Blue Jays "aggressively" moving to trade Eric Hinske to the Reds

[jmcclain19]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/M...27/687490.html

Jays trying to deal Hinske

By BOB ELLIOTT -- Toronto Sun


Cover boy on the Blue Jays media guide in 2003.

In which media guide will you find third baseman Eric Hinske come spring training in 2005?

The Blue Jays are aggressively attempting to move Hinske to the Cincinnati Reds, who don't have an everyday third baseman.

If Hinske is moved, perhaps the Jays would enter the sweepstakes for free-agent third baseman Corey Koskie of the Minnesota Twins. Another prime free agent at third base will be Troy Glaus of the Anaheim Angels.

Hinske hit .246 this season with 15 homers and 69 RBIs, while striking out 109 times.

In 2003, bothered by a hand injury, Hinske, hit .243 with 12 homers and 63 RBIs.

In 2002, he batted .279 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs and was the American League rookie of the year.

That rookie year earned Hinske a fat contract -- a five-year, $14.75-million US deal -- from Jays management the following St. Patrick's Day.

Centre fielder Vernon Wells signed the same day for slightly less -- five years for $14.7 million.

The Reds won't be able to take on the entire $12.95 million still owed Hinske over the next three seasons -- $3 million next season, $4.325 million in 2006 and $5.625 million in 2007 -- so the Jays will have to agree to pay part of it to make a trade.

The Reds opened the 2004 season with Brandon Larson, their former No. 1 pick from 1997, at third base. After he was released, Juan Castro, Tim Hummell and former Jay Ryan Freel played there.

[Doc. Scott]

http://www.sports-wired.com/players/....asp?Name=ECHJ

This could work. I'd want to see who the Blue Jays wanted back (D'Angelo Jimenez?) and how much of that salary they'd want to pick up first.

Eric is a better option than Freel, Castro, Larson, OR Hummel... and if Austin Kearns doesn't move to third. If I'm DanO, I table this until we have the early returns on Austin.

[Unassisted]

Hinske doesn't appear to be much of an upgrade for what he would cost. If the Jays send cash along in the deal, maybe he's worth a try. Change of scenery, change of fortune.

[Roy Tucker]

If they could fit Danny Graves into the trade mix somehow, it might be a win-win thing.

2002 Rookie of the Year, 2003 wrist injury, 2004 in a funk.

Low BB rate, high SO rate, good pop.

If the $$$ work, I agree he's an upgrade at 3B over what the Reds have.

[Doc. Scott]

If you notice Hinske's fielding stats, his errors have dropped from 20 in 2002 and 22 in 2003 to just eight in 2004. His DPs have gone up as well.

Perhaps he's not the mediocre fielder he was as a rookie.

He's entering his prime years (27 this coming August), he draws walks, and even runs a little (13, 12, and 12 steals in three years). The wrist injury has just killed his power production over the past two years.

If Toronto's willing to do it for minor-leaguers of some type, I might be willing to talk. I have a feeling they'd want D'Angelo Jimenez, so they can move either he or Orlando Hudson to shortstop, since Chris Woodward can't hit and Chris Gomez and Frankie Menechino ain't the saviors.

[M2]

Can he pitch?

If not, then the Jays had better be paying big chunks of his contract because the Reds need to spend whatever PayFlex they've got on quality arms.

[Johnny Footstool]

Low BB rate, high SO rate, good pop.

Actually, his walk rate isn't that low. It's over 10% of his ABs. It was even higher in 2002 when he was having good success, but it has declined each of the past two years. It looks like someone in Toronto has been putting "be aggressive" ideas into his head -- the same kind of ideas that blitzed Adam Dunn's 2003 season. The same kind of ideas that Chris Chambliss helped Dunn overcome this season.

I think Hinske has good upside, and I'd like to see this deal happen. The only problem is that he is a LH bat, which the Reds have in abundance.

If Graves is involved, I'd do this deal in a heartbeat.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

If Graves is involved, I'd do this deal in a heartbeat.

Oh yeah. But does this mean the Kearns to 3rd experiment is dead?

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Oh yeah. But does this mean the Kearns to 3rd experiment is dead?

Put a mirror under its nose and see if it ever really took a breath.

[M2]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

Actually, his walk rate isn't that low. It's over 10% of his ABs. It was even higher in 2002 when he was having good success, but it has declined each of the past two years. It looks like someone in Toronto has been putting "be aggressive" ideas into his head -- the same kind of ideas that blitzed Adam Dunn's 2003 season. The same kind of ideas that Chris Chambliss helped Dunn overcome this season.

I think Hinske has good upside, and I'd like to see this deal happen. The only problem is that he is a LH bat, which the Reds have in abundance.

If Graves is involved, I'd do this deal in a heartbeat.

Good points all, though the Yankees have shown over the past 85 years that you never can have too many LH hitters in your lineup.

I like Hinkse and agree that he'd be an easy shine-up for Chambliss. If it's Graves going the other way in the deal, then that eliminates my salary concerns. In that case I wouldn't worry about the long-term cost of Hinske's contract because he'll be easy to move if he plays well.

[traderumor]

I had forgotten that Hinske is a lefty, his OBA, SLG is higher against lefties.

[WVRed]

If Chambliss can get Hinske to hit for average, he would be a good 2 hitter in the Reds lineup. Problem is, I dont like having Casey, Hinske, Dunn, and Griffey all hitting pretty much hitting 4 in a row.

Now if we could move Griffey or Casey and put Pena in there somewhere, I could see more balance.

[buckeyenut]

I like the idea of Hinske for Graves and a midlevel prospect. I would rather not send back Jiminez and if they would take back Graves, I would not ask them to pay any cash in the deal either.

what would you think of kearns and graves for hinske and halladay
wont happen but i would do it

or potentially pena and graves for hinske and lilly/bush

heck they might even want jr or casey to play 1B after losing delgado to FA

[IslandRed]

Left unspoken in the article is what the Jays are trying to accomplish. Are they targeting us because we need a 3B? Are they targeting us because we have "sucker" stamped on our foreheads? Are they trying to clear payroll -- even if they have to pay some of the contract, it's still savings -- or do we have something they want?

I have a feeling that the Jays are just trying to dump a bad contract, and if so, forget sending them Jiminez or Graves or anyone else making as much or more.