Reds avoid arbitration with Valentin

[cincinnati chili]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2293492

1. Terms are not yet disclosed.
2. There's a typo in the article. He's had 949 career at-bats.
3. One year deal

[RedLegSuperStar]

glad to hear..

Dan O.. Hey.. 1st Base? Guy named Adam Dunn.. Hits about 40 homers a year..

[captainmorgan07]

if he's not in talks with dunn on a ltc he should be ran out of his office with people with torches and pitchforks chasing him

[Heath]

He doesn't play utility infielder and he doesn't hit sacrifice flies.

You know, like National League-type players

[Reds4Life]

So the Reds had time to work out a deal with Valentin but not Dunn? Outstanding!

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Reds4Life

So the Reds had time to work out a deal with Valentin but not Dunn? Outstanding!

Dunn has incentive to stall -- the closer he gets to arbitration, the more the pressure will be on the Reds to come up with a better long-term offer/1-year contract as opposed to letting an arbitrator decide what the value of one of the game's best young power hitters is.

I don't think the Reds are totally at fault for not having some sort of deal completed for Dunn. There's simply no reason for him to settle for whatever terms they offer right now.

That's just good negotiating on his/his agent's part.

[westofyou]

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/spring/

The Reds have avoided arbitration with Javier Valentin and signed him to a one-year, $1.15 million deal.

With Jason LaRue's signing just before Christmas, the Reds have brought back the most productive catcher duo in the majors (.268, 28 HR, 110 RBI between them) for just over $5 million this season. They made $3.45 million last year, so the Reds really couldn't have asked for more when it comes to the finances.

There are still five players eligible for arbitration -- Adam Dunn, Aaron Harang, Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Wily Mo Pena. It's been a couple of years since the Reds actually went to a hearing with someone, and I'd be surprised if it happens this year.

[RedLegSuperStar]

Who wants to bet Harang, Mo, Lopez, And Kearns all sign before Dunn

[Falls City Beer]

He needs to bikini-wax that stache. Pay him an extra 20 grand to get it done post haste.

[RedLegSuperStar]

Originally Posted by RedLegSuperStar

Who wants to bet Harang, Mo, Lopez, And Kearns all sign before Dunn

Cause you know..signing Dunn to a LTC is #1 Priority of the new year...

[Henry Clay]

Originally Posted by Reds4Life

So the Reds had time to work out a deal with Valentin but not Dunn? Outstanding!

I would have to think O'Brien has tried to negotiate with Dunn. He made a public statement about his intention. Aside from whether O'Brien has negotiated in a competent manner (open to debate), the key question is whether Dunn and his agent are willing to negotiate with O'Brien and the Reds. From Dunn's perspective, this cannot seem like a great franchise to marry long-term. During his stint with the team, the GM has changed, ownership has changed, his role has changed, and multiple popular players have been dealt, and the bedrock of the team for twenty years, Larkin, went through some rough negotiations and relations with the team and management. Griffey has been mentioned in a series of negotiations for failed trades that were denied and then later admitted (Padres, White Sox), despite the fact that he has some informal agreement with the owner regarding trades. It would be one thing for Dunn to see all of this if it resulted in a winning record and bright future. Instead, he sees no real pitching upgrades, despite the long-standing pitching problems. He sees a low quality infield logjam develop to replace the outfield one from years past. And despite his comments to the media regarding Tony Womack, I have to think he knows what OPS is and how significant (or rather insignificant) Womack's numbers are. After all, Dunn appears to maximize his OPS numbers through power (nature) and plate discipline (nurture). This front office cannot impress or inspire him.

It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't want to negotiate a long-term deal with Cincinnati. I'll be sad to see him go, but why shouldn't he maximize his earning potential through arbitration and then go where he can win once he's a free agent? This franchise is hardly worth a long-term commitment in light of the Reds' ML and minor league rosters. If nothing else, I wouldn't be surprised if he was waiting to see if new ownership brought any changes before signing on for more than a one year deal.

[cincinnati chili]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

I don't think the Reds are totally at fault for not having some sort of deal completed for Dunn.

Perhaps you are limiting your assessment to the recent past (the last year or so).

Had Dan O'Brien not been sitting on a pencil in his first months in office, he could have signed Dunn long term in December of '03.

Had Jim Bowden foreseen what many of us saw in Dunn, he could have gotten it done before getting canned.

[RedLegSuperStar]

Originally Posted by Henry Clay

I would have to think O'Brien has tried to negotiate with Dunn. He made a public statement about his intention. Aside from whether O'Brien has negotiated in a competent manner (open to debate), the key question is whether Dunn and his agent are willing to negotiate with O'Brien and the Reds. From Dunn's perspective, this cannot seem like a great franchise to marry long-term. During his stint with the team, the GM has changed, ownership has changed, his role has changed, and multiple popular players have been dealt, and the bedrock of the team for twenty years, Larkin, went through some rough negotiations and relations with the team and management. Griffey has been mentioned in a series of negotiations for failed trades that were denied and then later admitted (Padres, White Sox), despite the fact that he has some informal agreement with the owner regarding trades. It would be one thing for Dunn to see all of this if it resulted in a winning record and bright future. Instead, he sees no real pitching upgrades, despite the long-standing pitching problems. He sees a low quality infield logjam develop to replace the outfield one from years past. And despite his comments to the media regarding Tony Womack, I have to think he knows what OPS is and how significant (or rather insignificant) Womack's numbers are. After all, Dunn appears to maximize his OPS numbers through power (nature) and plate discipline (nurture). This front office cannot impress or inspire him.

It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't want to negotiate a long-term deal with Cincinnati. I'll be sad to see him go, but why shouldn't he maximize his earning potential through arbitration and then go where he can win once he's a free agent? This franchise is hardly worth a long-term commitment in light of the Reds' ML and minor league rosters. If nothing else, I wouldn't be surprised if he was waiting to see if new ownership brought any changes before signing on for more than a one year deal.

I see your points.. I just don't understand why Dunn would come out and say he wants to stay in Cincinnati. But if he does feel as you suggest then if I am the Reds I sign him to a 1 year deal and let him go out and mash homeruns and then deal him. Not a Casey deal where you get nothing in return, but for a ligitament starter and prospects.

[RedLegSuperStar]

Originally Posted by cincinnati chili

Perhaps you are limiting your assessment to the recent past (the last year or so).

Had Dan O'Brien not been sitting on a pencil in his first months in office, he could have signed Dunn long term in December of '03.

Had Jim Bowden foreseen what many of us saw in Dunn, he could have gotten it done before getting canned.

So so true!

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by RedLegSuperStar

I see your points.. I just don't understand why Dunn would come out and say he wants to stay in Cincinnati. But if he does feel as you suggest then if I am the Reds I sign him to a 1 year deal and let him go out and mash homeruns and then deal him. Not a Casey deal where you get nothing in return, but for a ligitament starter and prospects.

They got about all they could for Sean Casey IMO. Getting rid of his contract was the main thing and they did that. I think that is probably the best thing that DanO has done since being employed by the Reds.

What he has used the money on is horrendous.