Now the Reds got another good pitcher, what will be the upgrade in LF ??

[Redsfansince72]

Could Walt do another Cuban Surprise?? like Yoenis Cespedes???? Since they traded alot to get Latos??

Or go after
Beltran?
Or Seth Smith?

OrLuke Scott?


any opinions??

[dMaus14]

I would either want Beltran or Cespedes! The only problem I see about Cespedes right now is he won't be eligible for free agency until January!

[will5979]

Gomes is a FA...

I kidd, don't start chucking bricks at me!

I'll take Beltran or Damon, preferrably Beltran but IMO you can't go wrong with either.

[LegallyMinded]

Originally Posted by will5979

Gomes is a FA...

I kidd, don't start chucking bricks at me!

I'll take Beltran or Damon, preferrably Beltran but IMO you can't go wrong with either.

Damon would obviously be the cheaper option, and he might still have a bit left in the tank offensively, but I don't think he's capable of being a starting LFer at this point in his career. He only played in 16 games in the OF for the Rays last year, and only 37 games in the OF the year before that. Left field for the Reds hasn't exactly been a showcase of sterling defensive performance in recent years, but Damon is basically at DH now, and should stick to the AL.

On Beltran, meanwhile, I agree that he'd be a great addition. Unfortunately, he has at least one offer of 10 million a year or more. Josh Willingham apparently proved too expensive for the Reds, at 7 million per year, so hoping for Beltran could be a reach.

[Ohayou]

Cespedes? Doesn't he want something like 8 years and $100M? He's not gonna get it. The guy is obviously a tremendous athlete, but that's just way too much for an unproven player.

[LegallyMinded]

The Reds have talked to Jason Kubel, according to MLBTR. Also, Jocketty says the Reds don't have the money to sign someone to a Willingham-type deal.

With that in mind, I guess Beltran is out of the picture for LF. As for Kubel, I'm not sure he'd be a great fit for the club. Even if the Reds got him relatively cheap, at, say, 2 years, 12 million, I'd rather see Heisey have a chance to play every day. Granted, Kubel does seem to hit lefties better than Heisey, but 6-7 million per year seems expensive for a platoon partner, and there's no guarantee Dusty would use Kubel as a platoon player rather than a regular anyway.

[sdwagers]

Originally Posted by LegallyMinded

The Reds have talked to Jason Kubel, according to MLBTR.

Here's Kubel's stats... 29 years old

Year                      Age            Tm            Lg   G   PA   AB   R   H  2B 3B  HR RBI SB CS  BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+   TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB  Pos Awards
                                                                                                                                                                        
2004                       22           MIN            AL  23   67   60  10  18   2  0   2   7  1  1   6   9 .300 .358 .433 .792  103   26   0   0  0  1   0        /9D7
                                                                                                                                                                        
2006                       24           MIN            AL  73  235  220  23  53   8  0   8  26  2  0  12  45 .241 .279 .386 .665   72   85  13   0  2  1   0        7D/9
2007                       25           MIN            AL 128  466  418  49 114  31  2  13  65  5  0  41  79 .273 .335 .450 .785  110  188   9   1  1  5   2          7D
2008                       26           MIN            AL 141  517  463  74 126  22  5  20  78  0  1  47  91 .272 .335 .471 .805  115  218  12   0  0  7   2         D97
2009                       27           MIN            AL 146  578  514  73 154  35  2  28 103  1  1  56 106 .300 .369 .539 .907  136  277  13   3  0  5   9  D97 MVP-24
2010                       28           MIN            AL 143  582  518  68 129  23  3  21  92  0  1  56 116 .249 .323 .427 .750  105  221  16   3  0  5   5         9D7
2011                       29           MIN            AL  99  401  366  37 100  21  1  12  58  1  1  32  86 .273 .332 .434 .766  111  159   8   1  0  2   2        9D/7

He's a RH bat and would likely figure to DH for us a bit in the interleague games.

[The DARK]

His batting looks like a guy worth taking a chance on, but what's his defense like?

[dMaus14]

I think I read that negotiations are starting at 6 years and $30M what Chapman signed for!

[Pony Boy]

With the clock ticking on Votto, Phillips and Rolen and Latos now in the fold it would be pretty stupid to not address LF in a big way.

[Outlaw133]

If the Reds stay "in-house", as I expect them to, look for a combo of Heisey, Sappelt, & TBA in left.

[Ohayou]

I hate platoons. Lets go grab Brett Gardner and win the WS!

[The DARK]

I'd give Ludwick a look, as unpopular as that may be. He played in Petco and the NL West last season, which probably had a lot to do with his decreased power numbers. I'd expect him to make up some ground this season with a competitive team in GABP, and while I'd like to see Heisey get plenty of starts, I'd feel better with Ludwick/Heisey/Sappelt than Heisey/Sappelt/Frazier.

[Crumbley]

I just can't see them giving Beltran enough money and/or years.

Ludwick is coming off of a brutal year, which Petco can take some blame for but it's not like he was any better in Pittsburgh. He'll be 34 next year. I don't see him outproducing Heisey in 2012.

Luke Scott is really interesting to me but like with Ludwick, I'm concerned about his age.

[OGB]

Frankly, I could care less about defense or power at this point as long as they have someone with a good OBP and a reasonable K rate.

With the money theyre saving, I say go big or go home on the FA market.