The Reds traded outfielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales to the Athletics today for infielder Aaron Miles and a player to be named later or cash, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Let's break down this bad contract swap.
Taveras will earn $4MM in 2010. The speedy 28-year-old was a bust for the Reds in '09, hitting .240/.275/.285 in 437 plate appearances. Rosales did not hit well in the bigs either, but he did crush Triple A pitching in 125 plate appearances. Before the season Baseball America said he profiles as a "good utiltyman." He's played all around the infield in the minors. Rosales' inclusion might even out the salary gap between Taveras and Miles.
Miles will earn $2.7MM in 2010, though the Cubs sent $1MM to the A's as part of a December '09 trade. Like Taveras, he was signed to a two-year deal despite being non-tendered by his former club and proceeded to have a terrible season. AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that there's "zero chance" this trade opens a spot for Johnny Damon on the Reds.
Olney posits that the Reds' $1.3MM savings may go toward Orlando Cabrera. The A's were looking to add a cheap utlityman in Rosales. The A's have taken a $3MM hit on Taveras and given up Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla, Matt Spencer, and a PTBNL or cash to get Jake Fox and Rosales. They're not done, though, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Oakland is "not expected to hang on to Taveras for long."
Still, we don't have all the details on this trade yet. What else will be sent to Cincinnati? What will the A's do with so many outfielders?
A trade! Yes!!! and quite a good one!
Okay, what the heck is Beane?! Davis, Sweeney, Crisp, Gross, possibly Taylor and now Taveras??
And don’t forget Travis Buck, who’s better than at least two of those options (Gross, Taveras) but is likely on his way out of the organization for some reason. Doesn’t make sense to me either.
Could it be that Buck is the PTBNL? He was already rumored on the way out with Gross brought aboard; this would be a good chance to move him. If so, I like the overall swap for Cincinnati.
My guess is that it is Rajai Davis or Gregorio Petit.
My guess is that it’s Rajai Davis or Gregorio Petit.
No way it will be Rajai Davis. Davis is a sell high guy right now and he alone is worth more than Willy Tavaras and Adam Rosales even with Aaron Miles dragging down his value.
Does this open a spot on the Reds for Damon??
no, for Cabrera
true, regarding the 40-man roster. I meant does this open up a spot in the outfield and on the books for someone like Damon. Looks like they still need a LF.
doubtful. the reds needed to drop someone from the 40 man roster to make room for cabrera and from everything ive heard chris heisey will be the likely LF this season
I would hope that they could make a run at Johnny. Great American is smaller than Yankee Stadium so I think he would fit well there and they just cleared some money off the books. I would certainly take Johnny Damon over Chris Heisey but then again, I can’t complain if Chris Heisey is given a shot to be the everyday LF. Just depends if Walt Jocketty wants to make a run at Damon. I think they should.
No way they make a run at Damon unless the owner opens up his purse and tells Walt to go get him personally which isn’t going to happen. It does however open up a roster spot to bring Gomes back on a cheap deal. I want Heisey, Fransisco, and Frazier to all be given a shot at ST but if they don’t cut it a platoon of Dickerson and Gomes will work again
Interesting deal. Lot’s of centerfielders in Oakland.
finally got rid of taveras!
Does Beane not like OBP anymore?
Is there gonna be global center field battle and the A’s are just stockpiling so they can win…
This really is the most rational explanation.
Ok, one of those outfielders HAS to be traded now. I never understood the Crisp signing from day one. I’m guesssing he’s going to sell high on Rajai Davis or Sweeney, who will be in the market for him? Giants, Padres, Braves, Blue Jays?
At least Reds fans can rejoice now that Tavares is gone, but I thought Rosales was decent?
Could be wrong, but my guess is Taveras will not see anything close to a starting role. I can’t imagine him being a reliable enough player to make Beane feel confident enough to trade Davis or Sweeney.
Yeah, rejoice Reds fans you get Aaron Miles….lol….
true but rejoice the A’s fans for getting willy ‘i cant get on base’ taveras
possibly Rays, Blue Jays, Reds, Pirates, Tigers, White Sox, Giants.
Ha. He said Reds.
Also can’t agree with the Rays. But the others are viable.
