Should Wayne Krivsky's contract be extended?

[OnBaseMachine]

With seemingly nearly everyone behind the Francisco Cordero and Josh Hamilton-for-Edinson Volquez trade, it seems that everyone can agree that Wayne Krivsky has had a great year. With his contract set to run out after this year, do you think his past year of success was enough to get his contract extended?

I think so. I'm not sure if I would do it right now, but maybe sometime in July or August.

As a whole, I've been pretty impressed with the work Wayne Krivsky has did in his roughly two years as the Reds general manager. Yes the Kearns/Lopez trade was bad and the Mike Stanton signing was bad, but IMO the positives outweigh the negatives.

Positives:

-Signing Adam Dunn to a 2-year extension with an option for 2008, which he later picked up.

-Trading Wily Mo Pena for Bronson Arroyo.

-Extending Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo's contracts well below market for four more years.

-Picked up Jon Coutlangus for nothing.

-Acquired Jeff Keppinger again for nearly nothing.

-Signing Scott Hatteberg.

-Picking up David Ross for next to nothing.

-Trading Jeff Stevens for Brandon Phillips.

-Picking up Jared Burton and Josh Hamilton via the Rule 5 draft for pocket change.

-Very solid 2007 draft. I am very high on several of his picks.

-Acquired Kyle Lohse for Zach Ward and turned around and traded Lohse for Matt Maloney, who is a better prospect than Ward.

-Trading Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez.

-Signing Francisco Cordero.

Negatives:

-Traded Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Gary Majewski and Billy Bray.

-Signed Mike Stanton and Juan Castro plus a few other older veterans.

-Passed on Tim Lincecum for Drew Stubbs in the 2006 baseball draft.

I may be forgetting a couple so correct me if I did. In my opinion Wayne Krivsky has did a pretty solid job since becoming the Reds GM nearly two years ago, but it's been the past year that has really caught my eye. I think he is worthy of a contract extension, if not right now, but definitely sometime during the summer.

[flyer85]

what's the rush?

[mth123]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Krivsky has proven his worth as a superscout who is able to find talent in players that others have given up on and that ability has propelled the organization forward. I still think the jury is out on his GM skills though.

As far as drafts go, I'm not sure how involved he is and not enough time has really passed to know. Stubbs and Mesoraco have disappointed so far. Sean Watson stalled a little. So did Chris Valaika. Todd Frazier looks pretty good but he was a 21 year old with a college background playing in rookie ball. Too soon to tell on Kyle Lotzkar. Zach Cozart looks like Castro junior, but Netalfi Soto might be a keeper. He's had a couple good late round finds in Danny Dorn and Brandon Waring, but we still can only grade this incomplete. Other pitchers like Hildenbrandt, Conatser, Carroll and Chiu could make or break this aspect of his regime (I know Chiu wasn't a draft pick).

Where I find WK lacking so far is his brass tacks GM skills. He seems to have trouble putting the roster together, choosing guys like Stanton, Cormier, Saarloos and Conine as key role players, or keeping guys like McCracken while letting go of a Cody Ross or another youngster. His trades are a mixed lot. When he is dealing for a reject that he sees something in (Phillips, Arroyo, Keppinger) he does quite well. But when he is trying to trade value for value, he seems to overpay. We've beaten the Kearns/Lopez deal to death and while I support the Hammy for Volquez deal, I still think the Reds overpaid a little. I think a better second player should have been obtained for Hammy. He's done pretty well when dumping guys, I think the return on Conine and Lohse was better than I thought it would be.

I've got to say he needs more evaluation. Seeing what he does to put this team together will tell a lot. Will he keep Stanton and Majewski dooming the pen to another season of league worst productivity or will he make a tough decision or two and move on? Will he keep Castro around while keeping a better player (like almost anyone) down on the farm? What will he do with Hatte/Votto? What about Hopper/Freel/Bruce? I think these decisions will sway my vote one way or the other.

[Team Clark]

My question would be who would be taking his place? Several of the board favorites are not available any longer or are tied up in extensions. There are always candidates but are there better candidates?

From where I sit I certainly do not see any in house candidates. Zero.

Here are some outside names that have been mentioned on this board or names I am throwing out there.... Personally, I say keep Wayne.

Michael Hill was given a 5 year extension in Florida and moved into the big seat.

Frank Wren got the job he wanted.

