Jayson Stark of ESPN tweets that the Reds aren’t buying (not a huge surprise) but that they are also “dangling” Mat Latos to other teams.
To catch up on current events in the NL Central:
The Cardinals have traded for SP John Lackey, sending pitcher Joe Kelly and OF/1B Allan Craig to Boston.
The Brewers have traded for OF Gerardo Parra, sending two minor league prospects to the Diamondbacks.
Oh lord. Mat Latos seems like he’s a little too immature for trade rumors.
I think Cueto is the guy to move here. His stock is higher, he is older, his frame is not as conducive to long-term health as a pitcher, he relies more on his velocity, and his mound makeup does not seem as good as Latos’.
I’d argue that Cueto seems to have more makeup on the mound than Latos’. He seems more together to me. Our disagreement here is one reason why it’s so hard to judge a player’s makeup without actually knowing them personally.
It is hard to tell “makeup” and I am only basing my judgments on what I can see on television or in person, but I do remember a couple of things that lead me to think that Latos is the guy, in the long run, that I want with the ball in his hand.
*taking the ball in SF in the playoffs when Cueto left because of injury
*owning the Posey home run immediately
*getting a bit chippy when it came to the length of his rehab
*Cueto’s nervousness in Pittsburgh (he looked genuinely scared)
*Latos has competed very well this year, despite the fact that his velocity was slow in coming around and has relied more on his slow curve than in years past (this demonstrates adaptability as velo decreases, something a veteran pitcher has to do)
All very valid points.
Cueto’s Pittsburgh performance is the exception rather than the norm I think. He just wasn’t physically ready to be put in that position.
Latos owned the Posey HR but the events leading up to the HR seemed to really have him off-kilter.
Cueto has pitched very well in many big game situations and aside from the WC game last year, he’s always seemed very poised. You can rarely tell what’s going on in his head. Latos wears his heart on his sleeve.
I like Latos very, very much. I also think he’ll be easier to sign than Cueto. I love how he got chippy about his rehab. I love how he’s been competing w/o his best stuff this year.
Simon and Cueto both appear to be very lucky but also appear to be very good (very, very good) at inducing ground balls with runners on base.
It seems more like a gift than a developed talent. Is that part of what you are referring to with regard to makeup?
More ‘mound presence’ and the ability to pitch under pressure. That’s more what I was thinking anyway.
As I said in the other thread… As much as I would hate to lose Cueto, he would probably be the one I would rather “dangleâ€Â. I mean it seems as though Latos and his wife really like it in Cincy. If they get rid of Latos and can’t keep Cueto, do they really feel confident in Bailey, Cingrani, Leake, Stephenson, and Lorenzen?
Latos is a poor-man’s David Price. He’s two years younger. Both Latos and Price have one year of arbitration left after this season. Latos is making $7.25 million and Price is making $14 million this year. Price is a better pitcher, but Latos is pretty darned good himself.
I think Walt is seeing what the return for starting pitchers is and is licking his chops.
Agreed: Latos could fetch the A’s package to the Cubs by himself with the right team. It could end up being Huntington on the phone to Walt though . . . then what?
Latos’ injury history, while more recent, is still much less lengthy than Cueto. He is also, as Steve noted, still very young. If he is the one they aren’t going to extend then this move makes sense.
It’s just odd that the Reds are ‘shopping’ players but we aren’t hearing about teams inquiring on these guys as with other clubs.
Latos has not looked the same this year. Velocity is down as is his endurance….. Sell if it helps the future
“Shopping” the right word? “Shopping” suggests that the Reds are pounding the pavement trying to trade Latos, which may or may not be true.
Could be that two GMs each said, “Hey Walt. We’re interested in Latos. What’ll you take for him?” Walt: “I dunno. A lot. Tell me what you’re thinking.” Very different than “Hey [GM], what’ll you trade me for Latos?”
Stark said “dangling,” which could go either way (and is a characterization itself).
