Reds Sign Arthur Rhodes

Good signing. Will have less of a role than Addefeldt which is why we didnt resign him. The bullpen is complete.

"Addefeldt"

:)

Good deal if he stays healthy, but that's a big if. Didn't he have TJ a year or two ago?

This guy seriously has one of the oddest careers ever. He goes from minor league deals to multi year deals every other contract it seems.

Of course the Reds did!!! What could POSSIBLY go wrong here (Rheal Cormier, Mike Stanton)? A 39 year old Pitcher who is a specialist is moving from a pitchers park to a hitters park.

As far as Affeldt goes, I would MUCH rather have him. He could pitch to both Left Handed and Right Handed batters and do so for more than just one hitter.

In 2008, Rhodes pitched 35 Innings in 61 Games while Affeldt pitched 78 Innings in 74 Games.

With the way Toothpick Baker misuses a Bull Pen and LOVES to double switch players, I can just imagine what a clusterf**k this could turn out to be.

Remember how Aaron Harang got hurt? An Extra Inning Game in San Diego where Baker misused the Bull Pen an then ran out of position players and had to use Harang (and then Volquez)? THAT was when he HAD guys who could pitch and be effective against more than just one batter.

Jeremy Affeldt 2 years at 4 mil each or Arthur Rhodes at 2 years at 4 mil Total! Don't compare this to the others...this is a discount to the alternative.

Look up the box scores. The Padres used at least one starter too (Banks). You go find me one 18 inning, high scoring game where the manager didn't have to use a starter. Belisle got pulled in the fifth after allowing 5 runs. what bullpen can go 14 innings deep? And Harang/Volquez went 4 each...banks went 6.

The question continues to be begged...why do you hate the reds so much and all the while continue to call yourself a fan?

Best LOOGY available. Let's hope that arm holds together.

Two needs filled, two to go. RH impact bat, CF.

Get Dye (unless KW continues his douchiness) or Jaun Rivera and Hairston and lets roll.....

YOU follow a new team!!

I have been a Reds fan since the 1975 World Series. I have seen World Championship teams and Hall of Fame players. So I know what a winner looks like. With Lindner and now Ca$htellini, these are NOT winning teams.

Ca$htellini buys the team, spouts off that he is going to "bring Championship baseball back to Cincinnati" and then does virtually nothing his first two years of Ownership except, of course, collect the revenue sharing money that MLB gave to him.

When company A is near bankruptcy and company B buys it, company B doesn't just sit back and keep things the same. They have a plan in place when they buy company A and they implement it.

What is the Reds plan? Looks to me like spend money and overpay for "name" players and keep doing the same thing over and over again and hoping the results are different. That and hiring General Managers who sucked with other teams (Bavasi in Seattle and Bonifay in Pittsburgh).

When Ca$htellini fired Krivsky, one of the main reasons he gave was because Krivsky signed or traded for old guys like Rheal Cormier and Mike Stanton and when they didn't perform well, he cut them and the Reds had to eat their salary. Look what the Reds just did; they offered Salary Arbitration to Weathers and signed Rhodes. A couple of old guys who quite possibly are going to tank during their time with the Reds.

Rheal Cormier, Mike Stanton meet David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes.

Ca$htellini authorized exercising the Dunn option for 2008 when the Reds would have been much better off using that money to get another player or two and collecting the Amateur Draft picks.

Ca$htellini authorized signing (and overpaying for) Cordero when the problems with the Bull Pen in 2007 were NOT with the Closer but with the set up men. With Affeldt and Lincoln pitching the seventh and eighth Innings in 2008 instead of Coffey, Stanton and Majewski in 2007, the Reds improved.

When Jerry Narron was fired in 2007, he had a 31 and 51 record. Pete Mackanin took over and using virtually THE SAME PLAYERS that Narron had, finished the season with a 41 and 39 record and that INCLUDED the Reds having KGJ, Hamilton and Dunn on the DL and Buck Coats, Jason Ellison and Norris Hopper as the starting Outfield the last week of the season.

Was THAT good enough for Ca$htellini? NO!! He HAD to have a "big" name and wnet out and overpaid for Dusty Baker. A guy who wasn't even managing and who other teams were NOT beating a path to sign.

