Drew Stubbs looks an awful lot like a young Granderson. If his OBP begins to increase, I think it will, he will be a very productive CF for the Reds. Don't look now but his OPS is only off .008 points from Jay Bruce's last year.
Drew Stubbs looks an awful lot like a young Granderson. If his OBP begins to increase, I think it will, he will be a very productive CF for the Reds. Don't look now but his OPS is only off .008 points from Jay Bruce's last year.
In my book age does not give Bruce a pass. Age gave guys like Edwin and Austin Kearns a pass and we eventually saw that age never did improve their game. In the case of Jay Bruce one year has not improved his numbers. Prior to his injuries this year, his numbers were not better than 2008. I hope Jay Bruce is not one of those guys who peaks in his early 20s like Willie Greene did but some guys do
It makes us demand little, that's why! But who says it's reality anyway, it's an assumption, perhaps a very good educated guess even but only reality if we continue to really keep our heads in the sand. We really should start demanding a better product, doesn't mean we will get it but the less we ask for the less we get.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
Demand a better product all you want but do it with the understanding that payroll will not rise to the levels of the Cubs or Cardinals. It's like joining a Fantasy league but your team will have a lower payroll than your opponents.
I think even given these restraints the Reds should do better but it isn't easy. Just look at 2009 team payrolls sometime and you'll see a reason why The Reds and Pirates are at the bottom of the division.
The St Louis Cardinals are the only division leader with an Opening Day payroll of under $100mill. However they've added a great deal of payroll since with Holliday, DeRosa and Lugo. Teams with low payrolls do compete every now and then like the A's and Rays but history shows us that such success cannot be sustained.
So bringing this back to Grandy, he's available to a team with deep pockets. Teams like the Reds need not apply, unfortunately.
So you are asking me to never again expect sustained winning for the Reds and just live with it? Ha, sorry my friend it ain't happening. If we are gonna end up the Marlins at best they can just bury my fandom now. I refuse to buy into that state of mind. The moment they deal off a star (who is producing like one) like Votto or Bruce in his prime due to $$$ they can have this team and I'll go back to watching little leaguers only.
Last edited by Mario-Rijo; 09-18-2009 at 10:49 PM.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
I'd save the coin and give Dickerson a fair shot.
I'm tired of the Reds can not compete because of the payroll argument. Look at the Rays, Twins, Marlins, etc... It can be done. It takes competent GM'ing (the ability to make successful trades and evaluate youth in the minors and the draft). Your right though, Granderson will not don a Cincinnati uniform anytime soon because of his payroll numbers but, thats a direct result of giving LTC to 2 average SP and 1 Closer... or in other words poor GM'ing.
I respect and envy your optimism. I really do. MLB has closed the economic gap a little in recent years but it's still an uphill battle for markets like ours. You're asking for the Reds to be luckier than other franchises because the playing field is not level. A lot of Reds fans have seen this reality and done exactly what you suggest in your last sentence. I'm glad you're still with them.
They can compete every now and then which is what the Rays, Marlins and Twins have done but that's it. Even those franchises haven't mastered competing year in and year out. Don't think that a team like the Twins can compete with the big boys when they have to trade guys like Johan Santana whereas the rich clubs don't.
Unfortunately, you are correct. The current state of affairs in MLB has made it impossible for a mid to small market team compete year after year. The best they can hope for is to be decent every year, and hope for a lot of good luck every few years, like the Twins do.
During the last 5 years, there have been 40 playoff spots. 6 teams have taken 20 of those spots, The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, Angels, and Phillies all of whom have big payrolls. Pretty much every year, at least half of the 8 playoff spots are taken up by at least 4 of these teams, leaving the other 24 teams to battle for the remaining 4 spots.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
When the Twins trade Santana or the Marlins trade Cabrera, they both restock. Either team might not have the talent every year to compete with the Red Sox or Yankees but both have a profound way of infusing their minor leagues with premium talent while maintaining a competent 25 man roster. Say what you want but the signings of Alex Gonzalez, Mike Stanton, Wily Taveras, Eric Milton, etc etc have hamstrung this team
The teams that trade Cabrera and Santana are trading known talents for potential talents. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but the risk is all on the small market team. The team that gets Santana knows what they're getting. Can you name who the Pirates received for Aramis Ramirez?
The only reason the Marlins and Twins trade these guys is because they're so good they can't afford to pay them. If money were not an issue these guys never would be traded and that's not right
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