For the right deal wouldn’t any Reds player be available? I mean if someone offered the right deal for Votto I would help him pack his bags and buy hima an airline ticket.
Latos is the one pitcher I didn’t want them to trade. Young, good, and loves it here in Cincinnati. He and his wife are both year-long residents. Anyone who came from the west coast, has millions of dollars, and STILL chose to make themselves a resident of Cincinnati despite the winter we went through last year has my respect.
He’s the first to be upset when he fails, and the first to goof off and have fun when they’re succeeding. Be it messing with Jim Day when he’s reporting from the dugout, shaving creaming someone in a postgame interview, or fooling around with Frazier in the dugout after Frazier sends one 450+ ft.
That’s the kind of guy you want in your clubhouse. Feel free to shop any other arm BUT Latos, Walt.
(standing applause)
He is awesome but probably the most expensive of the three and the least likely to give a hometown discount since the other two are exclusively Reds.
At this point, I am just glad to see them working the lines and to know that their is a pulse in the front office.
Amen!
I’d rather them trade Alfredo Simon. The return wouldn’t be as great, but it would give them more time to sort out the SP extensions with Cueto, Leake and Latos.
That makes the most sense and I think Simon’s stock is higher now than it ever will be.
If Price tells Walt he thinks he can get this out of Simon again next year, then I actually like the move to keep a very cheap #3 type.
Latos for Kemp a prospect and $80M in chip in!
I think teams see Simon as not having a lot of innings left in the tank this season.
I agree. If anything happens in the next hour, Simon and Broxton should be on the line, and Ludwick is anybody will take him.
I keep saying, Latos to Seattle. The M’s lose out on David Price. Latos and Heisey (I wish it were Ludwick) to Seattle for SP James Paxton and SS Chris Taylor.
I kinda of felt you’ve been reaching on Franklin/Taylor for a while now but I think this proposal would indeed get it done. Paxton played at UK, is coming off an injury he suffered in April (non-arm injury), and is less of a “sure thing” than Latos. Of all the trades you’ve proposed to get Taylor and before him Franklin, I think this one looks the best.
I would also rather them wait to trade one of the big arms until the off-season when they could try to get a major-league caliber bat back. That’s not likely to happen in a trade deadline deal – no contending team is going to give up a big bat right now. Can do it in the off-season when there is time to compensate.
I understand the logic, but with the changes in the offense/defense balance of recent years, I’m not sure if even an offseason trade would do the trick. Given the premium that offense demands in this market, what bats do you believe would be obtainable during the offseason in exchange for either Latos or Cueto? . . .
Good point. It’s complicated. You have to look at contracts (remember, you trade contracts, not players). But how about a player like Jose Bautista?
I would much rather have a young guy with a promising, though undetermined future, than a guy with a history of injuries, a big contact, and on the wrong side of 30.
The Jays need a Starting Pitcher in the worst kind of way. Bautista hitting behind Votto would be every fan’s dream. Everybody knows about his bat and OBP. But he is an above average defender with a very good arm. A RF playing LF just helps the defense even more.
Bautista’s bat reminds me of Kevin Mitchell going back to the 80’s, although his defense is better than Mitchell’s.
Still think it wouldn’t be so bad to try to make it so the Dodgers can’t so no on Pederson and Seager, with Cueto and Chapman.
Agree on that one. This would be a win win, but I think I’d want something better than the starter in this deal.
The A’s gave up a big bat for Lester. Craig was a big bat until this season
Those are thought provoking trades, to be sure. Cespedes isn’t as big of a bat as you’d think, but he’d help the Reds, for sure. Only one more year of team control, though. Craig has fallen apart completely and an expensive contract. You trade contracts, not players.
I’m not against shopping Latos (or the other starters) just to see the return and if there’s a good trade, take it. But in general, you have more partners during the off-season.
Latos to the Dodgers makes a lot of sense. They are reportedly out of the Price sweepstakes but their max package may be just right for Latos (if a little too light to land Price).