What did Baker do with a supposedly improved team? He won a whole two Games more than the Narron/Mackanin combo did in 2007.

The Reds cut David Ross (and ate his salary) and kept Baker Boy Bako. Not only that but they allowed Baker to continue to start Bako even when the Reds were 20 Games out of First Place and had Hanigan up.

I thought the whole reason for cutting a Catcher and bringing Hanigan up was to get him as much playing time as possible to see if he could handle the Major Leagues and if he was good enough to consider being the Catcher for the Reds in 2009.

The Reds trade a highly paid, injury prone utility player over the age of 30 (Ryan Freel) and are trying to resign Jerry Hairston Jr. WHY?

JHJ had a career year and was injured yet again. What makes people think he is going to do the same in 2009 as he did in 2008?

Didn't Toothpick Baker once give as an excuse for him playing Corey Patterson (when Patterson was batting lead off and his BA was under .200)that players usually revert to the stats on the back of their baseball card? If so, then that means 32 year old JHJ is most likely to revert back to a .260 hitter and NOT be a .337 hitter.

Didn't the Reds get rid of two highly paid, middle of the order hitters who had limited range in the Outfield? Didn't the team play better after they were traded away? Then WHY trade for Jermaine Dye, a highly paid, middle of the order hitter who has limited range in the Outfield?

For the Reds to be successful they have to STOP doing the same things that have made them losers for the last eight years.

That means they need to stop signing or trading for old players who are either at the top of or over the hill. It means they need to stop picking up scrubs, retreads and guys coming off injurie and hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle with them.

It means playing the BEST players and putting them in the BEST possible position to win instead of playing the guys who are paid the most or who are the Manager's favorites. It also means having the same rules for ALL players and not one sert for the stars and one set for everybody else.

If KGJ can loaf and not get punished for it then why does EE get a dressing down and then sent to the Minors for not hustling?

It means if the players are not good enough fundamentally that the Manager makes them practice and get better even if it is the middle of the seasonj. It does NOT mean the Manager just says "oh well" and asks them to bunt when he knows good and well the player can't do it.

It means knowing that GASP is a hitters park and that the team has trouble scoring Runs on the Road. So instead of loading the team up with guys who are good Home Run hitters but NOT good overall hitters just to take advantage of GASP, they should be going after good hitters who can drive in Runs wihtout having ot hit Home Runs. By doing this, the Reds could start and keep rallies going by having a continuous line of good hitters coming to the plate.

This is what Aaron Harang suggested in 2008. Doing this would help the Reds score Runs on the Road where they have had a losing record the last eight years and where they have averaged almost a Run less per Game than they have at GASP.

The Reds have to start identifying needs and looking to the future to address them. The Reds didn't need a Closer in 2008 they already had a decent one. However, even if they thought they did need one, why overpay for one in a year where there weren't many available?

By looking at the Free Agent list for 2009 they HAD to see that there was going to be mroe than one Closer available so why not just wait a year and sign or trade for one when they were cheaper? I mean, the Reds were NOT like the Mets who could have gone to the Play Offs but didn't because their Closer kept blowing Saves. If the Reds were in that position, then sure, I can see being hasty and overpaying for a Closer.

Just like with the catching situation. If the Reds weren't happy with Ross and Valentin and thought they needed somebody better, then why bring in Bako? Why not just ditch Ross and Valentin last year and get a better Catcher when not as many teams needed them?

ctown, to answer a few of your arguments...

David Weathers had a career last year WITH THE REDS. He had a 3.25 ERA total, with a 3.93 ERA at home and 2.57 ERA on the road. So you're telling me that you wouldn't resign him because he's 40 years old? Sure, he doesn't throw mid-90's fastballs and isn't in his prime anymore, but he's still crafty, throws strikes, and gets batters out. His statistics say he's good. And, he's a leader in the bullpen for all the younger players. For like $2-3 million (which is MLB average), Weathers is a bargain! It's a no-brainer with him.

Rhodes is the same thing.

Quit worrying about the bullpen. The bullpen is fine. We lost one good lefty and gained a good lefty for half the price.

