What if the Reds had traded Bruce instead of Hamilton for Volquez?

[mikemo14]

In the winter of 2008 the Reds would have traded Bruce instead of Hamilton to Texas for Edinson Volquez

Phillips 2b
Cabrera ss
Votto 1b
Rolen 3b
Hamilton RF
Gomes LF
Stubbs/Heisey CF
Hernandez/Hannigan c

[rolenmvp]

the what if game..what if the reds had beaten the mets in 99 in the one game playoff? we would have been in the playoffs right..? well, that's the same thing with hamilton, we made the decision and now we are stuck with what we got.

I am disappointed we let hamilton go, HE was a great player but, obviously reds management and ownership thought diffrently.

[Griffey012]

In the winter of 2008 the Reds would have traded Bruce instead of Hamilton to Texas for Edinson Volquez

Phillips 2b
Cabrera ss
Votto 1b
Rolen 3b
Hamilton RF
Gomes LF
Stubbs/Heisey CF
Hernandez/Hannigan c

It would have been an absolute horrendous trade. Bruce was the top prospect in baseball at the beginning of 2008. Volquez was nowhere to be found on that list.

[mu4103]

the what if game..what if the reds had beaten the mets in 99 in the one game playoff? we would have been in the playoffs right..? well, that's the same thing with hamilton, we made the decision and now we are stuck with what we got.

I am disappointed we let hamilton go, HE was a great player but, obviously reds management and ownership thought diffrently.

It seems the Reds management and ownership thought wrongly. And I think it is a good question, about a seemingly bad decision made by the ownership. We can't know how it would have effected the club house chemistry. But the numbers speak for themselves.


Here is an article from August 10th referring to the same subject. If someone else already posted it I apologize.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/433375-what-if-what-if-josh-hamilton-was-never-traded-to-the-rangers

[Krawhitham]

In the winter of 2008 the Reds would have traded Bruce instead of Hamilton to Texas for Edinson Volquez


10 game lead on the Cards

Votto would never get pitched around if Hamilton was batting behind him

[Krawhitham]

It would have been an absolute horrendous trade. Bruce was the top prospect in baseball at the beginning of 2008. Volquez was nowhere to be found on that list.

It was a horrible trade at the time anyway

[HalMorrisRules]

It was a horrible trade at the time anyway

Of course it was. :rolleyes:

Hamilton had broken down physically in his season with the Reds and no one knew if he was going to do that every year. The Reds desperately needed pitching and both sides got what they needed. Dont let the fact that Volquez won 17 games and made the all star team shatter your opinion.

[mlh1981]

At the end of the day, I take good pitching over good hitting.

Volquez adds one more arm to what is a deep pitching staff.

You can never have enough quality arms on a team. Plus, at the time the trade was done, we possibly couldn't have forecasted this type of success for Hamilton.

[sivman17]

Didn't we just have one of these threads about the Hamilton-Volquez trade?

We should focus on what we have.

[couch_manager]

I'd redo that deal in a second. But...

With Hamilton, I think the Reds were concerned about how often he was injured. It didn't seem like the other players on the team cared for him either. I know some of them didn't like the attention that Hamilton was getting with his feel-good story about drug addiction.

[Natty Redlocks]

What if the Cubs had held onto Hamilton instead of handing him over in the Rule 5 draft? Believe me, Cub fans play that game a lot. What if Bruce turns out to be as good as Hamilton, without the baggage?

Also, what if the Reds had done what lots of people on Redszone (including myself) wanted them to do, and trade that one prospect, Votto or whatever, for a real ace, like Dontrelle Willis or Erik Bedard?

There's a lot of ways to play what if. I'm just happy that right now it looks like someone has an idea of what they're doing, and they're running the show in Cincinnati.

[couch_manager]

What if the Cubs had held onto Hamilton instead of handing him over in the Rule 5 draft? Believe me, Cub fans play that game a lot. What if Bruce turns out to be as good as Hamilton, without the baggage?

Also, what if the Reds had done what lots of people on Redszone (including myself) wanted them to do, and trade that one prospect, Votto or whatever, for a real ace, like Dontrelle Willis or Erik Bedard?

There's a lot of ways to play what if. I'm just happy that right now it looks like someone has an idea of what they're doing, and they're running the show in Cincinnati.