They have a lot of AAA talent (and the Reds have none).
Not sure how Latos feels about the Dodgers. He didn’t think too much of them back in SD (I lived in SD when the Pads brought Latos up). BUT, if the Dodgers think the Giants are the team to beat in that division for the forseeable future, makes sense to trade for a pitcher that HATES SF (Latos will still sign a ball “I hate SF” if you mention it, I’ve heard) and OWNS SF based on career numbers. And who can forget what he did in game 1 of the NLDS two years ago to SF?
Good points. I had forgotten about that drama with SF.
Don’t really want to trade Latos but to get anything back…. top prospects… has to be him or Cueto. Pick your poison. Steve… not really sure why you would trade Simon. For a cost conscious team he is a pretty good option. Cant see where trading him really impacts Latos, Leake, Cueto contract situations.
Seemed to have a bit left in the tank yesterday.
I like me some Mat Latos, but the surgeries in the offseason and Cueto seemingly over his past injuries seems to make sense to get what we can for Latos now. Plus his SoCal wife will start to get the itch to get out of Cincy sooner than later.
For the record, I really would hate to see Latos go.
me too. think cueto more out of our range going forward.
Word is leaking that the Reds are also dangling Jack
Jack for Stanton or Jack for Price?
Yes. Why stop at one?
When you got jack – you gotta shop it.
I can’t see any reason why Detroit doesn’t give us Verlander and Scherzer for Ludwick straight up.
I would rather them trade Cueto. Long-term, the order I would have wanted them to lock up the starters would have been Latos, Cueto, Leake, Bailey
Since they obviously started backwards, it would be a shame if they kept going backwards.
Nah. Bailey started year hurt and has been second best pitcher for last couple of months. Glad they locked him up. See Steves point about more major league bats available in off season.
Would like to see Cubs let loose Soler and one of their stud shortstops… but they think they can get a FA pitcher in the off season.
Best year of Bailey’s career had him as a solid 2 or 3, and we paid him $20mil per for a lot of years he’s likely to decline. Doesn’t sound like a great deal to me. Not a single team would pick up Bailey off of waivers right now.
Don’t agree. 27 years old. paying him 17. not chump change but has been pretty solid last 21/2 yrs. era under 3.5/ whip of 1.12. was hurt early this year.
I see no way Walt deals Latos for just prospects. He would have to get a grade A major league talent in any deal concerning Latos or Cueto and I don’t see that happening right now..
Generally teams that are buying this time of year are those that are in contention. Therefore, they will not be giving us a staple of their competitive team in return for Latos.
I think the only way to maximize value is three way trade. We send player to contending team, who sends prospects to non-contending/rebuilding team, and the non-contender sends us a primetime player.
And generally, I would agree with you, but the A’s and Cardinals just did that so can’t rule anything out especially as the pressure mounts with the deadline quickly approaching.
Ludwick is batting clean-up tonight. Unbelievable. It just keeps getting worse. I guess there were no takers for him. Unfortunate.
Andrew Miller has been dealt to the Os’ and Asdrubal Cabrera seems to have been traded as well.
This is now turning into one of the busiest trade deadlines in the last 10 years. So much for no one being able to make a deal.
Yep, just a question of (a) knowing what you want to do, (b) correctly figuring out the market value that other teams place on players, (c) finding an intersection of interests, and (d) having the nerve to make it.
Cardinals, Athletics have shown today they are prepared and able to do that.
Steve, would you be interested in a GM position by chance?
IF the report by Stark is true, and IF the Reds are prioritizing trading Latos over Cueto, Leake or Simon, it probably says something about which of those pitchers they have the most interest in re-signing.
Orioles, Angles, Tigers, Brewers, and Nationals all made deals to get better as well.
Their trading partners may have gotten better, too.
Whoops, meant to reply to the comment above.
I saw that Asdrubal Cabrera has been traded from the Indians, but the receiving team has not yet been announced. He’s not quite the offensive player that he was from 2009-2012, but he’d be an upgrade at one of the middle infield spots over Ramon Santiago and company.
