fathom

All I know is that if you would have told me the Reds would trade Lopez, Kearns, and Wagner, I would have expected them to get a lot better major league talent than what they acquired. In my opinion, that type of package could have gotten you guys like R. Soriano and another pitcher.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:10 AM) It's not an ass rape, and anyone who thinks so doesn't follow enough baseball. Bray, Majewski are both above average relievers. The Reds had a terrible bullpen, and were terrible defensively. It makes sense to trade what you have depth at for something you don't have anything at. Kearns is putting together a good season, yes sir, and I think he'll continue to do that, but Bray's got closer material written all over him. I'd say its about even with a slight edge on pure talent, not precisely team need, going to Washington. What has Bray done to be considered an above average reliever? His ERA was nearly 4 in AAA, and it's about the same in the majors. Adding a lefty reliever in that division doesn't make a lot of sense, as almost all of the best hitters in the NL Central are righty. The Reds were winning games with their offense, and going from Lopez to Clayton is a significant offensive downgrade.

QUOTE(tigerfan @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:14 AM) Game over, 6-4 your final. I don't think Tigers fans should be content with this win. The Royals outplayed the Tigers tonight, but just threw the ball away in the 5th inning. And yes, I understand how ridiculous a comment like this is.

I like Burke, but I'd be stunned if the Astros traded him. He's there long-term starter at 2nd base once Biggio finally retires. QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 12:35 AM) why would the astros who just added Huff want to trade Burke or Qualls. They wouldn't.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 10:39 PM) Why hate Ryan Freel? A well-informed source has repeatedly told me of his problems keeping clean. And this was well before his DUIs.

Kansas City with some pathetic defense in the 5th inning.

Are we really arguing who's more valuable, Gload or Mackowiak? Great job with your argument Milkman, I couldn't agree more.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 10:21 PM) "I personally love it," Reds utility player Ryan Freel said. "I'm not knocking Kearns and Lopez, but we all knew that most of the problem has been with the bullpen." Of course he'd love the trade. He'll be playing every day now. He's truly one of my most despised players in all of baseball.

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 09:32 PM) Im not a big fan of letting Jose throw against New York. They always light him up. Either way I like the way the second half is mapped out. We pretty much control our own destiny. I think when we play the Tigers later in the year all of their younger pitchers are gonna struggle against our line up. Im also not that concerned about the Yankees this year. They are really banged up and wont be offensively what they have been the past few years. I think we can definately out slug them if we have to. Id like to see KW make some kind of move for either a CF, RP or a package deal for an ace like Schidtt Yeah, the Yankees sure kicked his ass last season when Contreras had 2 of our 3 wins against the Yankees all season. I think you're referring to the Red Sox, who had a ton of success vs Contreras when he was with the Yankees.

QUOTE(maggliopipe @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 09:29 PM) Well I guess this does open up regular playing time for Ryan Freel at shortstop. They can't possibly play Clayton over him, can they? Freel will get a lot more playing time in the outfield now. They're bringing in Clayton to sure up their defense.

ESPN is reporting that the Reds trade A. Kearns, F. Lopez, and R. Wagner to the Nationals for 5 players, including Royce Clayton, Majewski, and a few others. What in the hell are the Reds thinking? Lopez is one of the more productive SS in the National League.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 03:50 PM) From what I have read, The DRays want 1 frontline starter and 1 midline starter for Crawford. However, he may not even be available anymore as they have recently dealt Gathright and Huff. I imagine if he is available, something to the tune of McCarthy, Fields, and Haeger may get it done, but they may even ask for someone like Cotts as well. I would deal BMac and prospects for Crawford in a heartbeat if not for the salary constraints we already have. Crawford will definitely be available after this season.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 03:54 PM) All I hear are negative things about this guy from O's fans. As much as I think Rob Mackowiak was a mistake, I would rather have him out there than Matos. Defensively, Matos is on another planet than Mackowiak. I'm not talking about Matos being a starting CF for us.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 03:00 PM) Yes, absolutely. But the market doesn't always track with our priorities so if a smaller improvement is available (not saying Clark is), KW will take it. He's shown he'll improve the team incrementally or with a bigger trade to address a pressing need ... all he cares about is improving and being the best. In our never-ending search to find another righty outfielder, don't you think Luis Matos would be a perfect fit for the last guy on the roster? He's an excellent defensive player, and he can play all 3 OF positions. Also, he runs pretty well, which would give us another option off the bench.

