Yonder Alonso

I don't think the Reds would have drafted Alonso if they didn't think he was a 30 homerun guy.

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Originally Posted by Grande Donkey

Wasn't Yonder on scholarship at the U? Why do we have to pay for his tuition if he had a full ride?

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Scholarships are a year by year thing, considering he's not playing baseball there anymore, he'll be taken off scholarship.

Just glad it was done...now lets see what the kid can do

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$100,000 World Series MVP;

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There's an incentive I'd really like to see him meet.

It was essential they get this deal done. Good for Jocketty on forging a compromise and getting Alonso signed.

The fact that they didn't cave gives me a lot of confidence in WJ. You can't become so infatuated with what a player adds to your team that you ignore what he costs. That was WKs problem. There's lots of talent out there to be had, it's salary that's the prohibitive constant. If you lose talent, it can be replaced, but if you waste money on a player, it's gone forever.

Super post, kpresidente! :thumbup:

A huge improvement in the way the organization is run was when the GM realized that top dollars go to top, PROVEN, players. The previous GM spent top dollar on bottom talent. The one before that piddled around too much (or was hamstrung).

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Originally Posted by kpresidente

If you lose talent, it can be replaced, but if you waste money on a player, it's gone forever.

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if you lose talent, you lose time, which is gone forever.

let's contend within my lifetime. Tick tock.

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Originally Posted by princeton

if you lose talent, you lose time, which is gone forever.
let's contend within my lifetime. Tick tock.

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Fair enough, but that's the thinking that's paying Gonzo, Freel and Cordero's salaries.

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Originally Posted by kpresidente

The fact that they didn't cave gives me a lot of confidence in WJ. You can't become so infatuated with what a player adds to your team that you ignore what he costs. That was WKs problem. There's lots of talent out there to be had, it's salary that's the prohibitive constant. If you lose talent, it can be replaced, but if you waste money on a player, it's gone forever.

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and

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Fair enough, but that's the thinking that's paying Gonzo, Freel and Cordero's salaries.

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The fact is, the Reds needed to put a team on the field right out of the chute. And you make the moves according to what your current needs are. I'll agree that extending Freel has proven to be a mistake, particular because his style of play has been fraught with peril, as they say. But giving Gonzo a three year deal, which clearly was based on the Reds being that far away from having a replacement (at a minimum) was not wasted dollars. Circumstances have made the contract a burden (family issues and later the injury), but those were not known or expected.

And I disagree with those who suggest that Cordero's signing was a luxury. Perhaps as constructed this team would not have competed for the post season, but coming into the season, if we had gotten better results from both Harang and Arroyo, we'd be a lot better postion. We knew Griffey was either going in season or at season's end and we weren't sure which direction the club would go with Dunn, but this club was not as abysmal as many stated. What we have witnessed, frankly, was the worst case scenario and it all hit.

Now, I'm glad to see Jocketty continuing with his predecessor began, but lets be clear, it's not a dramatically new direction. WK was stocking this club up and, with the possible exception of Bailey, he managed its developing assets quite well. We'll never know what he would have done with Griffey and Dunn, but I doubt it would have been much different than what we saw.

That said, I'm glad the Alonso deal was reached no matter how late. The club is continuing what it's being doing since Castellini took over, Cast's haste in dismissing WK not withstanding.

Where is Alonso going to play? Anyone know yet?

physical tmmr and two days of workouts, then Sarasota on Wednesday.

Thanks a lot!

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Originally Posted by kaldaniels

It's called hardball.

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Yep. Just smart negotiating.

This may be a stupid question, but why does he get tuition payments? I know we already covered that he was on scholarship last year, but is he still going to school there?

I can't wait to hear George Grande call him Yonzer Alonso every day. :(

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Originally Posted by GoReds33

This may be a stupid question, but why does he get tuition payments? I know we already covered that he was on scholarship last year, but is he still going to school there?

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It's not uncommon for college juniors to ask to have their remaining tuition covered (although you'd think with a $2M signing bonus he could afford himself). I know former ML player's uncle and he had a similar clause and if ever decided to go back and finish college, the Orioles (his original team) would have to pay the tuition. I don't know if that is open-ended.