More Jocketty Talk On The Reds

I like the idea of Rocco in a Reds uniform

I'm not sure I have much faith in that offense.

It could end up being really good, if Bruce, Phillips, Votto, Encarnacion and Dickerson all have really good seasons, but they're all young and obviously it's not a sure thing.

If those guys don't produce, then the lineup would be in trouble.

I'm a really firm believer in having good lineup depth, and keeping the pitcher working with every hitter.

In Cincinnati though, they may very well get little to no production from catcher, center, and shortstop. This would be more acceptable if the defense from these positions was great, and the rest of the lineup was more established.

But they have little in the way of established hitters, and the defense from those positions won't necessarily be great.

For a pitcher, being able to go through Alex Gonzalez, Ryan Hanigan, a pitcher, and then Willy Taveras leading off would be like getting to rest for half the lineup.

When only five hitters in your lineup induce any fear in the pitcher, then you're probably in trouble.

Jocketty's a guy with a very solid track record, so I don't say this lightly - but how can a major league GM even consider signing Jerry Hairston Jr. to start in LEFT FIELD? Second base, sure. But last year's numbers are almost entirely the result of a huge BABIP spike, as I've posted before - .357 in 2008 vs. .285 career. Take him down to the career BABIP number and those 2008 numbers become .258/.316/.419, which I suspect isn't even replacement level in LF.

Honestly I'd take Bonds in LF before I'd put up with Hairston out there.

JHJ had a career year and is likely to be sub-replacement level for any team that signs him for next year.

Bonds would have to DH, I doubt that he could play the field.

Votto has played over a season in the majors. I have no doubts that both Bruce and him can handle whatever the pitchers throw at them. After those two though thats it.

Phillips is overrated offensively because of his weak 30/30 season, EE usually needs a wake up call before he starts to hit and has month long slumps where he has trouble hitting .150.

The rest of the team is made up of journeyman and AAAA types.

Dye, Magglio, Burrell, or even someone like Rios and Swisher could make all the diffence to the Reds.

With a solid RH power bat to seperate Votto and Bruce the Reds could be very good. Without one they're going to be a fourth or fifth place team even with their pitching.

What I think is that Castillini better not talk about wanting to build a winner in Cincinnati.

The only way the Reds are going to win is if they build it thru their system. Even then they'll likely have only one shot before they have to reload.

I truely do hate the system that baseball uses now.

Teams like the Yankees can afford to throw out a 300 million dollar payroll and their fans can say stuff like see they care about winning and will do everything they can to win. Which is complete and other bullshit, any team would do the same with Yankee like revenue streams.

I would love to see the fans of large market teams have to deal with what small market fans have to put with every year. Then we'll see who the better fans are.

Instead of Teixiera, they'll have JHJ or Taveras as the big signing.

Evenly disperse the revenue of every major league team and let the best ran team win.

schellis,

The Yankees' payroll in 2009 will be less than it was in 2008.

So how are they abusing the system?

i hate the MFYs, but i agree with the above two.

No team is above the game. No team makes a cent without the other teams.

Give the Marlins payroll and they have trouble filling even half the stadium.

Very very few fan bases will fill the stadiums of losing teams, and it usually helps when said teams are in a massive market and have plenty to draw from.

I don't believe that any team has the right to a monsterous economic advantage just because they have the good fortune to be based in a large city.

Put every team on a equal economic footing and let the best team win.

Baseball would surive without the Yankees. The Yankees wouldn't survive without the rest of baseball.

If I were in charge I would lay down this.

75 to 100% revenue sharing

minimum and maximum salary caps

a 50% tax on anything over said cap, and 100% for anything under it.

For baseball to reclaim its rightful spot as America's game it needs to equalize every team.

No more big market, small market. Only teams.

Baseball however lacks a Commisioner with any backbone so instead of correcting a major inbalance that has fans for over half the league knowing their season is over in pretty much April, he focuses on a completely worthless exhibition series.

For ten years they had it right, the draft was in place so teams with high revenue streams couldn't just buy up all the amateur talent, and there was no free agency.

One of the reasons football is popular is because if ran right every team has a chance, another is that star players play a large part of their careers with one team.

The small/mid market teams aren't minor league teams for the large markets, and no owner is going to spend more then the team makes just to make the fans happy, or at least won't do it year after year.

Baseball needs to be a league where dyantasy caliber teams can be built and kept by any team in the league instead of just a small handful.

And why is it fair for the old Baltimore Orioles team that relocated to New York before any other team got the idea to get a natural fan base that is considerably larger then teams that have to draw from States.

It is no teams birthright to go to the playoffs, and while a 200 million dollar payroll doesn't insure that it comes damn near close.

Mr.Jocketty, please DO NOT sign
Harriston as every day LF. Trade
or sign a right handed power
hitter. Even Sammy Sosa for a 1 to 2 year contract, or even, Barry Bonds (I know a lefty) but for a year or 2, every knows Barry can hit..Do not give up on the power hitter, got to have one.Please no every day LF for Harriston, great fill in that's it

Mr.Jocketty, please DO NOT sign
Harriston as every day LF. Trade
or sign a right handed power
hitter. Even Sammy Sosa for a 1 to 2 year contract, or even, Barry Bonds (I know a lefty) but for a year or 2, every knows Barry can hit..Do not give up on the power hitter, got to have one.Please no every day LF for Harriston, great fill in that's it

The problem the Reds have is the organizational depth at 3B and 1B. Votto, Frazier and eventually Soto will be forced into the OF to make room for Alonso (2010) and Francsico (2011). That's likely why the Reds aren't going after a long term solution. This doesn't even take into consideration Edwin Encarnacion who also profiles best as a LF.

If I'm Walt Jocketty, I play into the organizational depth now.

1) Sign Wigginton to a two year deal to play 3B. Wigginton is an upgrade over EdE both offensively and defensively.

2) With 3B free, trade EdE to a team in desperate need of a 3B i.e. Cleveland. The Indians have Garko, Martinez and LaPorta for 2 spots. Given Garko and LaPorta are under team control for a long time and Martinez will be a FA (most likely) in 2011, shopping Martinez doesn't seem like a bad idea for the tribe depending on the return. Could a package centering around EdE and Bailey get it done?

If so the Reds' 2009 lineup would be:

CF - Taveras
LF - Votto
1B - Martinez
RF - Bruce
3B - Wigginton
2B - Phillips
C - Hernandez
SS - Gonzalez

Not only does such a lineup provide flexibility given Wigginton's ability to play LF and 3B, Votto's ability to play LF and 1B, and Martinez' ability to play 1B and C, but moving Votto to LF now and having 3B and 1B open in a year or two enables the Reds to more easily transition to a 2011 lineup which would feature Frazier, Francisco, and Alonso.