Ghosts of 1990
11-07-2009, 08:38 AM
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2009/11/06/what_can_the_reds_possibly_do.html
What can the Reds possibly do?
By Hal McCoy | Friday, November 6, 2009, 12:03 AM
The Empire won, as expected - even though it was the first time since 2000, even with baseball’s highest payroll every year since their previous championship in 2000.
I refrain from calling the New York Yankees the Evil Empire because they are playing within the rules, as skewered as the rules may be.
Their payroll this year was $220 million. Last winter they spent $450 million to sign three players to multi-year contracts - pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, plus first baseman Mark Teixiera.
What to do? What to do? Here is an idea. Let’s break up the majors into two leagues - The Big Bucks League, for those teams who want to pay more than $100 million in salaries and The Spare Change League for those who want to pay less than $100 million.
This year, The Big Bucks League would have 11 teams:
NY Yankees $220,097,414
NY Mets $145,367,987
Chicago Cubs $134,058,500
Boston $122,435,399
Detroit $119,160,145
LA Angels $118,964,000
Seattle $112,053,666
Philadelphia $111,209,046
Houston $102,996,414
Chicago Sox $100,598,500
LA Dodgers $100,008,592
Absurd? Maybe so. Maybe it makes as much sense as the way things are done right now.
THAT BRINGS US to the Cincinnati Reds and what they can do? Disband? Join the Class AAA International League? Drop back 15 yards and punt?
Under current rules, there is no way, none, zip, nada that the Reds can ever win.
Some might say, “Well, the St. Louis Cardinals compete every year and their payroll this year was only $87.5 million.”
The Reds had the 17th highest payroll (out of 30) at $73.5 million, so what’s another $12 million? Well, it is a whole bunch when you don’t have it. And it is a whole bunch when your attendance took a horrendous downturn last season.
And the Reds front office already is on record as saying they won’t increase payroll. Probably it will be reduced.
What can you do when you start things off with four players owed $46 million next year - closer Francisco Cordero ($12 million), pitcher Aaron Harang ($12 million), pitcher Bronson Arroyo ($11 million) and third baseman Scott Rolen ($11 million)?
That leaves $27 million for the other 21 players and with the average salary in major-league baseball at $3.27 million, where does that leave the Reds? Mostly standing with empty cash bags.
General manager Walt Jocketty needs to do two things as fast as he can this winter: (One) Trade Cordero. (Two) Trade Harang.
By trading Cordero, the Reds not only save $12 million this year, they save $13 million next year. An expensive closer for a sub-mediocre team is an unnecessary evil. It’s a job Nick Masset can do.
By trading Harang, the Reds save another $11 million. Harang has had two straight down years, but he is still marketable. Several scouts told me late last year that their teams would be happy to deal for Harang.
BUT FOR 2010, that’s still only a savings of $23 million, which isn’t going to buy you much on the free agent market. Just look at how much the Yankees paid.
The Reds could only afford middle-of-the-road free agents and then they’re taking a chance. Will the guy be good or will he be an expensive flop. It’s one reason Jocketty says the Reds won’t dabble much in the free agent cash parties. And I don’t blame him.
There is only one way the Reds can win a division title. Every player, and that’s every player, has to have a season that is better than the back of his baseball card. How often does that happen? The nth of never?
They could get by with the same year from first baseman Joey Votto. If they can talk catcher Ramon Hernandez into taking a cut from his $8 million option and sign for maybe $3 million and he has a career year, that would help.
Brandon Phillips needs to return to his numbers of two years ago, not the year he had last year and he has to eliminate all the selfish things he does and the things he does that distracts from the team.
They need a better hitting shortstop than Paul Janish - and good luck with that.
They need Scott Rolen to hit more homers and hit .300 and stay healthy all year - and good luck with that.
They need to sign Jonny Gomes, who hit 20 home runs in about half a season. Indications are, though, that they won’t offer him arbitration.
They need Drew Stubbs to be the player he was in September and that’s possible. They need right fielder Jay Bruce to prove he can hit major-league pitching, something he hasn’t come close to doing that last season-and-a-half.
They need Arroyo to pitch even better than he did last year, pitch all year the way he did the second half. They need Homer Bailey to be the pitcher he was the second half. They need Johnny Cueto to come around the way Bailey did.