I would love to have Sweeney on the Jays!
rosales was good in his first couple of games but pitchers started getting to him and if im corrected he hit in the low 200’s
Reds fans are rejoicing they found someone dumb enough to unload Willy T on and on top of that only had to give up Rosales to get it done. Rosales will be an ok utility guy but he’s no starter. You love his hustle and work ethic but he just can’t handle a big league fastball when the pressure is on. I don’t have to watch him whiff anymore. Plus he was not in a good situation considering we had other prospects who would take the job before him in a year or two anyway
i dont understand this trade for multiple reasons.
willy taveras joins a crowded outfield and is similar to crisp and davis is that he is fast, doesn’t hit for much power, and is best suited to play center field. taveras won’t start if he’s on the major league roster but they also just signed gabe gross to backup the outfield.
rosales is a utility player but not much of a middle infielder and miles was their backup at short and second. i’d rather pay for a utility infielder (miles) than a 5th outfielder (taveras).
miles goes to a team with a crowded middle infield since the starters are set in cabrera and phillips. the bench has two veterans now with cairo and miles. i guess this means paul janish will have to spend time in the minors and not as a utility player in the bigs.
i don’t really understand why two teams purposefully clogged their rosters… im sure another trade is coming from the reds including buck or even taveras but for now im quite confused.
I agree with you, on the surface it doesnt make sense, but I am sure there are other moves in the works for the A’s and/or the Reds……who knows what is going on in the back rooms of MLB front offices. Beanse said they had been in contact with Sheets and his agent for months, but to us fans it seemed a bit out of nowhere……
With the Cabrera signing, the Reds had to create a spot for Cabrera on their 40 man. Rosales and Taveras are gone clearing way for Miles and Cabrera on the 40 man. It only helps getting rid of Taveras. The Reds removed 2 players from their 40 man roster by doing this trade.
It was a trade of two bad players with bad contracts. Miles, however, shouldn’t receive any playing time. Had Taveras still been at Dusty’s disposal, I am sure he would have been given opportunities to hurt this ball club.
True and I see Cairo playing in AAA as a backup and teaching the young middle infielders down there about how to handle themselves when in the bigs
cairo will not make the team mile and janish are the bench infield!
they needed to make a roster decision with Gross coming aboard. I wonder if they plan on starting Tavarres in Sacramento
good luck trying to get taveras to accept a trip to the minors…
Taveras will be released/traded. There is no other conceivable scenerio.
In before ‘Billy BEANE IS A GENIUS’ nonsense post. Willy Taveras is one of the worst players in the game. Why get ANOTHER outfielder when you can’t find room for the 25th best prospect in the game (Taylor)?
The centerpiece of the deal is Rosales. It’s basically Rosales for a salary dump.
this made brandon phillips expendable.
I think not. It got rid of a terrible contract in Taveras and Miles becomes the backup middle infielder. If anything, it makes Janish expendable.
And even this Janish isn’t good enough to bring in anything. Why on earth would the Reds trade off a young powerhitting second baseman for an overpaid aging utility player? If Janish outplays Miles in spring training Miles may not even make the team, and he definitely won’t replace Phillips. Not in a million years.
I think there may be some validity there- it may make Phillips easier to trade, although with teh purpose of having Todd Frazier (top prospect without a position) replace him and having Aaron Miles there as a veteran back-up if needed. Eh?
…How?
bringing in aaron miles makes brandon phillips expendable?????????? really??????? being a cubs fan, i certainly hope you’re right… why would a team want to replace a cleanup hitting 2nd baseman and fan favorite with AARON MILES???? have you looked at his stats? have you seen him play? or did you just notice he can play second base????
Not happening the Reds are not that stupid especially with Walt running the show. If Phillips is traded his production will be replaced and some but it won’t happen there is no need to trade Phillips this year
all of these threads are hilarious. This and “Stockpiling CF’s for a global battle” are funny
Unless they really want to dump him (they should be able to get some good value for him, though), I really don’t think so. Miles isn’t a starter.
This seems to make it even less likely that Damon joins the A’s. If the A’s did decide to trade Sweeney he should be attractive to many teams.
for the reds this move cements dickerson in center field which is great for the reds. jay bruce will be in right field. left field, if they don’t pursue damon, will be up to nix, balentien, and gomes who they are apparently close to signing on a minor league deal.
No, Stubbs will be cemented in center. Dickerson is a LF. Any move with Gomes would just make him Dickerson’s platoon partner.
Sorry to disappoint a fan of Dickerson, but CF is Drew Stubbs spot to lose.