Cabrera to the Nats
Thanks!
Nevermind, I just saw that he’s going to the Nationals.
Walt says the extra wild card has made trades so hard… the deadline has exploded with tons of big trades.
Are Walt and the rest of the league’s GMs playing a different game/by different rules? Anyone who finds it as hard as Walt does to make trades needs to retire or be fired, because everyone competent is having 0 issues moving and shaking. Extra wild card or not.
In 30 minutes I may agree with you.
How’s that agreement coming along, Steve?
Just a half hour left.
Will deals get anounced AFTER 4 pm?
Maybe a few minutes. Takes a while for MLB to approve them. Sometimes they don’t leak until MLB approves. But usually, they leak before MLB approval.
Walt’s two new additions: Jiminy Crickets and Justin Tumbleweeds. Crickets and tumbleweeds all Reds can muster on trade deadline day.
Maybe the best move is not to make a move but I really thought we’d see Broxton moved and possibly, if we were lucky see Ludwick moved. If the Reds end up not trading Latos and not buying a player, I’m ok with it but really felt they should have sold on Broxton. I don’t like that they’ve made no move at all and disagree that the best move in this case was no move. Of course, maybe Walt wants to see what the Reds do in August and feels Broxton would make it through waivers. I’m not so sure he will.
Rangers couldn’t unload Rios so it’s not surprising Ludwick doesn’t move either.
Philly, Boston, New York (either of them), or the Dodgers are big buyers this year so these bloated contracts seem less likely to move.
You’re probably right on that thinking. Looks like the Yankees got Drew though.
I saw that right after. It kind of dampens my theory, ha.
Yanks OF is their one place of consistency . . . Gardner sure woulda been nice but not at the cost playing Schu at 2nd all year.
“are not”
or the Rangers for that matter.
Maybe the Reds are the third team in the Price deal (hopefully).
Third team is reportedly the M’s
The Tigers have huge bullpen issues and are legitimate WS contenders. How is it that Walt couldn’t make a call to Detroit and negotiate a win/win trade for Chapman or Broxton? Just one example of hundreds of scenarios. I just don’t get the sense that Walt has made any of those types of calls. Either that or he has zero negotiation skills. Either way he should be fired.
No need to fire him really. His contract is out after the season. Reds may just not renew him. Of course Bob C really likes him. Who knows?
And there it is. Tigers get Price. I’ll be very interested to see what the haul is for Tampa.
I hear crickets
It appears as though the Tigers have won the David Price sweepstakes.
Stephen Drew to the Yankees.
Officially 4:00. Nothing.
So it would seem that we should move this action back to the “Trade Deadline Inaction Open Thread”
the only dangling here were participles and prepositions . . .
a grammar joke, see below for a better one.
Well, look on the bright side. At least we get to enjoy watching Santiago, Schumaker, Lutz, Ludwick, Cozart, Heisey, etc. score one run with 8 strikeouts per game. Oh boy!!!!!! Where can I buy my tickets!
Do we get free pizzas for 11 strike outs by Reds batters? #silverlining
I can’t get MLBtraderumors to load, not sure why.
They were getting killed. Too many requests for their servers and databases to handle
Wow, Price deal was a three team deal with the Mariners, who get Austin Jackson.
The list of big name players moved at the deadline this year is going to be huge.
Zorbist to Pirates is what I am hearing..
How in the world do the Pirates pick up Ben Zobrist and the Reds do not?? Pirates needed pitching and pick up a guy the Reds were looking at. What is going on in the Reds front office? This should be unacceptable.
Before I get my pitchfork and torch, what did he cost the Buccos?
Zobrist to the Bucs? The Marlon Byrd sequel. Unbelievable!?!?!?
Byrd was worse b/c the Reds could have blocked it with a simple waiver claim.
