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Off Season Thread 2013-14


BigDawgBengal

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I like the signing. Has some playoff experience.  Sounds like Hannigan is going to be moved.  Not sure what happened to him this past year.  He was a pretty good contact hitter with a good OBP the year before.  Maybe he lost some of his bat speed.  Definitely going to be losing a GREAT defensive catcher though.

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I like the signing. Has some playoff experience.  Sounds like Hannigan is going to be moved.  Not sure what happened to him this past year.  He was a pretty good contact hitter with a good OBP the year before.  Maybe he lost some of his bat speed.  Definitely going to be losing a GREAT defensive catcher though.

 

From what I read today, his poor year was likely the result of injuries and bad luck. Apparently his peripheral numbers indicate he should have had a higher average but way more of his balls were hit at defenders instead of around them, compared to his career ball in play average.

 

Also saw that this new guy caught for Chapman during his workout before Chap signed with the Reds. Perhaps he'll be Chapmans personal catcher if he moves to the rotation?

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I'm a little confused as to what their endgame is here?  Move BP, probably just let Hanigan walk since it's unlikely anyone would trade for him knowing he's on the way out anyway..  Possibly move one of the starting pitchers.. Does Chapman then move into the rotation?

 

IDK. I can see a need to restock the farm system a bit & they probably want to free up $ for Choo.. Still leaves a BIG hole @ 2nd & behind the plate.  This new dude is just some guy afaik.  Still paying WAY too much for Ludwick & Votto while taking a huge hit defensively.

 

Almost seems like a rebuild & that doesn't seem necessary.

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The Reds could lose center fielder Shin-Soo Choo as a free agent and seem hell-bent on trading second baseman Brandon Phillips.

 

That’s a lot of offense to subtract from a team that isn’t terribly deep in impact hitters to begin with.

 

Choo was second in the National League with a .423 on-base percentage last season. Phillips, despite finishing with a career-low .706 OPS, was fourth in the league with 103 RBI.

 

The biggest question for the Reds, then, is whether they should sacrifice pitching to address their offensive needs.

 

The answer is no.

 

Better they should find offense through free agency, either by re-signing Choo or adding lesser alternatives (upgrading the bench with Skip Schumaker was a good start).

 

Better they should keep right-hander Homer Bailey for his final season before free agency and end the debate over left-hander Aroldis Chapman, who should remain the closer and not start.

 

The idea, as always, is to outscore the opponent. The Reds actually were quite balanced last season, finishing third in the NL in runs and fourth in runs allowed. But if circumstances dictate that they place a heavier emphasis on run prevention, so be it.

 

Replacing Choo with Billy Hamilton in center field would be a major downgrade offensively but a major upgrade defensively. As for duplicating Phillips’ .873 OPS with runners in scoring position … well, probably not even Phillips could do that.

 

Phillips has won a Gold Glove in three of the past four seasons, but he will not be easy to trade, not with $50 million left on his contract over the next four seasons, not when Robinson Cano and Omar Infante are free agents and Ian Kinsler and Howie Kendrick are available in trades.

 

Then again, second base is a position of great flux around the majors – nearly half the clubs are mulling changes at that spot. If Bailey will not sign long-term, the

 

Reds could attach him to Phillips to expand their trade possibilities and coax a better return. Then again, such a move would be self-defeating if the Reds did not get back enough talent.

 

The Reds are in the same position with Bailey that the Tigers are in with right-hander Max Scherzer. The only way to justify trading such a pitcher would be to exact a return greater than the value of the player’s performance in his free-agent year and the draft pick the team would receive by making him a qualifying offer.

 

Hard to do.

 

The Reds already are replacing free-agent righty Bronson Arroyo with lefty Tony Cingrani. They conceivably could replace Bailey with Chapman, but that only would lead to other problems.

 

Never mind that new manager Bryan Price was a proponent of moving Chapman to the rotation last spring or that other club officials view Chapman as a physical freak who could pull off such a conversion.

 

Another season just passed with Chapman as a reliever, and there should be no turning back.

 

Yes, a pitcher is far more valuable to his team throwing 200 innings than 65 to 70.

 

Yes, other relievers have successfully transitioned to the rotation, namely Ryan Dempster and Derek Lowe.

 

But let’s not complicate this. Chapman prefers to close. He appears better suited emotionally to close. And the Reds need him to close, considering their alternatives.