Those are all Big Needs - and good luck with that.
What can the Reds possibly do?
By Hal McCoy | Friday, November 6, 2009, 12:03 AM
The Empire won, as expected - even though it was the first time since 2000, even with baseball’s highest payroll every year since their previous championship in 2000.
I refrain from calling the New York Yankees the Evil Empire because they are playing within the rules, as skewered as the rules may be.
Their payroll this year was $220 million. Last winter they spent $450 million to sign three players to multi-year contracts - pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, plus first baseman Mark Teixiera.
What to do? What to do? Here is an idea. Let’s break up the majors into two leagues - The Big Bucks League, for those teams who want to pay more than $100 million in salaries and The Spare Change League for those who want to pay less than $100 million.
This year, The Big Bucks League would have 11 teams:
NY Yankees $220,097,414
NY Mets $145,367,987
Chicago Cubs $134,058,500
Boston $122,435,399
Detroit $119,160,145
LA Angels $118,964,000
Seattle $112,053,666
Philadelphia $111,209,046
Houston $102,996,414
Chicago Sox $100,598,500
LA Dodgers $100,008,592
Absurd? Maybe so. Maybe it makes as much sense as the way things are done right now.
THAT BRINGS US to the Cincinnati Reds and what they can do? Disband? Join the Class AAA International League? Drop back 15 yards and punt?
Under current rules, there is no way, none, zip, nada that the Reds can ever win.
Some might say, “Well, the St. Louis Cardinals compete every year and their payroll this year was only $87.5 million.”
The Reds had the 17th highest payroll (out of 30) at $73.5 million, so what’s another $12 million? Well, it is a whole bunch when you don’t have it. And it is a whole bunch when your attendance took a horrendous downturn last season.
And the Reds front office already is on record as saying they won’t increase payroll. Probably it will be reduced.
What can you do when you start things off with four players owed $46 million next year - closer Francisco Cordero ($12 million), pitcher Aaron Harang ($12 million), pitcher Bronson Arroyo ($11 million) and third baseman Scott Rolen ($11 million)?
That leaves $27 million for the other 21 players and with the average salary in major-league baseball at $3.27 million, where does that leave the Reds? Mostly standing with empty cash bags.
General manager Walt Jocketty needs to do two things as fast as he can this winter: (One) Trade Cordero. (Two) Trade Harang.
By trading Cordero, the Reds not only save $12 million this year, they save $13 million next year. An expensive closer for a sub-mediocre team is an unnecessary evil. It’s a job Nick Masset can do.
By trading Harang, the Reds save another $11 million. Harang has had two straight down years, but he is still marketable. Several scouts told me late last year that their teams would be happy to deal for Harang.
BUT FOR 2010, that’s still only a savings of $23 million, which isn’t going to buy you much on the free agent market. Just look at how much the Yankees paid.
The Reds could only afford middle-of-the-road free agents and then they’re taking a chance. Will the guy be good or will he be an expensive flop. It’s one reason Jocketty says the Reds won’t dabble much in the free agent cash parties. And I don’t blame him.
There is only one way the Reds can win a division title. Every player, and that’s every player, has to have a season that is better than the back of his baseball card. How often does that happen? The nth of never?
They could get by with the same year from first baseman Joey Votto. If they can talk catcher Ramon Hernandez into taking a cut from his $8 million option and sign for maybe $3 million and he has a career year, that would help.
Brandon Phillips needs to return to his numbers of two years ago, not the year he had last year and he has to eliminate all the selfish things he does and the things he does that distracts from the team.
They need a better hitting shortstop than Paul Janish - and good luck with that.
They need Scott Rolen to hit more homers and hit .300 and stay healthy all year - and good luck with that.
They need to sign Jonny Gomes, who hit 20 home runs in about half a season. Indications are, though, that they won’t offer him arbitration.
They need Drew Stubbs to be the player he was in September and that’s possible. They need right fielder Jay Bruce to prove he can hit major-league pitching, something he hasn’t come close to doing that last season-and-a-half.
They need Arroyo to pitch even better than he did last year, pitch all year the way he did the second half. They need Homer Bailey to be the pitcher he was the second half. They need Johnny Cueto to come around the way Bailey did.
Those are all Big Needs - and good luck with that.