Originally Posted by
Spring~Fields
Harang, Arroyo and Cordero contract discussion always has a missing piece or two. They don't mention what the alternatives were, and what the effects and cost would have been given a different scenario for Krivsky and Castellini from that point forward.
This is often cited but what is omitted is what the market cost for pitchers of those ilk were when they were signed. If they had not been signed where would a bad team been without them, and if those three were gone today, what would be the replacement cost and terms of the contracts to replace them?
Just who would be available, wanting to come to Cincinnati and again at what cost. To constantly cite those contracts and to ignore that the pitching quality was needed then and is needed now and at a high price has a major hole in it.
Back up the calendar to when Harang, Arroyo and the time when Cordero was signed.
A. Let’s say they don’t sign Harang or Arroyo to an extension.
B. What do you have for pitching once it was decided that Arroyo and Harang were to costly.
C. Who was going to pitch.
D. What type of pitcher would have taken their place?
E. How would a team that was already bad have done without them?
F. No Cordero, so who would have closed, and what effect would that have had on the rest of the bullpen?
G. What other option’s that might have been had cost and consequences too.
H. Who were the better or equal to pitchers that the Reds could have signed at a lower amount?
I. Who can they sign now equal or greater than those three for a lower amount? I mean pitcher’s who look as good now as when Harang, Arroyo and Cordero were signed.
Here you are in 2010 Walt catches a break, he is able to unload all three without sending any money, some sugar daddy of a coast team or teams take them off his hands for some top level offensive prospects, that Dusty and Walt just love.
Who is going to replace those experienced veteran pitchers?
Does any quality want to sign with Cincy?
Is any even available?
At what cost, and what’s the length of contracts.
Doesn’t matter if it is now or if it was when Krivsky was strapped with the task of pleasing Castellini, the same questions or questions and obstacles like those had to be dealt with then, as the same would be challenges now, and very expensive.
To cite those three contracts to Krivsky is fine, they were signed while he was employed by Castellini, but to act, and to omit that those pitchers were needed then, and that some of their type/quality when pitching well is needed now, and that all pitching decent-good-to excellent cost, and it is not cheap no matter who the organization and to slip that by as if it was going to be addressed somehow, without filling that in, leaves a hole in the story of the three big bad contracts for pitchers.
Suppose that Castellini had not signed off on those contracts, knowing then as Castellini knows now of the ownership groups financial situations and plans, suppose Castellini would not have signed off on those, what would the pitching picture and past couple seasons without them have looked like, and would we not have been complaining all along for better pitching, as some of us are now? At what cost?
One way or another there would have been a replacement cost for those pitchers if they had not been signed, not just in dollars, but both, performances, dollars, and risk.
Plus it won't be too far into the future that you will get to find out what it is like to not have pitcher's like the ones pitching as they were when Harang, Arroyo, and even Cordero were signed.
I'll admit I wrote this poorly, I apologize, but I think you get my jest. While you might even be able to speak better to quality, cost, risk, performances or the lack of them, had those three not been signed and another group of three had taken their places.