Your remarks on Jermain Dye are inconsistent. To compare him to Griffey and Dunn is honestly an insult and more-or-less moot. Jermaine Dye has a career OBP of .338 and a .276 average. He also only strikes out an average of 1 in every 5 at-bats. He is the bi-polar opposite of Griffey and Dunn. Using an analogy that they are middle-of-the-order hitters and below average outfielders is like comparing Brett Tomko to Jake Peavy just because they're starting pitchers and bat last in the lineup.

By the way, your left-fielder is typically your worst fielder on the field. I'm not sure I can think of a left-fielder who was recognized for his extra-ordinary defense...but hey, maybe you know a little more than I do.

Ross and Bako are gone, they were Krivsky decisions, move on from it. And quit using "What ifs" and be a realist. That's all you can be with baseball. Until you understand team salary limits, you won't understand why they can't sign top-of-the-line talent all the time, in fact it will be rarely at all.

Ross was let go instead of Bako because David Ross is a right handed catcher. Ryan Hanigan is a right handed catcher. This is why it happened like that.

The fact is bringing in Cordero allowed the bullpen to settle more. You just said that the Reds had a decent closer in 2007 yet you are complaining about the David Weathers....make up your mind. Weathers had a better year in 08 than in 07. In 2006 the Reds' biggest weakpoint was a godawful bullpen. In 2007 the Reds' biggest weakness was a godawful bullpen. Last year their best strength was a solid but overworked bullpen.

Edwin wasn't sent down for loafing. He was sat a game for loafing. He was sent down to the minors because the day before he had a bunch of errors in one game and he was freaking awful at the plate. He came back up his errors cut down a decent amount and his offense went off the wall.

Which better catcher should the Reds have signed last year? I think Chad Moeller might've been out there!

If you are still harping on Castellini's 'I came here to win' talk when he took over you need to get a clue. Find me the owner of a business who will upon taking over say 'We plan to struggle and hopefully one day be a decent company.' Every owner wants to bring a championship to their teams city. Your mentality is the exact reason why the Reds are so twisted. You act like you want them to rebuild and get by with farm talent but then you criticize Castellini because you want to win now.

I'm not sure why I'm trying to argue with a wall.

No major league manager would have used an ace to to close an extra inning game because of the fact that they could go on for 25 innings. You don't know what you are talking about if you defend that decision. Relief pitching gets a starter out of their routine. While starters always want to go in no manager with a brain will do it for that reason. Hence why some teams even use position players when they deplete their bullpen. One win is not worth the risk, nor will it ever be, unless you are in the last game of the season and you need the win to get into the playoffs. That is the only time I would allow it. I bet you he never does that again while he is with the REDS.

NO the mets did not. You know why because Wille and even Jerry Manuel know how to properly manage a bullpen and they take the advice of their pitching coach instead of risking their aces who are to valuable to try to replace even before the trade deadline and impossible after the deadline. Get real you say you are not defending it but you are, and not doing a good job of it by the way. Why would you defend the second dumbest move Dusty committed last year. The first being Corey Patterson batting leadoff with a .200 batting average. You would probably be a better leadoff hitter. I better not give Dusty any ideas.

The question I had with Baker's decision to use Harangatang in that extra-inning game was 'was the decision based on using the starters who had had the most rest since their last start, ace or not, or using a quality pitcher who can get 3-6 outs and give them a chance to end it quickly?'

either way you're left with a managers nightmare of having the game drag on and you either have to keep working that starter or put in a different starter to share the burden. That is just a nasty situation to be in. I'm interested to see if Baker has learned anything from that game.

Ca$htellini came in with the big talk and then didn't follow up with it.

Unlike Lindner, Ca$htellini was supposed to know something about baseball. So when he comes in and makes brash statements then you expect he has a plan and that he is going to do something right away. You don't expect him to virtually do nothing for two years and THEN get impatient and start hiring and firing people and just start throwing money around. THAT is not a plan.

I wanna see the reds pick a big time player.

Ryan, I want the Reds to get some GOOD players.

One big time player is NOT going to get the Reds into the Play Offs and give them a chance to win a World Series. However, a number of good players will.

Props to Ctownboy. He knows what is really happening in CINCY. I like the Ca$htellini bit, it's priceless.

