Doc sez Krivsky FIRED!

[redsfan30]

The timing of this move is awful....just awful. Unless there were MAJOR problems in the front office that he was directly responsible for.....

My initial response is this is a bad move....

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

Say what you want about liking or hating Krivsky, it does not bode well for the Reds to now been on essentially their 6th GM in five years.

Bingo...and hopefully Jocketty works out, otherwise what quality GM would want to come to a organization that tends to be trigger happy with its GM's?

[Johnny Footstool]

I bashed Krivsky for the Arroyo/Pena trade, and I was wrong about that one.

I bashed Krivsky for the Kearns/Lopez deal, and I still believe I was right about that one.

Since then, I think Krivsky has made more good moves than bad. Acquiring Volquez for Hamilton was smart, IMO. And any time you can grab talent for free (Phillips, Keppinger, Ross), or at a discounted rate (yes, Corey Patterson for $3 million is a discount) it's a good thing.

Gonzo, I wasn't too fond of at the time. I'm even less fond of that deal now.

The Cordero signing was very good, IMO. Lock-down bullpen arms are worth the cash.

Overall, I'd say Krivsky was about average, but showing signs of improvement.

[LoganBuck]

I kind of liked Krivsky, not a favorite because of his continued desire to bring in replacement or below players to fill out the last 4 spots on the roster, but liked nonetheless. I liked the fact that he valued Adam Dunn, I liked the fact that that he held onto the top end prospects this offseason, and that he had seemed to know what was going on in the minors. What I fear most is a populist general manager, that makes changes based on the public reaction. The guy who would have sent EdE down, the guy who would have traded Adam Dunn because he doesn't bunt and strikes out too much, and the guy who loves Ryan Freel because he hustles.

Fear the masses, because I suspect they are now the muse.

[Team Clark]

I would not have fired Wayne. However, this move does not surprise me. I wrote an open letter to Krivsky on this board and was readily slammed for it. I even had to edit it to take out a lot of content. So much has gone on behind closed doors. The FO employees leaving, the general disgruntledness of the people around Wayne have played a huge role in his firing. Daughtery at least has the guts to put it out there.

I am GUESSING that Wayne and Dusty were not communicating on the same page when it comes to players and that may have been the final straw. Just a fuess.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

Bingo...and hopefully Jocketty works out, otherwise what quality GM would want to come to a organization that tends to be trigger happy with its GM's?

Good point. The line between demanding accountability and acting like a spoiled six-year-old can be a fine one, and hopefully Castellini made this decision with sound judgment and not in a "but I want it NOW!" temper tantrum.

[Chip R]

If it were all the bad contracts Bob had to eat that got Wayne fired, I'm not sure how the Reds are going to improve unless they have to... wait for it... eat more contracts. Unless Walt can pawn off guys like Fogg and Javy and Freel and Hatteberg off to other teams, this team isn't going to be a helluva lot different.

[oneupper]

I just went back to see what the team looked like before WK took over in 2006. Casey was on his way to Pitt for Dave Williams (O'Brien's last trade).
Wily Mo was still around.

I compared the teams. I don't really think there is a comparison. The 2006 team has been completely revamped. It HAD to be, it was going into a black hole. The 2008 is nowhere near perfect, but I'd take it hands down over what WK inherited.



2006 ........... 2008

C LaRue ......... Ross
1B Noone (Dunn) ........ Votto
2B Womack ......... Phillips
SS Lopez ......... Gonzalez/Kepp
3B Aurilia ........ Encarnacion
LF WMP ........ Dunn
CF Griffey ........ Patterson/Hairston/Freel/Hopper
RF Kearns ........ Griffey
OF-IF Freel

SP Harang ........ Harang
SP Milton ........ Arroyo
SP Claussen ........ Cueto
SP Williams ....... Volquez
SP ?????? ....... Fogg/Belisle

CL Weathers/Coffey ........ Cordero
Mercker

[OnBaseMachine]

Krivsky his own enemy

By Hal McCoy | Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 12:48 PM
What do you think?

Bob Castellini is a businessman, the nation’s leading fruit and vegetable magnate, and if the price of lettuce and tomatoes has soared the last couple of years, it might be traced back to Wayne Krivsky.

Castellini, CEO of the Cincinnati Reds, fired general manager Krivsky today, replacing him with Walt Jocketty.

During Krivsky’s regime, the team has had to eat more dollar bills than the number of heads of lettuce Castellini sells.

Some questionable contracts that forced the team to pay money to players no longer playing for the Reds didn’t help Krivsky’s cause.

It started with when he signed pitcher Rheal Cormier to a two-year contract. When the team released him it had to pay him something like $3 million NOT to pitch.

When the Reds released pitcher Mike Stanton this spring, it forced them to pay him $3.5 million this year NOT to pitch.