 

Jonathan Broxton, coming off surgery to repair a torn flexor mass in his right forearm, might not be ready for spring training. The Reds could turn to another internal option such as J.J. Hoover, Alfredo Simon or Logan Ondrusek, but such a move would disrupt their well-constructed bullpen.

 

Adding a free-agent closer? Chapman, projected to earn $4.6 million in his first year of arbitration by Matt Swartz of MLBTradeRumors.com, is more affordable than

any who are available – and better than any of them, too.

 

Remember, the Reds are trying to win. They probably do not want to add to the stress of bullpen management for Price, who is a former pitching coach but first-time manager. Oh, they always could invent a closer, but when teams do that it often is by accident, not because of any grand plan.

 

Reinventing Chapman as a starter actually could weaken the Reds in both the bullpen and rotation. It might take Chapman a full season to re-acclimate to starting. And who knows whether he would even succeed?

 

Chapman is easily flustered and does not always handle adversity well. As a starter he would be more vulnerable to irritants such as bunts, stolen bases, hitters who take pitches. As a reliever, he’s electric, a ninth-inning shot of adrenaline. Really, this choice should be easy.

 

Preserve the pitching, fix the offense – it will be easier said than done. The potential loss of Choo looms over the Reds’ entire offseason, but keep in mind that the team can sign another outfielder who received a qualifying offer – say, Curtis Granderson or Nelson Cruz – with no net loss in draft picks. They would pick up one if Choo signed somewhere else.

 

The trade of Phillips figures to yield either salary relief or a player with a comparable contract, and the expected trade of catcher Ryan Hanigan should bring a quality piece of some kind, most likely a prospect. Right-handed hitting should be a priority – the Reds’ righties ranked next-to-last in OPS in the NL last season, and the subtraction of Phillips only would exacerbate the problem.

 

It’s a complex equation, one of the most complex any club faces this offseason. Then again, teams rarely go wrong when they protect their pitching. First and foremost, that’s what the Reds should do.

 

Fox Sports

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 What do you think they will do with him? Utility back-up? Insurance for potentially lost FAs? Potential starter? Probably not the latter, but trying to cover the bases.


Right now they have brought him in to improve the bench and be a utility player. He can play all three OF spots and 2B. I would also say that they have figured he could be an emergency option to start at 2B if they end up trading Phillips and can't get someone else to play 2B.
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If the Reds are dead set on trading Phillips, I think their best bet it to wait until Cano signs somewhere. I think the market might open up a little bit more after he signs. They might be able to catch a team that failed to sign Cano and is still desperate to make some noise in free agency and get a little more in return. 

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I have to think Schumaker is a bench guy.

 

If they think that "allows" them to trade BP, I may have to find another team to root for.

 

(Unless they get a young "Jim Rice" for him - which ain't happening.)

 

You're really going to stop rooting for the Reds if they trade one player? After how many years of rooting for them?  Or are you just threatening Castellini since he closely follows our Reds forum?

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Where would Beltran play?

 

Unless we can trade Ludwick I don't see where he plays.. Certainly not center.

 

I can't see any reason why another team would take Ludwick.  Maybe if it were one of those NBA-like deals where we'd give up a prospect just for someone to eat the contract.  Also, Beltran is about to turn 37 and is reportedly holding out for a 3-year contract.  Doesn't seem like a good move.

 

Honestly I don't see any of the more likely bargain-bin free agents they might sign making up for Hanigan & Phillips. Seems like they've got too much money tied up in underperforming guys that are supposed to be the big bats & their solution is to get worse defensively out of desperation.

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Holmberg, reportedly in deal, is 22. 2nd-round pick of White Sox in '09. 5-8 with a 2.32 in AA this year. Made 1 big league start. #reds


Holmberg is the kind of SP who dominates Class A, runs into more trouble as he gets closer to big leagues. Was excellent in AA last year


David Holmberg was ranked 7th on new BA D'backs Top 10 Prospects list before the trade.

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Best of luck to Ryan.  Loved how hard he always played.  Glad to see we got a decent prospect out of it.

 

Also to note, Brandon Phillips not on RedsFest schedule.  Not sure how often guys are there or not, but he is very fan friendly and a fan favorite.  Seems like this is really going to happen.

 

Don't feel very good about the upcoming season.  Cards are going to be VERY tough, Pirates will be tough as well.  Nationals just picked up another really good started.  I can't see the WC coming out of the central this year.  If we lose Choo/Phillips/Arroyo/Bailey, I have a hard time seeing us winning the division.

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