It’s not the long-term contract that we had hoped for, but it’s a fair contract, and I’m very excited about it:
Late Monday evening, Cincinnati avoided arbitration with first baseman Adam Dunn by signing him to a two-year, $18 million contract with a $13 million club option for the 2008 season.
Dunn and the club were scheduled to have their arbitration hearing this Friday in Florida.
“There were so many things going on at once. This was a priority,” Krivsky said by phone from his home near Dallas. “I knew (a hearing) was looming and I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. Once we were close, I was confident we could get it done.”
Dunn batted .247 with 40 home runs and 101 RBIs in 160 games last season for the Reds, which gave him back-to-back 40 homer, 100-RBI seasons.
Here’s one good feature of this contract:
Dunn will make $7.5 million in 2006 and $10.5 million in 2007. His club option for 2008 can be bought out for $500,000. The guaranteed years of the contract avoid a third year of arbitration eligibility and defer his first exploration into the free agent market for an extra season.
This is nothing but good news. We’ll have more reaction tomorrow, but for now, I’ll be able to rest easier tonight. Adam Dunn is a Cincinnati Red for the near future.
“Adam Dunn is a Cincinnati Red for the near future.”
Maybe.
Don’t rain on my parade!
Well, I read the story on ESPN’s website, and I think you’re right. Sounds like Krivsky wants to keep him around. I just hope we can find some way to acquire GOOD pitching without trading him.
This is a good deal for both sides. Dunn has a knockout year in 06 and then in 07 he’s traded to a big money team for knockout pitching. We’ll see. I find it hard to believe the Reds will pay Dunn $13.5 mil in 08.
lancaster is reporting that part of the deal is that the option year gets voided if he’s traded because he was willing to give up a year of free agency for the reds and no one else.
hopefully the reds don’t pick up the option because they sign him to a longer extension before that season starts.
The thing about getting “good” pitching, is that no one trades the type of pitching that you would need to get in an adam dunn deal. No one.
it would be better to have traded kearns for to the cubs for nolasco and the other young guy they were offering, and hoped that one of them turned the corner and became a top of the rotation guy. Like the marlins did.
Can anyone see this happening if John Allen was still holding the key to the checkbook? Dunn would have went to arbitration. He would have started the year with the Reds and somewhere during the season we would have lost him in another of a long line of salary dumps. The same as it ever was, over and over again.
So far I’m impressed with Castelini’s “Just get in done” approach. Maybe the team can break out of this downward spiral.
funny how the new owner/GM took care of this right away, seeing the value of keeping Dunn, while the old regime didn’t see this as a priority. The Reds offense could be better this season than last, with WM Pena full-time now.
Great move, nice to see ownership/GM that has a priority in locking up a very integral part of the Reds future.