Hal McCoy of the Hamilton Journal-News notes that superutility man Ryan Freel is in a precarious position in Cincinnati. The Reds don’t have a major need for him; he makes $3MM this year and $4MM in ’09. McCoy and Freel have both heard trade rumblings.
The best part about Freel’s availability is that the Frofton monster could still be created. Back in mid-December I wrote:
Here’s the kicker of my plan: pair Kenny Lofton with Ryan Freel. Freel couldn’t touch lefties last year but the two previous years he had OBPs over .400 against them. Taking Lofton’s ’07 vs. righties and Freel’s ’06 vs. lefties and creating one hybrid Frofton Monster, you get a .311/.394/.444 hitter. Even better, Freel can help out at second base when righties are on the hill.
This plan was devised for the White Sox pre-Swisher, and I conceded that it didn’t pay much attention to defense at a key position. So it’s not without its flaws. But I still contend that Freel and Lofton could make a very solid offensive platoon. Plus you get the midget in Freel’s head, Farney. The problem is that teams have mostly settled their center field situations and don’t have two free roster spots. Still seems like Freel alone could fit in with the Sox.
