Rumor Royalty: John Fay

I'm concerned that Joey Votto's development will be stunted without regular playing time. It seems he'd be better served getting regular AB in triple-A than platooning in the majors. The Red Sox made a similar mistake with Wily Mo Pena, but Votto is far more talented. Is Dusty Baker ever going to give Votto his chance at the bulk of playing time over Scott Hatteberg?

I have one....

How close was Joe Blanton to being dealt to the Reds and what for?

Thanks Timmoh :)

When is Homer Bailey going to crack this rotation?

Do you think the catching concerns with Ross & Valentin will lead to a trade? If so, any ideas who WK may favor? Is Laird available and for waht price? Ramon Hernandez perhaps?

john. always enjoy the blog. with two young starters with tremendous upside in the rotation... and bailey knocking at the door... do you think that dusty will closely monitor pitch counts and perhaps add another pitcher to the roster. perhaps one that can go a couple of innings like affeldt does.... roenicke? this frees up valentin or hatteberg as bait or in a package with belisle.

John, frequent reader of yours and a life long die hard reds fan. So far encarnacion has 4 fielding errors and is batting UNDER .100. I realize that its early in the season but this is not how everyone predicted his season would go thus far. If he is still struggling in one area or both by the time Alex Gonzalas comes back I say but Keppinger at 3rd Gonzalas at short and bench Edwin, what do you think? also, if it turns out Edwin's season isnt better by mid season can you see Krivsky exploring trade options?

John, what happens when David Ross comes off the DL? Do the Reds send Votto down since he has options left, or do the look at carrying 3 catchers? Perhaps the long awaited trade of Ryan Freel or do they drop one of the 3 catchers? Also who would you see getting the nod to take over Fogg's rotation spot if he continues to struggle, Homer Baily or Matt Belisle? Baily pitched well in his first to starts at AAA, but Belisle has thrown some big games in the majors.

are keppinger and cueto legit? will the reds go after another starter to solidify their rotation? if so, who? bias aside, do you see the reds contending in both the NL central this year? if so, how about the postseason? would they match up well against the likes of the mets, dbacks, braves, etc?

are keppinger and cueto legit? will the reds go after another starter to solidify their rotation? if so, who? bias aside, do you see the reds contending in the NL central this year? if so, how about the postseason? would they match up well against the likes of the mets, dbacks, braves, etc?

John- Do you think the Reds will attempt to move Alex Gonzalez before the trade deadline and stick with Keppinger at short?

Back to Keppinger. He is legit, he's got a .320 career avg. in the minors, including .368 in '07, a great contact hitter that walk more than he strikes out. Question: Is Dusty going to going to keep Keppinger in the lineup when Gonzalez comes back? He's already had him at first, and as mentioned above, Encarnacion is scuffling. Keppinger has played third, as well as everywhere else but catcher. Is he going to get a shot at displaying that 85% plus contact rate for a full season?

Outside of Bailey, Bruce, and guys who have already been in the Show, which current Reds minor leaguer is most likely to have an impact in the bigs?

Did the Oriols really want Baily, Votto, Cueto, Encarnacion for Bedard?

What did the Reds offer the Oriols for Bedard?

John, With the Reds in desperate need of a righty on the bench (Exhibit A: Norris Hopper pinch hits for Joey Votto), why did Wayne not pull the trigger on the Stanton-for-Wes Helms trade? As reported here, the Phillies ended up eating most of Helms' salary anyway, so the contracts shouldn't have been an issue. Wouldn't this have been an ideal move, rather than just DFAing Stanton for nothing?

What do you see the Reds doing about Adam Dunn?

Do you believe that Johnny Cueto is the Reds' best pitching prospect?

Of Bruce, Bailey, Cueto, Votto, and Volquez, which do you think will help the Reds the most in 2008?

John love the daily updates on the blog..

How do you get information from the Reds organizaion given that Krivsky runs such a tight ship?

John, do the Reds have any interest in trading Javy Valentin? Does anybody want him? He's a career .200 pinch hitter and horrible behind the plate. No need to carry 3 catchers, and by all accounts the pitchers love Bako, a left handed bat.

John,
How do you perceive the relationship between Krivsky and Jocketty? Do you perceive it staying as is or Krivsky being gone after this season and Jocketty taking over?

John,

Was curious what you think the Reds need as far as personel to get over the hump for the Reds to finish the season in the playoffs at this early point?

john, what is your opinoin on the reds moving to arizona?

john, what is your opinion on the reds moving to arizona?

After watching the first week or so of the season, how many wins do you see the reds ending up with?