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[Red Leader]

40-man Roster
Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
44 Rolando Arrojo R/R 6-4 235 07/18/68
17 Willie Banks R/R 6-1 202 02/27/69
19 John Burkett R/R 6-2 211 11/28/64
74 Jorge De La Rosa L/L 6-1 195 11/05/81
43 Alan Embree L/L 6-2 190 01/23/70
15 Casey Fossum L/L 6-1 160 01/09/78
61 Wayne Gomes R/R 6-2 225 01/15/73
53 Josh Hancock R/R 6-3 220 04/11/78
46 Bob Howry L/R 6-5 220 08/04/73
32 Derek Lowe R/R 6-6 215 06/01/73
-- Brandon Lyon R/R 6-1 175 08/10/79
73 Anastacio Martinez R/R 6-2 180 11/03/78
45 Pedro Martinez R/R 5-11 180 10/25/71
57 Juan Pena R/R 6-5 215 06/27/77
-- Ryan Rupe R/R 6-6 240 03/31/75
-- Andy Shibilo R/R 6-7 220 09/26/76
49 Tim Wakefield R/R 6-2 215 08/02/66

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

28 Doug Mirabelli R/R 6-1 228 10/18/70
33 Jason Varitek S/R 6-2 230 04/11/72

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

23 Brian Daubach L/R 6-1 235 02/11/72
5 Nomar Garciaparra R/R 6-0 185 07/23/73
29 Shea Hillenbrand R/R 6-1 210 07/27/75
26 Lou Merloni R/R 5-10 200 04/06/71
52 Freddy Sanchez R/R 5-11 185 12/21/77
53 Angel Santos S/R 5-11 178 08/14/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

50 Benny Agbayani R/R 6-1 225 12/28/71
18 Johnny Damon L/L 6-2 190 11/05/73
7 Trot Nixon L/L 6-2 210 04/11/74
24 Manny Ramirez R/R 6-0 215 05/30/72
67 Dernell Stenson L/L 6-1 230 06/17/78

[guernsey]

Originally posted by Griffey30
Does anyone have a link to the Red Sox 40 man roster?

With only 28 guys on it I think we should be able to narrow it down quit a bit.


No comment on the trade til monday.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...40.html#redsox

[buckeyenut]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1212/1475990.html
"ESPN's Peter Gammons reported Thursday that the players to be named are third baseman Tony Blanco and RHP Josh Thigpen"

Josh Thigpen
6-6 4.20 A ball

http://augustachronicle.com/stories/...gja_game.shtml

We've seen Blanco and Walker's stats.

I like Blanco's upside and this kid looks OK, but without Sanchez back, I don't like it. BUT, I will give the Reds some time. This move obviously precludes others.

we'll see come opening day what this team looks like.

[Greenhills Pioneer]

I hate to see Walker go, but this isn't the worst thing in the world. 2B who can hit are hard to come by. He will be missed, but Walker wasn't by any means a key cog in the lineup. He was a good hitter who makes the lineup "less weak" rather than "more strong" if that makes any sense. He isn't a key cog in the lineup, but gives them a solid bat at the bottom of the lineup which is desperately needed here with tons of terrible bats and hitters prone to extended slumps. I think Aaron Boone can fill his shoes and perhaps even exceed what Walker did though.

In my opinion, Walker and Boone were the only two candidates for the 2B job. Keeping both would have been a luxury the Reds appearently cannot afford. Personally, I am disappointed that the more fundementally sound hitter was the one to go. That seems to be a theme here unfortunately. However, Boone is the more talented of the two, even if he is more expensive.

If this helps them keep Griffey though, I am 100% behind this then.

In my opinion, the idea of Larson moving to 2B is laughable. This is much worse than making Boone the SS. A Boone-Larson middle infield would probably be the worst in MLB history!!!!! The offense doesn't even come close to making up for what you lose defensively.

Originally posted by redsfan30
That probably means Barry Larkin will move to second, Aaron Boone will be the everyday shortstop.....

No, it should be the other way around. Larkin stays at SS because he is better defensively than Boone. Boone goes to 2B to make room for Larson at 3B.

Originally posted by haassolo
Wow.....I hate being late to these posts. I am going to say my peace even if it was already said by someone else. This is a salary dump and puts us closer to either signing someone or keeping the beloved Casey. Of any of the guys that we can move Walker is the best choice followed by the catcher situation. As for SS, yes, Larkin will only play SS, to bad he does not have the foresight to move to another position like Ripken. As for other guys playing 2nd or SS it should not be a real problem. Gookie and become like Pokey and move, Larson can do it but I think that Larson is better at 3rd and boone at SS and 2nd. Plus ther is Neifi Perez still floating around. But we have the tools to fill the spot either on the 40 man, a scrub free agent or in the minors. Without Todd the team still has plenty og Pop. As for the Red Soxs, this is subtraction by addition.

