I can’t say I’m surprised at this:
The Reds’ latest transaction certainly fell under the oft-used baseball mantra that you can never have enough pitching.
But how much pitching former All-Star Joe Mays can still provide a big-league team remains a mystery. Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky was willing to find out and signed Mays to a Minor League contract on Friday.
The 30-year-old Mays, who will report to Triple-A Louisville, had disastrous results this season for the Royals. He was 0-4 with a 10.27 ERA in six starts before being designated for assignment on May 8 and released on Tuesday.
Krivsky and Mays have a history together from their years with the Twins, with whom the sinkerball thrower pitched from 1999-2005. The attempted reclamation project offers the right-hander no assurance that he’ll pitch in the Majors for Cincinnati. But it could benefit Louisville, which has several struggling pitchers.
“I felt like it was worth a shot,” Krivsky said from Chattanooga, where he was watching the organization’s Double-A affiliate. “We’ll take him to Louisville and see if he can get going in a positive way. Hopefully, he can help us.”
An owner of a 48-69 record and 4.98 ERA lifetime, Mays’ only winning season was 2001 when he was 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA. It earned him an American League All-Star invite and a four-year, $20 million contract the following winter.
Harmless enough, I suppose. If he can become a league average pitcher, I’ll be surprised, but it’s worth a shot (as long as he’s really going to Louisville, and won’t be in Cincinnati sometime in the next couple of weeks).
This is not unlike the Darryl May signing. Former Twin, Krivsky knew — take a shot.
The difference (from Bowden’s old retread strategy) is that Krivsky is playing it out in AAA — not right in front of our eyes.
Well, Dave Williams has been DFA’d, so May and Mays are a step closer.
May and Mays. That didn’t hit me until now.
Well, Dave Williams has been DFA’d, so May and Mays are a step closer.
May and Mays. That didn’t hit me until now.
Comment by Brian B.  5/20/2006 @ 3:18 pm
Wow — I had not seen that anywhere.