What might have been….

From the DDN:

Article on the trades Brad Kullman made in his short tenure as Reds GM:

For Guillen, he acquired pitcher Aaron Harang from the Oakland A’s. While Guillen remains a top-notch player with the Washington Nationals, he was addition by subtraction because of a suspect attitude. And the Reds are well-served in the outfield, plus Harang is a solid starter.

For Boone, he acquired pitcher Brandon Claussen from the New York Yankees, a pitcher doing well with a high ceiling. Boone served the Yankees well until tearing up his knee in a basketball game, missed a season and is hitting .193 with the Cleveland Indians.

For Mercker, he acquired pitcher Matt Belisle from the Atlanta Braves, and Belisle is on the verge of becoming a closer. And the team reacquired Mercker.

There were those at the time that wanted Kullman to get the GM’s job b/c of his reputation of being, at least partially, of the Billy Beane school of thought. But Lindner went with another “old time baseball” guy.

And the rest is history.