Jim Beattie.... Not really that great of a choice to begin with. His years with the O's say enough. If you think Krivsky is bland with the Media spend 30 minutes with Beattie.

Mike Port has a cushy job at MLB. He would probably leave to take a GM's post. He's been passed over so many times he has permanent shoe imprints on his back.

Tim Purpura has a nice new job as COO and Exec VP of Minor League Baseball. Not to mention he was the ultimate receiver of good fortune with the Astros before screwing that up. This is not the guy you want handing out contracts.

Mike Arbuckle in Philly is another decent choice but not enough people know his work.

Dayton Moore has a GM position and is not leaving anytime soon.

John Schuerholz.... PLEASE UN-RETIRE!!

Dan Evans? Hmmmmm.

Paul DePodesta is an interesting choice. I personally would like to sit down with him and talk baseball.

John Vuch from the St. Louis Cardinals is not a household name but deserves a look.

Craig Shipley in Boston has done it all. Player, Farm Director, VP of Scouting. Sharp guy. He has worked in a great organization and has had his hand in a great deal of Player Development. A little arrogant but that never killed anyone. (I think) 2 new shiny WS rings.

David Forst with the A's is another budding GM prospect. Certainly a new age type of thinking and has learned a lot under Mr. Moneyball.

Mark Newman of the Yankees has a very impressive resume. Pretty good coaching career, excellent job as a PD coordinator and has been making a good name for himself as Cashman's new #2 sidekick.

I know I am leaving out a lot of names these are just my highlights.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by mth123

His trades are a mixed lot. When he is dealing for a reject that he sees something in (Phillips, Arroyo, Keppinger) he does quite well. But when he is trying to trade value for value, he seems to overpay. We've beaten the Kearns/Lopez deal to death and while I support the Hammy for Volquez deal, I still think the Reds overpaid a little. I think a better second player should have been obtained for Hammy. He's done pretty well when dumping guys, I think the return on Conine and Lohse was better than I thought it would be.

Bronson Arroyo was hardly a reject. He had just signed a three-year deal at a discount to stay in Boston. That was value for value at its finest. That said, I do wish Taylor Teagarden could have been the other player in the Hammy deal, even if it meant us including Hatteberg going to Texas.

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by Team Clark

My question would be who would be taking his place?

Not that I am calling for a change but is Walt Jocketty still available?

[Team Clark]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

Not that I am calling for a change but is Walt Jocketty still available?

I almost put him on the list. Not sure why I didn't now. I have no idea why he is not working this year other than he may want to take some time off? (guessing) I would think that if he truly was available and wanted to work he'd already be in the Reds organization or some other organization. Be that as it may if Wayne stumbles the Jocketty rumors will heat up in July.

[Joseph]

I also think the positive/negative list is subject to each posters opinions.

For example some might think Hamilton for Edinson was bad [known for unknown]. Some think Kearns/Lopez for Majewski/Bray/Thompson was good [payflex, attitudes]. Its all subjective.

To have a "fair" estimate of his work you shouldn't have broken it down but instead just listed all the moves he's made and let people make their own decisions on what was good and what was bad.

[OnBaseMachine]

That was my opinion of the positives and negatives. People are more than welcome to list their own.

[Cyclone792]

I'd like to see the makeup of this roster once the regular season hits, and we'll have a decent idea at that point how successful this season may be.

One thing I'd like Krivsky to do is send an intern down to collect all the bags belonging to Castro, Majewski and Stanton and chuck them all into the Ohio. Eliminating those three from the roster would be a vast improvement by itself.

[Caveat Emperor]

Let's not forget: we're talking about a GM that still hasn't posted either a .500 record or a roster that played to a positive Pythag. This is a big year for Krivsky - one where we need to see guys like Bray put it together, Cordero stabalize the back of the bullpen, and Volquez to solidify the back of the rotation with Bailey.

His draft classes look to have provided good depth, but nobody drafted in the Krivsky-era has jumped off the page. Combine that with the apparent swing-and-a-miss on the Stubbs pick (note: I do not want to turn this into a Stubbs/Lincecum debate), and I think this is also a big year for Krivsky's draft products. I would, ideally, like to see a few of them break out at the mid-level minors and give the team a few high-B/low-A type prospects for the 2008 list. Stubbs turning the corner and Mesoraco showing something would certainly help.

So, I guess put me in the "wait and see" camp. This is a big year for Krivsky, and there is a lot left to do before it starts.