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 02:17 PM) Pods, Fields and Vaz for Carl Crowford would work for me. Sure....but it wouldn't work for Tampa. If we want Crawford, McCarthy's going to have to be included in the deal.

QUOTE(tealeafreaderii @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 01:35 AM) Do you think Haeger could pitch out of the bullpen... maybe pick up minor league goalie and have him be his personal catcher? use him in long long relief... That would be the worst spot for him. His control isn't good enough for the majors yet, and you don't want a reliever who's easy to steal against and prone to wild pitches/passed balls. I'd love for him to be used as trade bait this coming deadline.

Here's my opinion on Gagne: I watched him as a starter with the Dodgers, and what I saw was a pretty thin starting pitcher with a solid fastball and good curve. The next season, he comes into camp, and he's this husky closer with a 99 mph fastball and ridiculous torque on his curve. Then, after a few seasons of stellar pitching, his body begins to break down with ligaments, etc. If this doesn't scream steroids, then I don't know what does.

Tigers will get either Soriano or Carlos Lee.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 12:30 AM) Fields showed decent strike zone judgment and pretty good patience, but lacked contact skills. He barely got a piece of a couple fouls and looked awful on the whiffs. His swing is enormous. It's Joe Borchard+ haha. His long swing is the reason I'll have no problem with KW if we trade him for a talented addition. My main source, who seems him play quite a lot during the season, doesn't think he'll be able to touch major league pitching.

Not to be politically incorrect, but I think the best way we'll benefit with free agents in the future is in regards to Latino players who want to play for Ozzie.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 07:55 PM) Reading a couple of Phillie boards, there were a couple of posts saying they believed Rowand's defense is overrated. He played too deep, took bad routes,and even breaks the wrong way once in a while. Seems plausible. Sounds like some pretty smart fans. I'm surprised there's no mention of his perfect aim in hitting the back of the pitcher's mound on every throw home.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 07:27 PM) Hey guys, long-time lurker, first-time poster. I think most of us realized in the first half of last year that Scottie was not the defensive player that was advertised prior to joining us (to think we debated moving Aaron to left and putting him in center), and he has been even worse the first half this year defensively. To my eyes, however, it appears that ever since Ozzie's comments, and Scott's own description of his play ("horses***") in the field, he has been improved. He seems to be hustling a little more, going back on balls better, taking better routes to line drives, and even making better throws into second base. He'll never be mistaken for Torii Hunter in the field, but I feel that he has made a conscious effort to improve and indeed has. In terms of his offense, he seems as though he may have lost a step in the offseason, which may be natural due to his age. However, I think he is hitting the ball every bit as hard if not harder this year than last, it's just that he isn't getting the bunt hits and other infield hits that he did so well with last year. I can only remember a few off the top of my head this season, whereas last year he had several (I believe he may have led the league?). If you factor in his inability or unwillingness to get the infield hits, I think it is extremely clear why is average is down from last season. Finally, while I think it helps out other hitters (and is indeed part of his role as a leadoff hitter), I don't necessarily believe that seeing so many pitches helps him out. He often is left hitting with two strikes, whicht takes away from his game slightly because the threat of the bunt no longer exists. I think he is a better hitter when he is aggressive at the plate and he can keep defenses off-balance. Perhaps he could be slightly more aggressive when he is not the first hitter to see a pitcher, since the hitters behind him don't necessarily need him to see more pitches at that point. Please post more, as these are excellent observations you make. Probably the most frustrating thing with Pods is how many called 3rd strikes he takes. If you're not a power hitter, you better be able to fight off tough pitches when you have 2 strikes. Especially considering that, in theory, he should be able get a good amount of infield hits, he needs to be putting the ball in play. Another clearly frustrating thing about Pods are his horrible fundamentals. His bunting is pure crap now, and he just doesn't have a very high baseball IQ. For as much as we hate him, it sure makes me laugh to think how the Astros lost to him on a walk-off homer.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 04:38 AM) Trading Dunn is ridiculously stupid. Actually, the Reds have longed been rumored to want to trade him. They feel Griffey Jr. is too important to keep around, as he's a great leader in the clubhouse, and gives them instant star power. With him getting closer to some impressive HR records, I don't blame them for keeping him around. The Reds have enough power without Dunn, and if they can load up on pitching prospects for him, they'd be smart to trade him.

It would be Dunn that the Reds are giving up. The Yankees need a LF, with Matsui being out. If they trade Dunn, they'd likely try to get Phillip Hughes and another big prospect in a trade.

f*** YES!! Thanks for not throwing him an offspeed pitch. Enjoy it guys.....it's been quite the day.