Stubbs will be in CF on opening day, unless of course he gets hurt.
gotcha, i didn’t realize the reds were so high on stubbs already. i do think dickerson will start in left then. in 128 games in the pros he has a .383 OBP. do you guys think stubbs or dickerson would lead off? here’s my guess at the lineup:
1. Dickerson lf
2. Cabrera ss
3. Votto 1b
4. Phillips 2b
5. Bruce rf
6. Rolen 3b
7. Stubbs cf
8. Hanigan c
or flip-flop dickerson and stubbs?
Heisey is over Dickerson and Hernandez is over Hanigan.
you also think michael taylor and chris carter will be on the A’s opening day roster… service time DOES go into decisions about who makes the opening day roster; especially when they have players who have already played well at the major league level like chris dickerson. heisey will will not be playing over dickerson. your point about hernandez makes sense but im sure playing time will be split fairly equally with hanigan.
Not equally at least…Hernandez is a much better defensive and offensive catcher than Hanigan and did a much better job catching Cueto and Bailey and Volquez.
I’m just saying that I don’t think a team sacrifice wins for service time. Carter may end up getting the same amount through arb if they bring him up late or not.
I can guarantee you that Heisey will infact be getting the chance to claim the starting job over Chris Dickerson.
Hanigan is a much better defensive catcher than Hernandez.
Michael Taylor is almost big league ready but they might want to give him a bit more ABs in AAA because he was only there for 30 games and didn’t hit above .300 like he did at every other stop except his 1st minor league season. Could stand to be a bit more seasoned. Same with Chris Carter. He was only at AAA for 13 games and his playoff games and he hit for an average of .259 after hitting .337 at AA. Both need a bit more seasoning in AAA before they come up to the bigs so there’s no rush to bring them up just yet.
thank you…. no i don’t think a team wants to sacrifice wins for service time but when players need more seasoning and the big club has a fine player in that spot already there’s no reason to rush that player… elvis andrus started right away in Texas last year cuz they didn’t have a better option. longoria and braun were both held back to start the year then came up and helped their teams in playoff races…
root – I’d say Drew Stubbs in CF, Bruce in RF, and platoon of Dickerson, Nix, Balentien, Heisey or Gomes in LF. If they don’t sign Gomes, I’d hope that either Heisey or Balentien breakout in the spring and supplant themselves as the regular.
Dickerson and Nix can both plan CF and RF for the other two as well.
Disagree. Dickerson and someone like Heisey (or re-signing Gomes) will likely split time in Left. CF is Stubbs’ position to lose.
Beane is focused on speed and defense now.
Taveras must be slotted as the personal pinch runner for Cust/Fox/Chavez/Barton/Kouz.
Taveras stole 68 bases in ’08 while putting up a .308 OBP. If the guy could get on base worth a lick, he could steal 100 easily.
I’m guessing Beane’s got something else in the works here. No idea what it could possibly be though…
If sun were rain there’d be no such thing as a drought.
The Reds look like a much improved team but this one is a bit of a head scratcher. Tavares stinks, but at least he has some value as a defensive centerfielder and a pinch runner. I’m not sure Miles has any value at all. What’s worse, Reds fans better hope Dusty Baker doesn’t fall in love with Aaron Miles like he has with Neifi Perez and other utility infielders. If Miles gets a lot of playing time, it can only hurt the team.
Who’s spot is he gonna take? At least with Taveras last year he was actually the best option to start in center. I know. Hard to believe right? Miles will just fill Rosales’ role.
Except Dickerson easily would’ve been better.
I don’t think he would take anyone’s spot barring trade or injury, but they could rotate him around the infield and possibly the outfield if they want to get him ABs. For the Reds sake, I hope that Baker has cooled on his affinity for utility guys since his days with the CUbs. It seems to me they would have gotten more out of keeping Tavares and Janish. At least they have defensive value. Then again, the Reds did save some cash…maybe there’s another deal brewing.
First person to call Tavares a defensive asset. He is fast but he took horrible paths to balls and should have caught a lot more than he did. Stubbs makes Tavares’ D look horrible. We didn’t give up Janish, it was Rosales who is a career AAAA player. He has no potential to become a solid starter in the future unless he makes some drastic changes to his hitting
They can use Stubbs and Dickerson in center,. Taveras isn’t that great defensively, and his one asset (speed) is something that have a decent amount of already.
This deal gets rid of the logjam in the outfield leaving Bruce, Stubbs, Dickerson, Balentien, and other candidates (like Nix, possibly Gomes, Heisey, etc) that should also be an upgrade over Taveras. Taveras really wouldn’t help the Reds with the way that team is constructed unless he could manage to have an actual GOOD obp. So, the deal gets rid of a bad contract, opens up a spot for Cabrera, and possibly saves some money too. Gotta love this deal.
