3 more Reds declare for free agency

[AmarilloRed]

CINCINNATI -- Three more Reds filed to become free agents on Friday.

Utility player Jerry Hairston Jr., catcher Javier Valentin and pitcher Kent Mercker all declared during the second day of the filing period.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has previously said he'd like to bring the 32-year-old Hairston back for next season.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

I'd like Walt to bring back Hairston on a 1 year deal, I thought Mercker was retiring, and Valentin can go.

BTW, wasn't sure if I should make this a seperate thread from the Affeldt one. They can be combined if necessary.

[Raisor]

I really wish they'd bring back Kent Merker for just one more Spring Training.

Or have we been down that road six or seven times?

[Ron Madden]

We could do without Merker, Majewski and Weathers.

[redsmetz]

I think Mercker filing for free agency is just a formality. I think he knows his arm is cooked.

[MartyFan]

We could do without Merker, Majewski and Weathers.

I don't disagree with the other two, but I think Stormy is still a viable option for this team.

[Raisor]

I think Mercker filing for free agency is just a formality. I think he knows his arm is cooked.

Except we've been down that road with him so many times I've lost track.

He'll get a minor league contract, again. People on here will say "don't worry, it's just a minor league contract", again, and he'll make the team again, then get hurt again, and we'll go through it all again next year.

[remdog]

I don't disagree with the other two, but I think Stormy is still a viable option for this team.

To paraphrase Branch Rickey, 'it's better to cut a player a year too early rather than a year too late'.

The Reds have gotten lucky the last year or two with Weathers. Send him packing.

Rem

[WMR]

I really wish they'd bring back Kent Merker for just one more Spring Training.

Or have we been down that road six or seven times?

[TOBTTReds]

To paraphrase Branch Rickey, 'it's better to cut a player a year too early rather than a year too late'.

The Reds have gotten lucky the last year or two with Weathers. Send him packing.

Rem

I think it is tough to call a 2 year period luck. I would try to bring him back around $1m. Not 3 mil with a .5 buyout a la Stanton

[fearofpopvol1]

I would've liked to have kept Hairston for next year too, but the funny thing is, I don't think he's going to get some fat contract elsewhere. As good as he was last year (and he was good last year), I don't think he's proven that he can sustain those numbers well enough to merit a big contract elsewhere.

[Caveat Emperor]

Hairston's 2008 was more of the same song for him - can't stay healthy.

No loss in him being on some other DL.

[OnBaseMachine]

Weathers hits open market
Reds interested in retaining free-agent reliever

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- The Reds would like to bring back reliever David Weathers, but they will have to negotiate with the veteran while he is on the open market.

Weathers filed to become a free agent on Saturday, along with starting pitcher Josh Fogg.

A key factor in the eighth inning as a setup man, Weathers was 4-6 with a 3.25 ERA in 72 relief appearances in 2008. It was the sixth straight season in which he pitched in at least 70 games. Two of Weathers' 15 inherited runners scored on him, and he had a 2.45 ERA over his final 36 appearances.

Weathers has pitched for the Reds since 2005. This past season was the final year of his second contract with Cincinnati, a two-year, $5 million deal.

Earlier this week, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said the club had been talking to Weathers' agent, Jeff Borris, but had yet not tendered an offer.

"We've definitely told them we're interested," Jocketty said.

It's doubtful the Reds will make efforts to retain Fogg, who was signed in February to an incentive-laden, one-year contract with a $400,000 base salary. The right-hander was 2-7 with a 7.58 ERA in 22 games, including 14 starts. He had an 8.23 ERA as a starter.

Of the Reds' nine players eligible to become free agents, only catcher Paul Bako and outfielder Corey Patterson have yet to file. Players have until Nov. 13 to file, and teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free-agent players through that date.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

[fearofpopvol1]

You mean...we can still exclusively negotiate with Corey Patterson???

[RedsManRick]

Resigning Weathers (likely at a higher salary) wouldn't just be a poor decision on the face of it, but it's a lost opportunity for a comp pick. Offer him arbitration and let him go. Worst case scenario, he accepts and comes back at a fairly reasonable cost on a 1 year deal.

[*BaseClogger*]

Resigning Weathers (likely at a higher salary) wouldn't just be a poor decision on the face of it, but it's a lost opportunity for a comp pick. Offer him arbitration and let him go. Worst case scenario, he accepts and comes back at a fairly reasonable cost on a 1 year deal.

I think he'll get more through arbitration. I'd cut ties either way, however...