Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. -- Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot)
I think this is where Walt has to use the Billy Beane moneyball theory.....you have to look at his position and what production you could get from a cheaper rookie or vet......it seems to me we are trying to build this team around pitching and defense....if thats the case does RL really bring that good of a defense to the table to where you have to overpay for his services? could you toss in a solid defense guy out there but give up a little in offense and still help this team? thats the angle that Walt is looking at I am sure......I hope we start seeing a bigger trend of getting younger guys up to the big club quicker, we dont want a squad full of these guys but if saving the RL money and using a cheaper LF'er allows us to add more pitching or add a better CF'er then I say you have to do it......
Time to move on. I don't understand why we would want to invest 2 years into a 34 year old OF that has had 1 decent season out of the last 5 years. Isn't Nick Swisher out there? If you are going to pay a guy in their 30's for 2 years, I would rather it be on someone that is relatively consistently solid.
Bum
I was just saying , hypothetically, if spending a little more on Ludwick meant we had no money to replace Valdez/Cario and had to use people making minimum salary, I'd be ok with that.
I don't want Didi on the roster next year, I want him in AAA if he's a legit future starter.
Rolen is a good example.. Maybe giving Ludwick extra money means we have nothing left to give Rolen. I'm ok with that.
[Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob
Nov. 13, 2007: One of the greatest days in Reds history: John Allen gets the boot!
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#FPSKQsGo07uAjUGW.99Kevin Youkilis must decide whether to accept a two-year, $18MM contract to play for Terry Francona and the Indians or take a one-year, $12MM deal to play for the Yankees, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (on Twitter).
This is the sort of rumor that must be giving Mr. Ludwick pause as he makes his choice.
The Reds should sign Ludwick even for slightly more money.
They should sign a platoon CF to play against righties.
They should sign at least one solid utility infielder. They do exist.
They should sign a lefty reliever to fill out the bullpen.
Folks who think this is too much to ask are living in the non-contender years.
This is a modest list. The Reds are contenders. The scrap heap days should be over.
I am not saying they should take on Juston Upton's salary. But Ludwick, a platoon CF, and two backup players is a fair expectation for a contender in the off-season.
I don't want Didi or HRod on the bench in Cincinnati. I want them playing every day in Louisville and getting called up in the event of a DL stint for one of the big league starters. Neither of those guys showed they are ready to leave AAA behind yet. They both need to prove they can dominate at that level before they get the call to the majors.
I agree with the sentiment. if anything, it's even a little too conservative a list. Ludwick was a nice surprise last season, but I'm not sure he's got a repeat of it in him. I'd like to see the team's main position player move be someone better than Ludwick. Then, even if Ludwick comes back, the Reds have some added cushion in case Ludwick slumps.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Do you still want Swisher?
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/1...D2QbHYbjvTf.99While the Indians are hoping to sign Swisher to a four-year deal in the $48-50MM range, his market has shifted and he might now command a four-year, $60MM contract, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
What's great about one year of Bourn is the Reds don't give up any prospects (they could still use to trade for Myers who is locked up long term and won't cost much payroll) and then we could give Bourn a qualifying offer in the offseason, which he'll surely turn down in order to get his long term deal. More draft picks for us.
On second thought, signing him does mean forfeiting a pick this year as he turned down his qualifying offer from the Braves.
Go BLUE!!!
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