DUSTY BAKER you are a joke. You couldn't manage your way out of a wet ripped paper bag. You constantly squander run scoring opportunities, ask players to bunt that can't(they should be able to bunt, but you probably don't work on that at practice), pitch starters too long, and mismanage a bull pen better than anyone. I am sure if I asked Dick Pole he would tell me that you constantly turn down his reccomendations on pitch counts. You treated Ryan Freel like dirt for the simple reason that he talked to the media...yet you played your boy Patterson and he showed everybody you dont have a clue how to manage. Lets bat a .200 hitter leadoff because he's fast. Who cares if he never gets on base at a clip of .238. Dusty that is not a good OBP in case you don't know what this stat is. I know you don't it's ok, you won't be in Cincinnati for long. You see Cashtellini is going to get tired of covering for your inequalities and your poor managerial performance and finally we will get a good manager in Cincinnati. I sent all the emails I could to the REDs before they hired you, but I understand the marketing plan that came along with you Dusty. It all has backfired and soon you will be fired too because attendance is going to drop off big time and so are Cashtellini's profits. No more collective bargaining money from the Yankees or Mets because they get the write offs on the stadium they built. Get ready to lose a bundle Cashtellini. Get us a real manager and start filling wholes in the roster if you are serious about winning. Oh yeah and get that joke of so called manager out of here fast.

Walt you are next. You fired Krivsky(technically this is what really happened, I know they say Cashtellini did it but WAlt was PBO and he wanted the job) for the Rheal Cormeir and Kent Mercker contracts yet you sign Arthur Rhodes to a two year deal for four million. You take a mediocre catcher from Baltimore and you will sign Burrell who is worse than Dunn and you will tell Reds fans here we go. I can smell the stink on this ownership group a mile away. You guys are all about the cash. Throw the mediocre product on the field and see what sticks. You would think that you like to win, but I guess that now takes the back seat to profits and that is what ultimately cost Krivsky his job. Krivsky wanted to win and fought management on their bad decisions and when he turned out to be right, they canned him because you can't make your bosses look stupid. Too bad Krivsky is no longer a Red because when the Reds fall into last place again in 2009, who will you fire then(Dusty is a no brainer. You may have to fire yourself because Cashtellini thinks Baker is smart. Please tell me if you are setting Dusty up to be fired and I will back off.

19jeff you are also onto something. We don't need old catchers...we need to develop one or trade for one with a high ceiling. However Bengie is great with pitchers and good at defense so he is better than Hernandez at offense and defense. Cincy is a small park and if we don't maximize our defense by having one of the best in the league we will NEVER make the playoffs again. NEVER. Yet the Reds didn't even try to get a shortstop, thirdbase, centerfielder or a leadoff hitter. No matter what the paper or Reds webstie or Walt J. say, it is all posturing until they commit to defense. I love Dunn as well but you wait and see, they will fill his spot with Pat Burrell who is slower and gets hurt more often than Dunn. Burrell is worse at defense and obviously not as good of a hitter, yes better average but that is all thats better than Dunn. So what do we get as Reds fan, a worse defensive team...does it really sound like management is eager to win? I can't see where they can make the argument.

I can see where you coming from about bengie but we basically got hernandez for nothing that being freel w/ the extra 3 mil. I think that we have a good core of young players bruce,votto, phillips,volquez and cueto. Also I did like how keppinger was playing before he was injured he could move to third and ee to outfield. I liked the thought of picking up Dye cause we need a guy who could hit for average and give leadership to our younger guys. If you look whats available right for of's its not great maybe we will have to wait til next year to find a better fit but right now we need a guy who can bat 300 and I wouldnt mind taking a chance on rocco for the right price.

How sweet does that look Reds fans? I mean that is beautiful. YES it assumes a lot, like Valaika being ready and completing a couple of trades, but it is possible.

He is old but many pitcher have had success at 40 years old. It's not a big deal for a bullpen pitcher.

Lincoln also had a similar comeback story last year and people were praising that deal.

The guy gave up ZERO that's 0 HR's in 35 innings and 40/16 SO/BB ratio. He is a strikeout pitcher that doesn't give up the long ball which is exactly what the Reds need in GABP. Great pickup that solidifies our bullpen.