Money has to be the overriding issue, I hope. I didn’t say Tavares is great defensively, just that he has some value in that area, unlike Miles who has no value at all. If this is a precursor to another deal…i.e. freeing up money to re-sign Gomes, it makes some sense. If it was about acquiring Miles, well, I have to say that putting Miles on the field never makes any sense to me.
Money wasn’t the only issue. Taveras just really didn’t fit on this team. Where does he fit? In center? Both Stubbs and Dickerson are better. Left or right? Nah. As a backup pinchrunner? We still have better candidates.
No question there. I’d rather have Dickerson as my backup than Tavares. He’s a much better player at a lot less money. That works out as a gain for the Reds. Hopefully, Baker won’t negate some of that gain by falling in love with Miles.
Well it’s too soon to know if Miles will stick. They may keep Janish instead or maybe even Frazier. Spring training should be interesting.
No. Taveras has no value at all to anyone anywhere. None. No. Stop. No.
Relative to Aaron Miles, he most certainly does. There is no doubt that Tavares stinks. However, as mentioned, Tavares has plus value defensively per UZR and as a baserunner. An 82% basestealing percentage also holds positive value. Miles has no plus value in any area at all.
You’re a cubs fan we get that you hate Miles. But look at Miles career numbers, he is better than Tavares. He had one bad year with you. Miles however is much more valuable than Tavares. The UZR people crunch stats but how much do they actually watch the game? A positive UZR for Willy is like saying the Reds will win the World Series this year. You want to believe it but it’s just not true
Nothing against Miles except that he stinks, even before he came to the Cubs. But it doesn’t matter. They both stink. It’s nothing worth getting worked up about. I agree with the guy who said that, for the Reds, this trade is simply about saving a little money and creating a roster spot for Cabrera…though as a Cub fan, I am hoping Miles gets plenty of playing time for the Reds.
haha Miles will be what he is. A backup and considering O-Cab played 160 last year and Phillips played 153 I don’t see Miles playing all too often. Maybe to spell Rolen at 3rd when he needs it but I expect to roll out the same infield just about every single day.
The fact that Dusty Baker is crying over the loss of his lead-off hitter makes this trade all the more beautiful.
I think Walt Jocketty is thinking of the Aaron Miles he had with the Cardinals the same way he did when he made the Scott Rolen trade. Miles was a .300 hitter with the Cardinals, he sucked with the Cubs because Pinella didn’t know how to use him the way Larussa did. But Taveras does suck, I can see why he’s gone
Strange trade of bench players… It leaves the A’s pretty thin on middle infielders. Also the glut of outfielders bumps Jake Fox to the reserve corner infielder role. Does this imply Eric Chavez is a no go for 2010 unless he learns how to play the 2B/SS?
chavez has been a no show since the Truman administration
Did Billy Beane forget that he has Rajai Davis when he was offered Taveras? Besides, I thought “Moneyball” completely devalued the stolen base anyway…
Moneyball was never about OBP or anything like that. People need to seriously understand that Moneyball was about picking up guys who do undervalued things so that you can sign the guy for cheap and field a competitve team. Before it was OBP. Now it’s about the speed guy who could steal bases and play above average or better defense.
I don’t think it’s speed yet (maybe that’s what Beane is trying to exploit though). Definitely, right now, it’s about defense. Just look at the love Jack Z is getting in Seattle. Defense isn’t paying a bunch now but a lack of defense is KILLING certain players (see Damon, Johnny).
IMO, the pendulum has swung too far in the wrong direction. The best buys are aging, bad defensive players. They can be had for nothing. Guys like Thome, Damon, Matsui, Dye are all going to pay huge dividends to their next team.
Matsui got $6.5 million for his bat from LAA so yeah doesn’t really quite make sense. Guys like Crisp and Davis are vastly undervalued right now so the A’s just plan to run all over people.
Taveras has one skill and its a skill that he can’t use because he can’t steal first. For all his speed he’s a mediocre CF, horrible routes to flyballs. He has no power, and doesn’t walk. Easily one of the worst players in the majors and one of the premier out makers in the game today.
If anything Miles contract is easier to eat.
“If anything Miles contract is easier to eat.”
You got that right.