No, Larkin will play SS because he is the only viable candidate. Until someone proves they can fill the position defensively as well as offensively, SS is Larkin's. Boone has neither the arm nor range to be an everyday SS. Larkin probably doesn't have the arm anymore, but he still has enough range. Hopefully Larkin's struggles last year were due to injury and not a huge decline in his skills. I am one of the few who believe that Larkin could bounce back offensively because his success is based more on fundementals and intelligence than great physical skill. If he could draw 60BB per 500PA and keep his BA and defense respectable, it would be enough to merit a place in the starting lineup on a daily basis in my opinion.

Boone
Casey
Griffey
Kearns
Dunn
Larson
Larkin
LaRue/Miller

This isn't too bad.

[westofyou]

Killer argument WOY

Thanks... but I've given up trying.

Roll your eyes at someone else

[Colorado Red]

ESPN's Peter Gammons reported that the Reds get 3rd baseman Tony Blanco & RHP Josh Thigpen for Walker.

[Red Leader]

Originally posted by buckeyenut
[B

Josh Thigpen
6-6 4.20 A ball

[/B]

Any relation to Bobby Thigpen?

[red-in-la]

Back at ya' WOY

[princeton]

Tony Blanco has 4 tool bust written all over him

Thigpen had better be the Truth

[Griffey30]

I can't understand why the Reds wouldn't anounce the PTBNL unless one of them are on the Red Sox 40 man roster.

I don't think either one of the guys names are going to be taken in the draft.

Can anyone explain this???

[backbencher]

Thigpen had better be the Truth

Seems like an awfully high standard to which to hold the swag for Todd ""fool's gold" Walker in a balloon/walk year.

If the prospects are decent (and I think both were in the Red Sox 2002 top ten, not that that's saying much) and the Reds adequately cover 2B at a cheaper price (not Juan Castro), then the deal is fine.

[Krusty]

People......the Winter Meetings haven't officially gotten underway yet. I do believe though Bowden has Walker's replacement in mind whether it is another trade or even Larson moving to second.

What this deal does is create payroll space to possibly add a frontline starting pitcher in another deal.

[Griffey30]

Krusty
I thing you might be dreaming if you think this trade was made to free up money to add another player.

I think this trade was made to get us closer to the $55 million.

Sorry

[guernsey]

10. Josh Thigpen, rhp

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 195. Drafted: HS–Greenville, Ala., 2000 (16th round). Signed by: Joe Mason.

Background: An all-state performer in baseball, basketball and football in high school, Thigpen is one of the organization’s better athletes. In 2002, he developed a knot in the back of his shoulder that sidelined him at times and relegated him to the bullpen and strict pitch counts for much of the year. He came on in the final month, with a 1.08 ERA, 23 strikeouts and a .143 opponent average in 25 innings.

Strengths: Thigpen has the best fastball in the system and is capable of reaching 96 mph. His solid average curveball returned by the end of the season. While he’s very much a work in process, his athleticism should enable him to eventually repeat his delivery and develop command.

Weaknesses: Thigpen has spent relatively little time pitching, dividing himself among three sports in high school and working a total of 125 innings in three pro seasons. As a result he’s very raw. His changeup and control are rudimentary, and he lacks touch.

The Future: If Thigpen can make the transition from two-pitch thrower to three-pitch pitcher, he can be a frontline starter. He’ll begin 2003 in Class A, most likely in Sarasota.

[M2]

Blanco and Thipgen. Eek.

Those are two big-time projects. Got to figure Thigpen's headed for the pen if he doesn't show some aptitude on his other pitches.

I wonder if the Reds slot Blanco in Dayton behind Encarnacion in Potomac or if they try Encarnacion at SS.

This trade reminds me a lot of the Michael Tucker deal. The Reds moved salary and got a real questionable return. IMO they undersold, in fact undersold is a serious understatement. An everyday 2B (who BTW is going to hit very well in Fenway Park) should fetch at least one polished or high profile prospect, even in a salary dump.

Think about what the Reds gave for Brain Moehler. Think about what they got for Todd Walker. In just two deals you've got less talent in your majors and less in your minors. The Reds can't afford to both overpay and undersell like that.