GET A HITTING OF and we may be set to win the NL Central.

coltholt,

If Belisle went 5 and Harang and Volquez each went 4, then bullpen only gave them 5. Assuming the Reds were carrying 11 pitchers, then 6 relievers only went 5 innings. Maybe Dusty was managing hard for the win, but you gotta plan... He was done after the 10th... Nobody...

ctown, I hate to throw insults out there, but cut down on the frickin' essays. You don't have to write 4 pages of responses to redeem yourself. Neither do you, Robert.

Some of your points you made:

- Carl Crawford is a good LF'er = Wrong. Carl Crawford is a converted CF'er, so naturally he's going to be better at playing LF than CF. Same goes for Johnny Damon. It doesn't make them good LF'ers. All it means, is that they were replaced with BETTER defense in CF. They were phased out of their positions.

- Weathers worst stat was when he was brought in with a runner on 3B. Which was only 12 games of the year; He played in 72 games this year. As you mentioned, he was prone to give up a base hit. When you're brought into the middle of the game like a MIDDLE RELIEVER is supposed to be, it's bound to happen. Weathers did a fine job converting from the END OF THE GAME to the MIDDLE OF THE GAME. Which, if you had any baseball knowledge, matters in a 9 inning game.

- Dye's defense is not a problem. Last year he had a .996 fielding percentage and has a .981 fielding percentage lifetime. His Zone Rating is very close to Carlos Quintin's, Adam Dunn's, and Pat Burrell's...however, he plays RF which is a much harder position to play in the major leagues as opposed to LF. A conversion could mean inflated statistics for him. Jay Bruce will play RF for the Reds.

It's very obvious you don't understand that the Reds have to manage with a very limited payroll. The Reds can't go out and just buy unlimited amounts of free agents for whatever they want to pay like the Yankees do, because Cincinnati is not a large market for baseball like New York is. They have $74.1 million to spend on 25 main roster players, which is an average of $3 million per player. If we go out and sign all of these higher paid talents, then we don't have much left over. Just in comparison, the Yankees have a $209 million payroll. Get with the program.

As far as Robert goes:

- He gives the Reds bullpen a "C or C+" = Reds had one of the BEST bullpen ERAs in the NL this year. If it wasn't for crappy pitching from Harang this year and Homer Bailey, the Team ERA would've been one of the best in the NL. Your quote is purely opinionated. Coming from a last place finish of Bullpen ERA in the NL in 2007 to a top 5 finish in 2008 is a huge accomplishment and it will only get better.

- Trade CO CO and EE to get a future closer = Probably one of the most stupid remarks ever. A closer is seasoned and put into the role after usually years of pitching relief in the majors. You don't season a closer in Triple A, bring him up to the Majors and expect him to do the same, because IT IS NOT the same. EE has only one problem and that's making throwing errors. He rarely at all makes an actual fielding error. He's young and can be worked with. Let him be. He will give you the same production as Beltre for a fraction of the price.

- Stubbs will be a bench player on the Reds. I've seen him play in the minors. He has no power and mediocre speed at best.

- Baldelli = mitochondrial disorder = chronic illness = no cure so it's not in the past.

- Freel was hurt 75% of the year in Cincy, so playing Patterson over Freel is such a stupid and moot argument.

- Put Dickerson as your CF'er. He would be a great 6-hole hitter and good for the occasional lead-off. He needs to cut down on striking out, but has great speed and range in the outfield and can steal bases.

I honestly think Cincy fans like to have things to complain about with the Reds. I think Cincy LIKES to have losing teams, just like the Chicago Cubs. Every move made, there are multiple people complaining, and usually the SAME people that ALWAYS complain. It's like a hobby for these people.

This isn't 1975 or 1990 anymore. Times have changed. You have to play the cards your dealt.

Amen david.

Walt Jocketty - 13 seasons, 7 playoff appearances, 2 pennants, 1 world championship.

ctownboy - 47 essays, 34 ramblings, 58 insults, no suggestions on which players would make this team better that the Reds could REALISTICALLY get.

I'll put my chips on Jocketty, thank you.