There's been nothing done since the Latos trade to give any sort of positive spin on this decision.
What a disaster
There's been nothing done since the Latos trade to give any sort of positive spin on this decision.
What a disaster
Worse to me is the future, or lack there of for our redlegs. Logic says Cueto is probably traded, and if not he's signed to a pretty risky LT deal. And if not him, than Latos/Leake are gone for fiscal reasons, and Simon in arb. is given a HUGE raise that noone knows if he'll be able to live up to. Not to mention the uncertainty w/ the surgery to Bailey, injuries to Votto/Bruce/BP, no LF'er etc. The most promising group of reds has now become the most questionable, and rebuilding/blowing it up seems more likely than the last 5-6 yrs., by a mile to me.
They should trade Cueto, Latos, Votto, Chapman and Bailey for a middle of the order bat, a solid closer, and three above average starters.
RedlegJake (09-27-2014)
That's a Schuler special right there...after a while you come to appreciate that guy
99% of all numbers only tell 33% of the story so when looking at the numbers remember that numbers is plural...
OC_Red (10-20-2014)
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
OC_Red (10-20-2014),RedlegJake (10-10-2014)
I don't blame Walt for everything, but the lack of bats off the bench and AAA really hurt this team. We could see even in spring training this was going to be a weak spot, and it certainly turned out to be so. At some level, the GM is responsible for this, as is the farm director. To put it this way, the top HR and run producers in Louisville's lineup this season were Ruben Gotay and Felix Perez. Those were the team's big bats in AAA in 2014.
Worse, or should I say most fearful, is what will happen when those contracts of our most vaunted pitchers start to come up. It's very possible we will lose them all (or only keep one of the big three [Cueto, Chapman, and Latos]), which means it's highly likely at 1-2 of those pitchers will be traded and soon. So, that means when it comes time to trade two of those pitchers (likely Cueto and Chapman), Cincy needs to get some value in return (offensively on the big club and at least a highly touted prospect or two at the AAA level). Does anyone trust Walt to do that? He's had success, but from what I've seen of the team's bench and AAA lineup, never mind the recent trades, I'm not overly confident in his ability to do that (and much of that hamstringing is also a result of the exorbitant contracts we signed Homer and Joey to). I know it's not an attractive idea, especially with the 2015 ASG in Cincinnati, but this team should consider a money/player dump if things do not go extremely well in the first two months of the 2015 season (and possibly even this off season, if the Reds could find a great combination of players in a trade for its marquee pitchers). Or we could hope Votto, Phillips, and no one else in the regular lineup get hurt next season (and Votto returns to his pre-injury form), a LFer suddenly appears, and all goes well. That seems about as fanciful as trusting Walt as GM at this point.
By the way, I hope I am wrong about all of this.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and [the St. Louis Cardinals]."--Benjamin Disraeli
This is exactly the approach the Reds need to take: Try and tinker and make 1 or 2 key moves in the off-season for one more big run at the division. But if things go south early, I think they have to blow things up a bit to maintain long-term success. If not, this team could be NL Central cellar-dwellers very quickly, especially with the bright future the Cubs have.
I think the Brewers are headed for the cellar for the next few years. They don't have a lot of promise with aging arms and no minor league help on the way really.
Ever since the Latos trade, this team has had ZERO legit offensive prospects depending on how you feel about Hamilton. It's been 3 years, and there's nothing in the immediate future ready.
3 OF prospects I think are legitimate. Winker - just around the corner, another year, but he's a hitter. YRod - has the tools, discipline is the question. Waldrop - like Winker, just around the corner but I think he's legit. Phil Ervin bombing this year hurts. For the foreseeable future that's about it though. There are some hitters in the lower leagues but a ways off yet. Blandino may come on quickly. No doubt it is a tough winter and how well Walt handles the impending FA pitchers, keep em/trade em/whats the return, will have a huge impact on whether the Reds go to the cellar or remain contenders in the years after 2015.
99% of all numbers only tell 33% of the story so when looking at the numbers remember that numbers is plural...
Love what the Cubs have done.
Focus on getting stud offensive prospects for cheap, then they are about to invest heavily in pitching. Scherzer, Lester, etc. will be coming to Chicago this year.
Before we get all enamored of the Cubs remember they have been pathetic for a few years now to get those great offensive prospects. Drafting in the top 3-4 a few years straight tends to make the farm look terrific. The Marlins, Devil Rays, Astros, Royals all know that schtick.
99% of all numbers only tell 33% of the story so when looking at the numbers remember that numbers is plural...
REDREAD (10-20-2014)
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