Are the Reds going to do anything to improve the team this offseason?

[Will M]

My frustration is beginning to mount. There are several players that Walt passed on due to money (Lee, Crawford, Werth) which I agree with. I also would not have paid what the Brewers did for Greinke. However, there were several guys who where traded who could have helped the team. For example DeJesus or Willingham would have looked nice out in left field. Neither cost the As much in terms of prospects. Neither makes a ridiculous amount of money.

So far comparing 2011 to 2010:
1. We have had several discussions regarding improvements in young players & dropoffs in older ones.
2. Mes will show up at some point. However its tough to expect the catching to be better than last year.
3. Janish & Cozart in 2011 vs Janish (1.0 WAR) & Cabrera (1.3 WAR) in 2010.
4. Walt will likely dumpster dive for a 5th outfielder who won't match Nix's 1.5 WAR off the bench last year.
5. One good thing is that Harang's 111 IP will be pitched by someone else.
Maybe Volquez is lights out. Maybe Homer finally puts it all together.
6. Chapman will be with the team all year. IMO he is likely going to the pen. He'll replace Rhodes.

I am not sure what Bob/Walt are thinking. Even if they expect some awesome pitching out of guys like Volquez & Chapman in 2011 it would have been nice to improve the LF situation. Plus we seem to have surpluses at certain positions (SP, 1B) & a host of middling prospects in AAA. Other teams have been able to turn some of their middling prospects into major league talent while the Reds have passed. Presumably due to being "at payroll".

Standing pat after a 91 win season doesn't seem to be a smart move IMO.

[RedLegSuperStar]

I'm at a loss Will! I didn't expect this after the season ended and Walt said payroll would increase. They went on record as saying they needed a leadoff guy.. Have yet to get one and now thought is Phillips and Stubbs will do the honors. Just get sick of the wait game when talent was out there to be had. Every team is improving this offseason but this team. I was ready to purchase season tickets.. But I'm holding out now till I see the commitment.

[TRF]

Like what? There is no SS available. LF is sadly spoken for. Maybe JF grabs LF in ST. Maybe.


I just don't. See where to improve. Standing pat is fine.

[Eric_the_Red]

They should trade Volquez, Leake, Wood and Alonso for Gardner. Then they could say they "made a move".

Make a move only if it improves the team without mortgaging the future. Otherwise, this is the same team that won the division last year, so the talent is there to win again.

[Griffey012]

You can't make moves just to make moves. You only make a move if it improves the team in the short term and doesn't hamper the long term. We are not going to add a 13 million dollar player (Greinke). I can assure you that Walt is working constantly to fill the LF hole. As far as SS, we are fine with what we have, there are very few good offensive and defensive short stops around baseball.

Sure I would love to have Brett Gardner leading off and playing LF, but it takes to sides to make a deal, all of these hypothetical moves a lot of people around here want Walt to pull the trigger on are likely not available.

[dougdirt]

The team is going to improve next year simply by keeping it together. The young guys continuing to improve next season will make the difference. While it would be nice to get that 'leadoff guy', it isn't like the Reds are the only team with a hole somewhere. Every team in our division has holes in it. More than the Reds do for that matter.

[Roy Tucker]

The team is going to improve next year simply by keeping it together. The young guys continuing to improve next season will make the difference. While it would be nice to get that 'leadoff guy', it isn't like the Reds are the only team with a hole somewhere. Every team in our division has holes in it. More than the Reds do for that matter.

+1

I see several young Reds improving over last season and some new guys getting their feet wet this year.

Their pitching depth saved their bacon last year. I've been a Reds fan since 1964 and I can't ever remember them having the depth they do now. And pitching trumps everything else. Unless its the proverbial no-brainer deal, I'm more than happy with tweaks in the roster and not seismic shifts and lets keep all these arms.

[Oxilon]

[Will M]

Like what? There is no SS available. LF is sadly spoken for. Maybe JF grabs LF in ST. Maybe.


I just don't. See where to improve. Standing pat is fine.

Walt could have passed on Gomes ( -0.1 WAR in 2010 ). Heisey has upside. However IMO its as a center fielder or nice 4th outfielder, NOT as a left fielder. I am not for making a deal just to make a deal. However, left field screamed "UPGRADE ME!!!!!" after 2010. Then several guys who could have filled that void were moved cheaply while Bob/Walt sat on their hands.

I think that the payroll issue is part of the problem. We were told the team was going to up the payroll slightly. Harang is off the books (good). Votto & others entered their arbitration years (bad). Yet it still seems to me that there should be some cash left over (especially after restructuring Arroyo's deal) if the team really is upping the payroll.