The Pirates have a better/deeper farm system, and are in a better position from the injury standpoint. I don’t think it’s that surprising…
If it’s true about the Pirates and seeing that the Brews and Cards have made deals, I would think that the Reds have officially punted for the time being.
Except without selling either, in a seller’s notice. Ship without a rudder.
The deals though were no for prospects, but Major Leagers in most cases.
Drew Smiley and Nick Franklin would have been great gets for the Reds. That’s what Tampa got for Price.
Great deals but no way Latos would have got them both, nor Cueto for that matter.
Please get Walt some No-Doze and a stiff cup of coffee. Actually, probably need a defibulater.
Sure feels like that, doesn’t it.
how would teh piradtes use zobrist?
Yanks get Prado! I thought the DBacks said he wasn’t available. A lot of gloves and bats are moving but not to Cincy. Not good.
Prado went to Yanks.
Haven’t seen confirmation on the Zobrist-to-Pittsburgh trade.
Nor have I. Still nada.
’twas a hoax. See below. Here’s the fake account: https://twitter.com/Daily_Tunez
This is just my opinion, but it’s impossible for me to get upset about not making trades at the trade deadline. For one, none of us were privy to the deals that were offered to the Reds. If we were, we might be really happy that Jocketty didn’t reach on a deal.
Secondly, while I love prospects, I cringe at the thought of giving up a sure return from Latos for what might be the equivalent 0.0 WAR in prospects. I’m sure the Padres thought they were going to get a solid core of players when they traded a major piece in Latos. They have to be kicking themselves now, since Boxberger and Volquez are gone, Alonso has essentially no power, and Grandal has an OPS+ of 97 so far this year.
Completely agree.
It was either trade pitchers now, trade pitchers in the offseason, trade pitchers at next year’s deadline, or lose all the pitchers and get nothing except compensatory picks for Latos and Cueto after the exact same offense that wasn’t good enough this year proves to be not good enough next year.
Seeing as how Cueto, Simon, and Broxton are probably at peak value, and Chapman will just get ridiculously expensive next year, combined with this being one of the most active trade deadlines ever, it’s a big failure by the Reds.
+1
+1
= 2
Nick Franklin is a 23 old 2b with a career .823 OPS in the minors. Better than anyone we have in the minors.
Smyly is a 25 yr old starter with a 3.77 ERA in the majors this year and a 2.57 ERA in the minors.
Both of those guys would have helped the Reds.
No single Reds pitcher could bring that kind of return, not Cueto, not Latos. Trading for one of those kids, maybe.
But Franklin has yet to figure it out at the MLB level – that’s a big gamble and Smyly makes no sense for the Reds.
Nick Franklin has great potential but the Mariners have treated him like Brandon Larson this year.
I agree, without having full accesses to what Walt did or didn’t do it is impossible to blame Walt. Also, what was the majority of players traded? Pitchers, and last time I checked were the bulk of players traded and outside of the A’s deal for Lester no real major league “bats” were traded. I don’t see anyone whom was traded would have added anything great to the Reds at this point or going forward, so while we all would have loved to welcome in either Stanton or Trout or a player like that to the Reds, there just wasn’t another GM out there willing to trade those type of players away.
I’d be more upset if I lived in PA. The Pirates need one good starting pitcher to keep pace. Nothing.
The Phillies have a ton players that could be potentially interesting at the deadline and it’s only Byrd and they can’t even unload him b/c they want the sun, moon, and stars in return.
Walt could pee in your glass and you would praise the vintage. He has not done one single thing since the choo trade after the 2012 season that could conceivably make the reds a better team. There were plenty of active buyers today and plenty of deals made. He had genuine talent at fair prices that he could have sold and made the reds better next year and in the future. We don’t have to know every deal that was offered to judge Walt. The fact that he hasn’t got anything done in almost two years speaks for itself.
And you left out that Grandal is a poor defensive catcher, so he has to OPS+ better than 97.
Marlins land a young starter who has the potential to help them in the future. As of now, he looks like more of the same.
Wow, Reds do nothing.
