Have you ever noticed that....

[Brisco]

... no one on the Zone ever opposes signing a recognized name player to a minor league contract?

Be it Freddie Garcia, Brandon Webb (the current two being discussed) or whomever, the idea receives almost instant universal support.

Why? I think its because most of us, who really only focus on the majors, view these type of contracts as nominal cost lottery tickets.

When we are talking about minor league contracts, however, isn't the roster spot and play time the real cost?

We always talk about keeping prospects in the minors, even though they could be effective bench players on the ML team, just so they can get regular playing time.

Doesn't every single name signing threaten that playing time?

I get that we have some pitching gaps at AAA, so maybe Garcia makes sense... but just once, i would like the debate over a propspective minor league contract focus on the playtime cost to the players already in our system rather than just focus on the potential for a given name player to return to their glory days and help the Major league ballclub.

[Alpha Zero]

It's not really a discussion worth having. There are rarely ever enough true prospects in a system to fill out a minor league rotation. Right now, the only legitimate SP prospects that the Reds have ready for the AAA level are Cingrani and Corcino. Most organizations are in a very similar situation.

Also, the major league club almost always needs SP depth. Most teams use 8-10 different starters over the course of a season. It's definitely a good thing to have a couple of guys stashed at AAA who are known quantities and have some MLB experience.

[UCBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by Brisco

... no one on the Zone ever opposes signing a recognized name player to a minor league contract?

Be it Freddie Garcia, Brandon Webb (the current two being discussed) or whomever, the idea receives almost instant universal support.

Why? I think its because most of us, who really only focus on the majors, view these type of contracts as nominal cost lottery tickets.

When we are talking about minor league contracts, however, isn't the roster spot and play time the real cost?

We always talk about keeping prospects in the minors, even though they could be effective bench players on the ML team, just so they can get regular playing time.

Doesn't every single name signing threaten that playing time?

I get that we have some pitching gaps at AAA, so maybe Garcia makes sense... but just once, i would like the debate over a propspective minor league contract focus on the playtime cost to the players already in our system rather than just focus on the potential for a given name player to return to their glory days and help the Major league ballclub.

Honestly you've got to think it helps development too. Tony Cingrani, playing with Brandon Webb would help him much more than playing with some low end minor leaguer. It also keeps us from overpromoting guys adding value to our farm system

[drowg14]

In addition to what Alpha said, it's also good to try to add veterans to the higher minors to help guide the youth. And giving the minor league affiliates a chance to win helps improve the relationship between the big league club and the people in charge of the minor league teams.

[MoneyInTheBank]

When you have a team at the point of where the Reds are right now, the Minor Leagues are secondary to trying to win a World Series. I'd rather have Garcia or Webb in the AAA rotation than fringe guys who will never make an impact at the MLB level.