I am not for making some deal just to make a move. I would not have paid what the Brewers did for Greinke. However, if the rest of the offseason consists of dumpster diving for a LH hitting bench bat I'll be very very disappointed.

Standing pat would seem a okey dokey move if the team was coming off a 110 win season & World Championship. Not a 91 win season & a first round playoff loss.

[Mario-Rijo]

Will you are likely to get a massive list of people disagreeing with you so I hope you are ready for that. That said I agree with the disappointment but to a lesser extent because I never really expected a whole lot anyway. If they were serious when they speak about needs they would get it done.

However a LH hitting OF, a MIF and a LHRP are still possibilities. They do have a few open 40 man spots I believe and I suspect they plan to wait out the market to fill those needs.

[alexad]

We got Johnny G very cheap. I have no problem resigning him. I will take his 80 plus RBI any day.

I think bringing back Kearns is an option for a 5 outfielder. He still can play D Bats right handed though. Francisco will probably see some time in left as will Alonso.

With the speed of Stubbs and one year under his belt. I can see him working on bunting in the off season and create some extra hits thus more stolen bases. He can hit 25 homeruns and still 40 bases while hitting 280, I would live with that. Hitting lead off is hard for a rookie.

[Tony Cloninger]

Maybe during ST....the rotation will work itself out and the possible odd man out who they do not see as a swing man or the better option to trade.....will be sent packing for what they feel they need at that time. If Heisey shows he is more than the 4th OF....and can take LF all by himself and Juan can show he can play there as well you have a decent platoon possibility or the trade idea.

Plus you never know who might get cut or just given away (Like Billy Hatcher was in 1990 for Mike Roesler and Jeff Richardson)

[edabbs44]

Walt could have passed on Gomes ( -0.1 WAR in 2010 ). Heisey has upside. However IMO its as a center fielder or nice 4th outfielder, NOT as a left fielder. I am not for making a deal just to make a deal. However, left field screamed "UPGRADE ME!!!!!" after 2010. Then several guys who could have filled that void were moved cheaply while Bob/Walt sat on their hands.

I think that the payroll issue is part of the problem. We were told the team was going to up the payroll slightly. Harang is off the books (good). Votto & others entered their arbitration years (bad). Yet it still seems to me that there should be some cash left over (especially after restructuring Arroyo's deal) if the team really is upping the payroll.

I am not for making some deal just to make a move. I would not have paid what the Brewers did for Greinke. However, if the rest of the offseason consists of dumpster diving for a LH hitting bench bat I'll be very very disappointed.

Standing pat would seem a okey dokey move if the team was coming off a 110 win season & World Championship. Not a 91 win season & a first round playoff loss.

Have they sat on their hands more this offseason or last?

[Will M]

Will you are likely to get a massive list of people disagreeing with you so I hope you are ready for that. That said I agree with the disappointment but to a lesser extent because I never really expected a whole lot anyway. If they were serious when they speak about needs they would get it done.

However a LH hitting OF, a MIF and a LHRP are still possibilities. They do have a few open 40 man spots I believe and I suspect they plan to wait out the market to fill those needs.

1. I do see that I am in the minority here. Most folks seem OK with the improvement from within plan.
2. Is 'wait out the market' a more politically correct term for 'dumpster diving'? If so I agree with you.
3. Unfortunately Gomes/Hesiey/LH hitting 5th OF type was not what I had hoped for in left field next year.

Maybe during ST....the rotation will work itself out and the possible odd man out who they do not see as a swing man or the better option to trade.....will be sent packing for what they feel they need at that time. If Heisey shows he is more than the 4th OF....and can take LF all by himself and Juan can show he can play there as well you have a decent platoon possibility or the trade idea.

Plus you never know who might get cut or just given away (Like Billy Hatcher was in 1990 for Mike Roesler and Jeff Richardson)

This is a hope. Maybe a team sees in the spring that they really need a pitcher & the Reds can make a move to improve another spot by trading one of their seven starters.

Have they sat on their hands more this offseason or last?

I think this offseason is a bit different.
A) we just won the NL Central. lets try to 'raise it up a notch' as long as it doesn't hurt the team long term.
B) we have surpluses this year. it doesn't seem good to me for the team to leave Chapman in the pen or send Leake to AAA (or both) & at the same time start Gomes in left. Then we have a fair amount of lower grade prospects. IMO DeJesus & Willingham would have been big improvement for the Reds & were obtained for C/B prospects. since we have a fair number of these C/B prospects I would have liked to see Walt make either of those deals.

[traderumor]

Its deja vu all over again. This thread happened several times last offseason, including the cutesy pictures of Walt sleeping or fishing. Basketball and hockey are in season, football is closing in on playoffs...baseball is in the offseason.