Jocketty will have a presser explaining that he just didn’t see a fit. Gotta hold on to those precious prospects for dear life. Wouldn’t want to lose one. He might have to make an adjustment to the 40 man roster. We can’t have that.
Well, the only thing left now is for Walt to insult our collective intelligence by saying the right deal just wasn’t out there.
I can’t even describe how ticked I am right now………two years in a row our rivals got stronger and we sat on our hands.
Braves get Russell and Bonafacio from the Cubs. Neither should have been Reds targets – it’s just all the movement and none of it has to do with the Reds. None of it.
+1
And you have no proof there wasn’t. this idea that you can make a trade like that is rediculus. You assume Walt made no attempt, it’s sad when people assume…
There are only 30 mlb gm jobs in the world. It should only be the best and brightest of the baseball industry that have those jobs. You don’t get points for trying. (Although I’m not convinced he tried very hard.) If a gm goes almost 2 years without doing anything to improve his team, does it really matter if he’s trying? Walt had some nice pieces he could have cashed in for prospects that would be mlb ready by next year or 2016. The reds cannot continue to compete in the nl central by just overpaying their aging stars. They have to get some more young talent in the system
The Zobrist to Pirates rumor was a big time HOAX people. Sent from a fake Bob Nightengale twitter account claiming they were the 3rd team in on the Price trade, which actually was the Mariners.
Here’s the fake account: https://twitter.com/Daily_Tunez
lots of 1-0, 2-1 games in the Reds future. Excellent SP, but can’t hit their way out of a wet paper sack……
Well, at least Walt accomplished one thing today…….ticking off Matt and Dallas Latos.
If so, maybe talks toward a longer-term deal would put the Latos’ minds at ease. Hey, a guy can hope ……
Rays also get a 2B that is hitting well at A ball. So that’s a Major league ready 2B, and rookie starting pitcher, and SS in A ball. If the Reds had traded Latos for that they would probably be better tonight, let alone for the next 5+ years.
Since I have absolutely no confidence in Walt it is probably good that he dint make any trades that set us even further behind the 8 ball. But we need new blood to head up the front office. Someone young, progressive and analytically-oriented.
If you want that, then you probably won’t be very happy with Big Bob’s choice this coming off-season. He’ll either re-sign WJ or sign another proven GM. Of course his choice to hire Price was more progressive than I thought being that he had no managing experience. Of course Price’s strategies and beliefs are seeming to lean towards the more traditional than analytical.
WJ is a senior GM and he refuses to make a deal or take any chances. I just don’t buy that “DEALS” are not out there to be made. He either sucks or is being hamstrung by BC.
Take a chance? OMG he traded 4 of our rather upper level prospects for Matt Latos, he traded for a one year rental on Choo. With little to no inside information as to what Walt offered in deals today or was offered to claim he refuses or won’t take chances is a farce…
that was two years ago. When you go through two deadlines and an entire offseason without improving your team, it’s fair for the fans to ask what’s up.
With your same lack of information your saying that it is a farce is a farce.
as bad as the hitting is and we do nothing at the trade deadline is shameful .The front office needs to wake the hell up or resign if our hitting was average we would be in first place keep wasting good pitching night after night .
To hold this view you either must feel that, a) WJ is incompetent or, b) he is intentionally torpedoing the Reds. The first alternative, given his career, seems easy to dismiss. The second, appealing to conspiracy theorists, perhaps, is ludicrous. He shouldn’t make a deal for the sake of making a deal, and it seems likely that the band-aids he could have gotten would have cost too much without seriously improving our chances of going deep into the postseason.
Add the Braves to the list, they got Russell and Bonafacio from the Cubs
Not surprised Walt did nothing but I am ticked as hell. I don’t understand why he couldn’t get a deal done again. I’m not advocating making a bad deal, but you can’t tell me you couldn’t have negotiated a fair price for some of our players which won’t be helping us much longer.