[camisadelgolf]

I voted 'yes'. It's amazing how quickly people forget the state of the Reds immediately following 2005. The farm system was ranked by Baseball America as the worst in MLB. The starting rotation options were Aaron Harang, Brandon Claussen, Eric Milton, Dave Williams, Paul Wilson, and Elizardo Ramirez.

The talent he has acquired has been significantly better than the talent he has let go. Heck, he has the Reds thinking they can compete (whereas a couple years ago, people were wondering if the Reds would still have a team in 20 years).

There are too many reasons to list. I'll just say 'hell yes'.

[Falls City Beer]

Ideally, no, he shouldn't be extended. He doesn't work nearly quickly enough or aggressively enough for my tastes.

However, what might be a problem though is prying away someone better than Wayne from another organization. So I'd be researching this thoroughly over the course of the season and make a decision in September.

[REDREAD]

I voted "no", simply because I think the last choice of "wait and see" is too wishy-washy.

Wayne has some skills. Mth123 did a good job outlining those.

I'm not so sure that Wayne is a good fit for the Reds now. There's still time in this offseason, but Wayne has an owner that's been screaming for 2.5 years to put a winner on the field, and he seems more content to build for the future.

The Hamilton-Volquez trade might ultimately be a winner for the Reds. However, I think it hurts our chances for 2008 more than it helps. Maybe in 2009, it helps more. My point is that Josh is much more likely to have a positive impact than Volquez. Volquez is still a work in progress. Josh is producing (despite a possible weakness vs LH pitching). Again, I am not saying that Volquez is garbage. The Reds might ultimately win that deal, but it is not a deal that helps the Reds win next year.

I think Wayne has a problem by giving out long term contracts to people that don't deserve it. Castro, Freel, Stanton, Gonzo. It's true that he's given out some good extensions as well.. Dunn, Harang, and I consider Arroyo a good one (even though it was controversal).

He seems to be horrible at getting help at the trading deadline when the team needs it.

He's a step up from DanO, but I really question if we're ever going to win a division title under his watch. Frankly, I'm a bit concerned about 2009 as well, since Hamilton is now gone and Jr/Dunn are on their last contract year. Bruce can't fill the entire OF by himself.
But Wayne does have time to work on that. I know a lot of posters shrug off the 2009 OF situation, but it's a big potential problem, even if Dunn resigns.

[corkedbat]

Originally Posted by mth123

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Krivsky has proven his worth as a superscout who is able to find talent in players that others have given up on and that ability has propelled the organization forward. I still think the jury is out on his GM skills though.

As far as drafts go, I'm not sure how involved he is and not enough time has really passed to know. Stubbs and Mesoraco have disappointed so far. Sean Watson stalled a little. So did Chris Valaika. Todd Frazier looks pretty good but he was a 21 year old with a college background playing in rookie ball. Too soon to tell on Kyle Lotzkar. Zach Cozart looks like Castro junior, but Netalfi Soto might be a keeper. He's had a couple good late round finds in Danny Dorn and Brandon Waring, but we still can only grade this incomplete. Other pitchers like Hildenbrandt, Conatser, Carroll and Chiu could make or break this aspect of his regime (I know Chiu wasn't a draft pick).

Where I find WK lacking so far is his brass tacks GM skills. He seems to have trouble putting the roster together, choosing guys like Stanton, Cormier, Saarloos and Conine as key role players, or keeping guys like McCracken while letting go of a Cody Ross or another youngster. His trades are a mixed lot. When he is dealing for a reject that he sees something in (Phillips, Arroyo, Keppinger) he does quite well. But when he is trying to trade value for value, he seems to overpay. We've beaten the Kearns/Lopez deal to death and while I support the Hammy for Volquez deal, I still think the Reds overpaid a little. I think a better second player should have been obtained for Hammy. He's done pretty well when dumping guys, I think the return on Conine and Lohse was better than I thought it would be.

I've got to say he needs more evaluation. Seeing what he does to put this team together will tell a lot. Will he keep Stanton and Majewski dooming the pen to another season of league worst productivity or will he make a tough decision or two and move on? Will he keep Castro around while keeping a better player (like almost anyone) down on the farm? What will he do with Hatte/Votto? What about Hopper/Freel/Bruce? I think these decisions will sway my vote one way or the other.

Pretty well sums up my feelings exactly. Nice post mth.