And there is that curious contract he gave outfielder Corey Patterson, who was sitting at home doing nothing during spring training, pursued by no other teams. Krivsky signed him for $3 million when Patterson probably would have taken $500,000 and paid his own way to camp.

He gave utility player Ryan Freel a deal that pays him $3 million this year and $4 million next year and couldn’t trade him unless the team absorbed some of that money.

He gave pitcher Josh Fogg a $1.5 million deal mid-spring training when no other teams were pursuing him, a panic move when Krivsky wasn’t certain how good Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez would be.

The $46 million, three-deal for closer Francisco Cordero looked good at the time, but so far, after 21 games, he has had only two save opportunities. That contract may pan out, but right now one wonders.

All this could be overlooked by Castellini if the team showed a propensity for winning, which it hasn’t during Krivsky’s tenure. After all, Castellini signed off on all those deals, taking Krivsky’s advice. Castellini wants to win and he wants to win now.

He and Jocketty worked together in St. Louis when Jocketty helped piece together a team that was not contending to one that contended for more than a decade.

Krivsky and I were friends long before he was named Reds GM. When he worked for the Minnesota Twins, he traveled the country scouting other teams and I encountered him often. We had many lunches together and talked often.

His ambition, of course, was to be a GM and he would say, “If I’d get the Reds job, there are a lot of things I would do and we’d have a lot of fun.”

It wasn’t fun. Krivsky remained my friend, but he changed. He was not forthcoming with information to the media, not even on the most menial things. He was guarded, overly guarded.

Two years ago during the winter meetings in Orlando, I took him aside in his suite after another unproductive media meeting in which he divulged nothing about what the team was doing or trying to do.

I said, “Wayne, remember when we had lunches and chatted about your future and how much fun we’d have together with the Reds?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Well, I’m not having fun,” I said. “Remember when I told you how difficult it was sometimes getting information from your predecessor, Dan O’Brien? Well, you’re worse.”

Krivsky seemed to think about it, but nothing changed. And nothing changed with the Reds.

Nobody likes to see anybody lose his job, especially a friend. But Krivsky cut his own throat.

Jocketty is a good man, too, and a solid baseball man. Things should change, and much for the better.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/con...incinnatireds/

[RichRed]

What do Krivsky and Jocketty have in common?

They both traded for Royce Clayton AND Tony Womack.


I'm not sure what to make of this move. I was initially very critical of Krivsky but feel that he was beginning to learn on the job. Some of the roster decisions defied belief though and, as others have said, he just may not have been the guy to get the Reds over that hump. I'm not surprised Cast went with Jocketty but I am surprised by the timing.

I'll be very interested to see what Jocketty's first moves are.

[REDREAD]

Originally Posted by flyer85

I think it was pretty clear that WK had no interest in signing Dunn to an extension. According to Dunn there hadn't been any conversation about an extension ... which says everything.

It will be interesting to see if the orgainization has a change of heart and opens contract talks with Dunn.

That's a good point as well. Jocketty values defense a lot as well, but I think he's more pragmatic about not blowing a hole in the offense (which is what would happen if Dunn walked). I didn't consider the angle that part of Wayne's plan might've been to replace Dunn and Jr by design. Sure, Bruce fills one slot, but who does the other slot go to? I have a feeling Wayne would've bottom fed and the offense would've suffered.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

WOW! I just heard this in the car coming home from school. I really don't know what I think of it at this point.

Definitely did not see this coming.

[RedsManRick]

Originally Posted by redsfan30

The timing of this move is awful....just awful. Unless there were MAJOR problems in the front office that he was directly responsible for.....

My initial response is this is a bad move....

I've seen this sentiment all over the place. Why? What harm does doing it now do that doing it in July -- or next November -- wouldn't?

In my mind, the only timing issue is that it wasn't done last offseason before he could sign Fogg and Patterson.

[Highlifeman21]

Originally Posted by RFS62

Anyone think the crack beat reporters in Cincy will get to the bottom of all this?

No chance in Hell.

[REDREAD]

Originally Posted by TRF

Burton hit a rough little patch, but he's been solid overall, Affeldt has been a huge surprise. Mercker hasn't been bad, and there is a plethora of LH waiting in line for one to fall. I'm liking the pen so far.

As for the rotation, Arroyo and Belisle need to kick it up a notch.

Burton has been good about 1/2 the time so far this year, and bad 1/2 of the time. I hope he comes around and is good all the time. With his history of control issues, I think it's reasonable to expect a lot of up-and-downs with Burton this year, despite his great raw talent..In other words, as always, I will say that I don't think he's sucks, but he's inconsistent.

The bullpen was upgraded simply by giving Maj and Stanton the boot. Wayne should've never had those guys on the team last year in the first place.
Although I do agree that the early returns on Lincoln, Mercker,and Affedlt are good.