Reds biggest need from the outside?

[Kc61]

A left fielder with some sock.

With a strong starting left fielder, shortstop can remain a defensive position. And with Cozart on the way SS may take care of itself.

Unless a true ace is coming here the starting pitching will suffice. Unrealistic to expect a Halliday type. Reds could use another reliever but not a major need.

Get a good hitting left fielder and it would solidify the lineup. IMO lineup is one good hitter short.

And I don't think the LF answer is at AAA. Sappelt maybe in the future but I'm thinking shorter term.

[camisadelgolf]

The Reds are leading the NL in scoring, so I'm thinking a starting pitcher might be a bigger need.

[mace]

A left fielder with some sock.

With a strong starting left fielder, shortstop can remain a defensive position. And with Cozart on the way SS may take care of itself.

Unless a true ace is coming here the starting pitching will suffice. Unrealistic to expect a Halliday type. Reds could use another reliever but not a major need.

Get a good hitting left fielder and it would solidify the lineup. IMO lineup is one good hitter short.

And I don't think the LF answer is at AAA. Sappelt maybe in the future but I'm thinking shorter term.

Good question and good answer. I tend to agree, mildly, that LF is the biggest need; but that's mostly due to lineup concerns. The lineup is heavily dependent on Rolen, who, as much as I like him, can't be counted on to contribute in a big way on a regular basis. So there's a need for RH power in the middle of the lineup. While I like the Votto-Bruce combo, Bruce is probably not ready to be a cleanup hitter on a contender. Ideally, I'd love to see somebody like David Wright, if he could spell Rolen at third and would be willing to also play LF. That said, a dynamic SS would also make a major difference IF he could be a first-rate leadoff hitter. Reyes, obviously.

Pitching-wise, I see a need only if it's a top-of-rotation guy. I think they match up very well in the 3-4-5 slots, and the depth is still there. A solid one or two would go a long way, and could well make the biggest difference. However, I don't subscribe to the theory that pitching is the major need because the offense is scoring runs. A run is a run, whether you're adding it to your side or taking it away from the other.

Bottom line: the biggest need, for me, is a very good player, whether it's a power LF, a leadoff SS or a TOR starter. (And the biggest disappointment is that everybody knew that eight months ago.)

[GOYA]

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

[The DARK]

I wouldn't mind trading a few minor prospects (Francisco for example), for a LF rental. Cozart looks ready, and we can't seem to make up our minds on whether to add pitching or trade our pitching. Obviously, everyone wants an ace, but since there's not one available, most upgrades will be hard to come by and extremely expensive.

I wouldn't be afraid to stand pat at the deadline, though. Worst case, everyone else struggles and we call up Sappelt. We need all the money we can get to resign Phillips.

[Vottomatic]

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

What are you pitching about?

[Kc61]

Not sure this thread should be in the Minor League Forum, but let's try to discuss this from the perspective of the Reds' biggest need FROM THE OUTSIDE. What's covered from within, and what's not covered.

I think SS, C, overall depth can be supplied from the INSIDE. Cozart and Mes certainly look like comers. Guys like Alonso, Francisco, Frazier can supply overall depth if needed.

Boxberger could soon add to the bullpen depth. The starting pitching is improving and though unspectacular would require a huge investment to get a true Ace.

But LF, I don't see that coming from within. And the bat is a fairly urgent need.
I know, Reds have good offensive numbers but we're talking pennant winner here. Another strong bat would help the Reds get there IMO.

[Superdude]

The Reds are leading the NL in scoring, so I'm thinking a starting pitcher might be a bigger need.

Pitching is the biggest need, but it's going to be harder to upgrade given the makeup of our rotation. If we had 3 really good pitchers and 2 absolute klunkers, would could make a Westbrook type deal and expect to benefit from it. Our rotations currently has one, maybe two good pitchers, and four or five other guys still clinging to respectable numbers.

I'd be all for landing an ace, but I'd hate to see us ship out some promising prospects for a guy with an ERA in the mid 4's who may or may not be an upgrade to what we already have. Left field on the other hand, there's clear upgrades pretty much everywhere you look. On the Reds bench perhaps... heisey*cough*hesiey

[mth123]

Short Term

1. An upgrade to the rotation. One of the back end guys filling out the rotation needs to be converted to somebody better.

2. A RH Power bat that can play LF every day or a LH power guy who can platoon with Gomes to hit 5th.

3. A Late inning LH reliever.

I think the Reds have 3 upgrades available from within. Cozart at SS, Mesoraco at C and maybe a LH Hitting OF who is better than Lewis. The starting and relief pitchers on hand are already the best guys the reds have and the other position prospects probably won't be as good as the guys already at those spots in the majors. Alonso, Valaika, Sappelt, Grandal, Heisey, Janish and any of the fringe pitchers like Smith, Maloney, Lecure, Fisher etc. should all be made available. Ideally we could package some of those with Volquez for an ace.

Long Term

the Reds need successors to Rolen and Phillips. I'd probably try to keep Frazier and Francisco around if possible as options, but I'd deal them to get something needed. I think these spots won't be adequately filled from within.

[Benihana]

Short Term

1. An upgrade to the rotation. One of the back end guys filling out the rotation needs to be converted to somebody better.

2. A RH Power bat that can play LF every day or a LH power guy who can platoon with Gomes to hit 5th.

3. A Late inning LH reliever.

I think the Reds have 3 upgrades available from within. Cozart at SS, Mesoraco at C and maybe a LH Hitting OF who is better than Lewis. The starting and relief pitchers on hand are already the best guys the reds have and the other position prospects probably won't be as good as the guys already at those spots in the majors. Alonso, Valaika, Sappelt, Grandal, Heisey, Janish and any of the fringe pitchers like Smith, Maloney, Lecure, Fisher etc. should all be made available. Ideally we could package some of those with Volquez for an ace.

Generally agree with this, although it's difficult for me to say between LF and SS one is a much bigger need than the other, or there are in-house ready replacements for one and not the other. I know you are higher on Cozart than most, but I can't say with any degree of confidence that he will be a better or worse in-house replacement at SS than Sappelt or Alonso would be in LF. My view is that we need to immediately call up Cozart and one of the LF (take your pick), play them everyday for the next month, and try to make a judgment call on how to proceed from there.

Long Term

the Reds need successors to Rolen and Phillips. I'd probably try to keep Frazier and Francisco around if possible as options, but I'd deal them to get something needed. I think these spots won't be adequately filled from within.

Agreed, and I might add an eventual replacement for Votto to this as well. We should know more about that situation by this time next year.

[davereds24]

Can't forget about Hermida, he could potentially be an upgrade to Lewis without haven't to go outside. Short term fix obviously with Alonso/Frazier etc next year.