Reds acquire Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald for Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorious

[dougdirt]

OK, I guess you didn't use the word bust, but you essentially called him a failure of a pick.

Hamilton will be in Louisville. Wouldn't surprise me to see LaMarre back in Pensacola, though it wouldn't surprise me to see him working a corner spot in Louisville either.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

OK, I guess you didn't use the word bust, but you essentially called him a failure of a pick.

Hamilton will be in Louisville. Wouldn't surprise me to see LaMarre back in Pensacola, though it wouldn't surprise me to see him working a corner spot in Louisville either.

You don't even need to use the word "essentially." I flat-out called him a "big disappointment." I just think "bust" is going a bit far.

As for your comparison re: LaMarre/Cozart ... there is no way LaMarre will ever have the kind of pop that Cozart does. Cozart is good for 30+ doubles and 15+ HRs every year most likely, especially playing in GABP. LaMarre wouldn't come close to that. Their OBP are similar, but Cozart has a lot more pop. Cozart's minor league numbers > LaMarre's minor league numbers. Also, one thing I really liked about Cozart in the minors is the steady improvement that he showed. He was once considered a guy that would never hit well enough to sniff the Majors as you know. Not that he's a great hitter now, but he's all right. Coupled with his defense and you've got a solid MLB shortstop. And I'm of the opinion we'll see some slight improvement in Cozart's offensive numbers these next couple of years. Nothing drastic, but steady improvement. I know he's already 27, but he's a student of the game and will improve.

[dougdirt]

There is no way that Cozart is ever going to walk as much as LaMarre is either. Overall though, Cozart sucks as a hitter. Yet he has value because he can play defense up the middle. I don't see why LaMarre can't also suck as a hitter, yet also provide some value because he can also play defense up the middle. The two will go about their offense differently, but I could see them both being .700 OPS bats.

[Sabo Fan]

So overall I have to say that I'm a big fan of this trade. In fact, I'd go so far to say that it may be Walt's best in terms of value acquired vs. value lost. Defensively I think Choo can handle it. Let him work it out in Spring Training and see how it goes. Ultimately I don't know how much of a difference we'll notice. I'd be more concerned if the Reds were trying to "hide" a poor fielder in either corner spot. Couple that with the otherwise strong D up the middle and I'm not too worried.

As for this spirited debate on Gregorius - good prospect, good potential, but not someone that makes me think twice about dealing if I can get an impact bat like Choo. What's Didi's best-case scenario? Orlando Cabrera? I think I can manage if that's the case.

[Boss-Hog]

We're well over 1,000 posts, so as is our policy, please start a new thread to continue this discussion. Thank you.