Ken Rosenthal with Fox Sports says the Reds' top winter goal is to acquire a middle-of-the-order bat.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/A...t-notes-091211
According to Rosenthal, "A left fielder would be one possibility, but the Reds also could seek a third baseman, shortstop or center fielder."
Also, Rosenthal says that the Reds want to keep Alonso in their lineup.
For knocking down infield pop-ups? Sonar to improve outfield defense? Interesting regardless.
Last year I wanted this, but now I think that fitting Alonso into left and putting Mes in the lineup solves the problem. The bigger need is a plug near the top of the rotation. Stating the obvious here.
I think they should look beyond Louisville to fill this need. There are 30 AAA clubs. Why does it have to be a Bat?
I don't think Mes will be an upgrade over Hernandez next season. It will be fun to watch him play but lets also remember he will be a rookie, a rookie catcher. Alonso SHOULD get the PT out in LF. Heck he should play in the fall league, the winter leagues, ST, etc. The guy should get all the reps he possibly can get in LF.Originally Posted by tixe
With that said and Alonso in LF you now need to focus on getting a legit #1 or #2 into the fold. Unless you can pry a Hanley or Tulo away from their team I don't see much value to trading for a SS. I would rather roll the dice with Cozart. Other than that where are you going to improve? Go get a top tier SP and plan for better things.
Rosenthal also mentioned CF and 3B as possibilities where the Reds might find a middle-of-the-order bat. Wonder if they are talking again with the Orioles, and now focusing more on Adam Jones or Mark Reynolds instead of Jeremy Guthrie. Or perhaps a slobberknocker deal involving multiple players from both teams trading places.
Don't know why I don't have confidence in Frazier as a solution at third, but I don't. And Francisco, as good as he looks at the plate at times, brings very obvious problems. I still might be satisfied with one or both of them taking the games at third yesterday that Rolen in all honesty can't be counted on to play. Cairo's a great story and a great guy to have on the bench, but you can't put him at third on any regular basis and give yourself the best chance to win.
I'm fine with Cozart at short.
While I agree that Mes can't be counted on to give the Reds the same production Ramon gave them this year, I don't think next year's Ramon can either, and I believe that the presence of a developing Mes in the lineup will give an added oomph of forward progress to the lineup.
The problem I come to at the end of this analysis is this: in order to acquire a top or near-top of the rotation starter, the Reds will need to give something up. They're not going to solve this problem in free agency. What we don't know is how a prospect package for a pitcher would affect the team's lineup needs. You might not be able to solve the problem with future-prospects such as Hamilton--you might have to deal from those the Reds are counting on.
And, let's not forget at SS, the Orioles have J.J. Hardy, who the Reds have previously tried to snag. Could they be making another pass to get him this winter?
Should be interesting off-season!
Hardy with Cozart backing up would be more than acceptable.
I like Alonso and I expect him to be a nice contributor on offense no matter where he ends up. That being said, his .467 BABIP is unsustainable. He's a good hitter, but I wonder if the expectations aren't a little high based on a small sample size.
How do we know he's not Mel Torme?
Between Alonso and Heisey, I'm fairly comfortable with LF. My priorities would be strengthening the pen, adding a TOR and adding depth to the IF.
http://instantrimshot.com/classic/?sound=rimshotI think they should look beyond Louisville to fill this need. There are 30 AAA clubs. Why does it have to be a Bat?
I"m in the camp for a top pitcher over a top hitter. I think I could live with a platoon Heisey/Alonso in LF and a Rolen/Fransico at 3B with Fraiser/Cairo utility guys. I would like to see another SS like Hardey to go with Cozart and another pen guy, but on my Christmas list a James Shield would be an excellent present.
I'd rather have a few more quality starting pitchers than I would another bat at this point, although a leadoff hitter and a righthand middle-of-the-order power hitter would be nice.
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
Ha, I'm sure this is just speculation because the Reds have no intention of going and getting anyone of any magnitude. The surest sign they won't do anything is they will talk like they are.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
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