Trying to figure out the A’s 25 man roster…
SP – Sheets, Duke, Anderson, Cahill, Braden
RP – Bailey, Ziegler, Wuertz, Breslow, Devine, Kilby, Eveland
C – Suzuki, Powell
1B – Barton
2B – Ellis
SS – Pennington
3B – Kouzmanoff
LF – Davis
CF – Crisp
RF – Sweeney
4th OF – Taveras
Util – Chavez, Fox, Cust
That leaves Gross and Rosales out.
There has to be another move in the works… My guess: Cust or Davis is traded in a few days.
I don’t beieve they can trade Cust until June since they just signed him as a FA. Is the rule different if the signing was your own free agent?
Ah, didn’t think about that. Not sure if the rule is different if you re-sign your own FA…
Since he was a FA, Cust’s former connection to the A’s is irrelevant.
My understanding is that if you sign a FA contract the team can attempt to trade you at any time. Prior to the end of June, the team must receive a players consent to be traded. After July 1st you can be traded without consent.
Gross is on the 25 man roster for sure, Cust cannot be traded until 3 months after he was signed. Rosales has to make the team because there is no other SS on the roster as it stands. Eveland was nothing short of horrible last year so he would be one of the last people to make the big league team. I think Fox will start in AAA because he has an option left although he honestly should be up on the big league team. All this trade does is create a ton of competition, which is never a bad thing. There is plenty of time for the A’s to figure it all out and sift through everything.
With Eveland, I just figured I’d slot a starter in there as a long reliever. Now that he’s DFA’d, who knows who gets that last bullpen slot. All I can say is I hope it’s not Gio Gonzalez, as I think he needs to be starting. That will probably be a AAA and he’ll be the first to get called up if (or should that be when?) Sheets or Duke gets hurt.
Bad contract for bad contract deal…trade Harang or Arroyo already will ya Reds?
Wonder if Reds would be willing to move Arroyo or Harang in a deal with an OF coming back.
no ive kinda argued with other people i think it was a mets fan(no offense mets fans) but he was saying they should trade harang and i agree but no because with volquez out pretty much the whole year be need harang because if we did trade him we wouldnt have the depth in pitching
I think that’s a point that some people miss. If we trade Harang or Arroyo now who replaces him? Would they be a dropoff? Would they be at all expensive? How much would the Reds have to throw in ($) to get another team to take Harang/Arroyo? This is why I think a mid-season trade is more realistic when there won’t be as much left on their contracts (so teams will be more willing to trade for them and we likely won’t have to eat as much $) and we’ll have a better idea of whether one of the young guys (Wood, Maloney, etc) or Volquez could take replace the dealt pitcher.
exactly , i think arroyo has more value then harang but however he is out most consistent starter, and at the cash we would have to throw in now is not smart a move and your right come july 31st its a different story about trading them depending on if the reds are competing and etc. and i think volquez was projected to be back sometime in august so but i dont like the young kid wood
ok im a huge reds fan.. first off id like to say the reds in my mind have had a great off season.. re signed hernandez, signed aroldis chapman, and finally got a starting SS!! now you have this trade. im not quite sure how i feel about it yet. Willy Taveras had a bad year yes but i dont think we used him the way he should be used.. hes a great base runner, decent fielder, not to much power. he struggled last year but it wont surprise me at all if he has a good year with the A’s if he plays? considering they have like 27 outfielders.. as far as Adam Rosales goes im a HUGE fan. not the best player but has what alot of mlb players dont have a true love for the game he loves to play and has the biggest heart on the team just great in the clubhouse i think i can speak for all reds fan when i say we will miss you adam good luck in Oakland.. now aaron miles? i seen him play some with the cubs has ok stats i guess so im guessing he’ll back up O.C. and B.P. so welcome to Cinci Mr. Miles!
The fact that Taveras and Miles were in this deal had absolutely nothing to do with their abilities on the baseball diamond. This was the sale of Adam Roslales for the salary difference between the two bad contracts. The Reds needed to clear a roster spot for Cabrera and this accomplishes that while helping offset his salary. The A’s needed a utility guy who could actually hit a baseball. Win-Win.
What happens with Taveras and Miles is pretty much beside the point. Both guys will either be cut, 25th men, or AAA filler.
This is the most rational explanation I’ve read…nicely done.
“The fact that Taveras and Miles were in this deal had absolutely nothing to do with their abilities on the baseball diamond.”
I agree with the rest of what you said but to say that the abilities, or inabilities, of Taveras and Miles didn’t play into this happening in the first place is a stretch.