If the Cubs had kept Hamilton, he'd be in Chicago losing with them. :p:

[webbbj]

why is hamilton batting fifth?

[Prf15]

I loved seeing Josh Hamilton in a Reds uni but I still like what the Reds got. You don't find arms like Volquez very often and he showed in '08 what he can do to opposing offenses.

Gotta give up talent to get talent back.

[crazyjdawg]

In the winter of 2008 the Reds would have traded Bruce instead of Hamilton to Texas for Edinson Volquez

Phillips 2b
Cabrera ss
Votto 1b
Rolen 3b
Hamilton RF
Gomes LF
Stubbs/Heisey CF
Hernandez/Hannigan c

Then Bruce would be hitting .362 and 26 HR and Hamilton would be striking out every other at bat and people would STILL be *****ing.

[Vottomatic]

What if I hadn't eaten all those Skyline conies over the years? I'd be skinny, not overweight.

[SidneySlicker]

And if your aunt had nuts she'd be your uncle.

[GIDP]

If Votto didnt wear nice clothes and drink those iced lattes he would be a better baseball player

[Vottomatic]

If Votto didnt wear nice clothes and drink those iced lattes he would be a better baseball player

If Votto didn't argue balls and strikes with the ump while not looking at the ump, he'd still get thrown out. Oh yeah, that already happened.

[Vottomatic]

If "if's" were fish and "but's" were fries, we'd have a heckuva fish fry.

[New York Red]

It was a horrible trade at the time anyway
No it wasn't. Not at all.

[mikemo14]

I understand ifs and buts and all that. I feel Jocketty has done an excellent job building this team and Edinson Volquez is a major factor now and in the future. I was simply noting that at the time of this deal Jay Bruces value was more than likely, equal to or better than Hamiltons and that Texas more than likely makes this deal for either hitter. Hamiltons numbers are incredible this year and far more than most ever felt he would put on the board. No team in baseball could touch come close to a duo of Hamilton and Votto. hopefully Bruce gets straightened out and becomes the same type of player.

[arkimadee]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/08/17/josh.hamilton/index.html?eref=sihp


WE COULD HAVE THIS GUY!!!!!!!!! IT's STILL REAL TO ME DAMNIT!!!

[Vottomatic]

Hmm. I thought this was going to be about Micah Owings. ;)

[arkimadee]

Hmm. I thought this was going to be about Micah Owings. ;)
lol the final remains of adam dunn is gone

[TheBigLebowski]

Soon as Bruce gets in with a hitting instructor who can teach him to lay off the low, inside stuff and hit the outside pitches the other way consistently, he is going to be one of the best hitters in the bigs.

It's the same thing with Homer Bailey - fans just don't have any patience with top prospects. Homer may be turning a corner now; Bruce may do it down the stretch run. Most likely, next year is the year you see JB take that Great Leap Forward.

[mu4103]

I understand ifs and buts and all that. I feel Jocketty has done an excellent job building this team and Edinson Volquez is a major factor now and in the future. I was simply noting that at the time of this deal Jay Bruces value was more than likely, equal to or better than Hamiltons and that Texas more than likely makes this deal for either hitter. Hamiltons numbers are incredible this year and far more than most ever felt he would put on the board. No team in baseball could touch come close to a duo of Hamilton and Votto. hopefully Bruce gets straightened out and becomes the same type of player.

I think that is the best analysis I have heard.

[HalMorrisRules]

Did we really need another Josh Hamilton thread?????

[redssince75]

Addressing the original question...fewer double plays?

[GIDP]

Hamilton has 8 this year.

Before last nights game Bruce had 6.

I think you were just kidding around a bit but I figured I might as well give you the stat.

[redssince75]

Hamilton has 8 this year.

Before last nights game Bruce had 6.

I think you were just kidding around a bit but I figured I might as well give you the stat.

I was, and thank you.

[gedred69]

Lest we forget, Hamilton broke down last year. Teamates here resented his need of a baby-sitter. Yes, Bruce has been slow to progress, trying to pull everything but he's still very young, and the longer he's away from the influence of Dunn the better the chance he figures it out, and stops reminding me of Kearns. More importantly, Volquez could very well be that #1 everybody covets.

[LeDoux]

I saw a movie that answers this "what if" question. Something about a butterfly and time vortex disturbance....

The end result is that dinosaurs would roam the earth and Richard Simmonds would be POTUS.