Contending teams that made trades to improve their 2014 teams:
A’s
Angels
Giants
Tigers
Braves
Yankees
Orioles
Brewers
Cardinals
Mariners
Selling teams that made deals planning for the future:
Red Sox
Rays
Padres
Cubs
Indians
Teams just looking to get better and made a deal:
Astros
Marlins
How can the Reds not fit into one of those categories?
Add Diamonbacks to Sellers.
Notable absences (and some less excusable than the Reds):
Phillies
Pirates
Mets
Royals
Angels
Twins
White Sox
Rangers
They Rays were most comparable to the Reds. They didn’t recognize they were sellers until late. They were decisive and made a big move that set them up for the immediate future. Latos (nor Cueto) could have commanded that return but I am jealous something similar didn’t occur.
Angels got Houston Street.
Twins got Tommy Milone from the A’s for Sam Fuld.
Looks like all the moves have been made. Move along folks. Nothing to see here.
Yankees are designating Brian Roberts. Maybe the Reds should make a claim on him. 85 OPS+ so he fits the profile of the Reds’ offense. He always struck me as PED user during the glory days. Slugged .450-.500 out of the blue for three years and then went back to .350 just as quickly.
Don’t think he was using PEDs… I follow the O’s very closely. Roberts had horrible injury luck and then just missed too much time.
Then I would take his defense over Shu’s and his offense over Santiago’s. If Negron isn’t going to play regularly then I’d prefer Roberts.
I’ve always liked him. I can root for Roberts.
He was in the Mitchell Report for PEDs
Reds might as well just tank the rest of the season. Go for a high draft pick.
+1
The fact that nothing was done doesn’t bother me because honestly, we don’t have much of a chance if we do get the WC. Do we need a big bat in LF? Absolutely, but I believe we should chase that in the off season and be ready for next year
THis. A move for the sake of a move is senseless. The Reds have little to offer without giving up on next year or buying this year. Neither would have been a smart decision.
Except, sadly, these were the same front office moves made last year. Which is to say, no moves. Apparently makes no difference whether we’re in the race or not.
Getting the injured guys back will likely be the equivalent of a blockbuster trade without having to give anything up.
Once we win 15 out of the next 20, we’ll be glad we didn’t sell today.
Reds lineup posted… Pena catching for Cueto. No Mes. Jack playing 1B.
Hamilton CF
Negron 2B
Frazier 3B
Ludwick LF
Pena C
Heisey RF
Hannahan 1B
Cozart SS
Cueto P
Sounds like a lineup ready to win 15 of 20
I’m ready to move on from the trade deadline talk Continuing to talk about it is depressing — like watching video, over and over of being shot down when asking for a date. It is what it is – bring on the game thread.
What’s more depressing? No deals on trade deadline, or Ludwick batting cleanup?
After watching him get completely over-powered last night on 3 low-90s fastballs, I’m sick thinking that he’s hitting 4th.
Ok, a very brief summary of my final thoughts on the Reds inaction at the trade deadline:
I am happy that they didn’t pay for someone like Byrd. I am also glad they didn’t trade an A- or B+ prospect and another lower prospect for Zobrist. I just think this sort of deal wouldn’t have been enough to put them over the hump.
I am happy they didn’t trade starting pitching. Simon is the only one I may have moved and I wouldn’t have given him up for peanuts. He is a nice #5 starter.
I am disappointed that the Reds didn’t move Broxton’s contract and likely get a decent return as Broxton is pitching well. I’d be stunned if teams didn’t call about him. They could have probably gotten a B prospect at least out of him and gotten $9-million off the books for next season.
Ok, so I’m a Jay Bruce fan. I have always thought it possible that the knee may be one of the reasons that he was struggling at the plate but what about the death of his Grandfather? I mean if his grandfather was sick and that’s been on his mind, that can really be a tough. I don’t know the circumstances and it’s none of my business but I’ve been trying to figure out why my favorite Red has had such a tough year at the plate and there could be another factor to consider. I just hope he regroups and has a much better year next season.