As a Reds fan I have no room on my team for a rah rah type that can’t hit and isn’t that great a fielder. Give me talent over hustle if I have to choose. Taveras is horrible, he wasn’t used correctly because correctly requires him to be sitting at home watching Wheel of Fortune instead of sitting in the dugout.
For the most part last year was right in line with the rest of Taveras’s career. he is what he is and really anything over the minimum is to much for what he is capable of providing a team, that being a pinch runner and corner OF defensive replacement.
All Taveras is is Joey Gathright with more playing time.
Wow! I didnt think the Reds could wash their hands of WT short of DFAing him. If I am the Reds I tell the A’s to keep the PTBN & just ask for as much cash as they are willing to give up. Then I put that towards DFAing Aaron if he sucks in ST. Losing 2.7M vs. 4M is a lot better IMO.
As for Adam Rosales – he is a mediocre hustle player – Love the energy but he was never going to be an every day player & Sutton had shown more ability with the bat making him expendable. Me likie this deal!
I trade you guys Mike Fontenot, Tyler Colvin, Ryan Flaherty, Jeff Stevens for Brandon Phillips
please child… b peezy aint goin NO WHERE
better add sterling castro then we might talk but brandon isnt being trade and much less to a division rival where we have the opportunity to get killed by him
I agree What is Beane doing? Buck, Tavares, Sweeney, Davis, Crisp, Gross, Taylor and That Rosales guy plays 3rd . He has Chavez, Fox, Kouzmanoff and Rosales.
Gross isn’t officially signed so that might not happen anymore. Rosales is supposed to be the utility backup infielder while Tavaras is the utility backup outfielder.
I don’t know too terribly much about the A’s organization, but I like this deal for the Reds and feel that it makes a lot of sense. They got rid of on overpaid outfielder in Taveras in order to save some money for Cabrera. The Reds have multiple young and talented outfield prospects that they don’t have to spend $4MM on. I also love the fact that we got rid of Rosales. I give him credit for tearing it up in AAA but I saw him play a lot at the major league level and he just doesn’t have the talent to become anything more than a average to below average utility man. Plus it got pretty annoying when fans saw a young, white 3B who hustled and immediately thought he was the second coming of Pete Rose.
As for Aaron Miles, it adds a utility man that the Reds don’t have. I’m not saying he is going to play great but it was a role that the Reds needed to fill. Don’t overlook the fact that Jocketty brought Miles to the Cardinals as well, so there must be something he likes about him. Miles did hit .290 and .317 in ’07 and ’08 for Jocketty’s Cardinals.
if we get davis as the ptbnl i’ll be shocked and overjoyed at the same time.
Beane has already said that he isn’t going to be moving Rajai and that he has earned a starting spot on the team. Sorry to burst your bubble.
This also explains a lot.
twitter.com/SusanSlusser
So, the A’s made the deal just to get Rosales. That’s surprising.
Not familiar with the Red’s so I wont comment on their side of this deal, but as far as Billy Beane any A’s fan knows you gotta sit back and wait. He has made me angry on many many occasions by making trades that didn’t make sense to the general public, shipping out top teir talent, etc, but he ALWAYS brings value back and I ussually look back and realize it was stupid to overreact and get angry. He has quietly brought in three guys that can be of big help to this team for the next few years: Jake Fox, Rosales, and of course Michael Taylor. But I also suggest no-one get too attached to any of these guys either cuz who knows if/when they will get shipped out for another young talent.
I won’t proclaim Beane a genius but I will say that he knows what he is doing and I trust that he will make something happen with this OF log-jam that will make us all say “Oh, now I get it.” The area where I hope to change in these Beane-Built teams is in the win-column. I’m tired of the A’s falling out of playoff contention in the first half of the season then watching them play well and be a “competitive” but still losing team post all-star break.
I agree with others that feel that this deal had very little, or nothing, to do with the Reds wanting Miles, or the A’s wanting Taveras (the already released him). It had everything to do with the Red’s “recouping” 1.3 million from what they would have owed Taveras when they eventually release Miles; and the A’s desire to add a “cheap,” but skilled utility infielder. The PTBN = $.
Too bad about Volquez, because if they had him they could trade Harang and the Mets would be a perfect spot for him. Putting together a package that includes getting back FMart would be sweet. However Reds really have to be patient and see which of their young guns develop, we’ve barely seen Alonzo and he could be a stud. Also Bruce, Stubbs and Bailey have barely scratched the surface of their potential. Some of these guys might fail…
That is probably the most exciting part of the Reds right now. Stubbs, Bruce, Fransisco, Frazier, