GM Walt Jocketty did an interview with MLB Network yesterday, where he touched on the Joey Votto situation and more. The video is below, but here are some of the money quotes:
Walt Jocketty on possibly calling up prospect Billy Hamilton to fill the void at the leadoff spot:
“I don’t think that we would do that. He just moved to Double-A at Pensacola and we’re going to wait and see how he develops there, how well he gets on base. The game gets a little faster as you go higher, so we’ll see. But right now, I would not anticipate that happening.â€Â
Jocketty on how the second Wild Card spot affects the trade deadline:
“It’s just incredible the number of teams that are still very close…I think it would be tough for a lot of those teams to start selling at this point. I think it will be a little more difficult and some clubs may just make the decision that they want to move forward and may not feel they can close the gap. I think it will be a little more difficult, but I still believe you’ll see some deals done close to the deadline.â€Â
Jocketty on the team’s World Series chances:
“I think our goal is to get deeper is to get deeper into the playoffs than we were the last time in 2010. Certainly, going to the World Series would be a home run for us. Getting to the playoffs is the number one key. As you’ve seen, I’ve been with a number of clubs in the past that once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen and a team that’s hot at the end can take off and win the whole thing. Hopefully, we’re in that position.â€Â
Check out the video. It’s somewhat interesting to hear Jocketty talk about the trade market, but not a ton of new information here.