "special" arms never develop into anything noteworthy. Stewart may; I really liked him myself. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. That's the bet the Jays are making and that's why we got Rolen. Scott Rolen's immediately the first or second best position player on the Reds. You're not going to get that for a guy without a position and a possible reliever. We got him for real value--Zach Stewart--which is how real trades are made, something WJ understands a lot better than most of the armchair GM's on this board.
People seem to easily forget that Stewart's transition to starter is far from complete. Most of the posters here that are maddest about losing him are forgetting that.
He was and is still a valuable prospect. I'm sad to lose him. But I do not think he would have made the Reds' 2010 rotation.
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Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. More democratic. ~Bull Durham
But he could have started in the bullpen, much like Oswalt did back in the day.
Look, I wasn't planning on Stewart being an anchor to the rotation or staff in 2010, but I would have loved to have seen what he could do. IMO, there was no reason to package him in this deal. Walt panicked. It's really as simple as that.
And for what? More butts in the seats for the remainder of 2009, because the casual Reds fan (and I hear them right now with Doc on 700) love guys like Rolen.
EEE getting 'the hell outta Dodge' will easily rank in my top ten all-time favorite Reds' moments, and I've been a Reds' fan since 1964.
The last time I wanted anybody gone that badly was when Dick Wagner was in charge and thereby ruining everything he touched.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Many wanted Milton Bradley this offseason for a multi-year contract. Funny how he makes Rolen look like Gehrig.
That's precisely who this deal appeals to. It may be the primary rationale behind it, or just a convenient by-product. Walt and Dusty have stereotypes of the kind of players they want, and it seems to have precious little to do with projected production. Unfortunately, this will work just about as well as the 2009 speed and defense mantra/model did, sans offense and pitching.
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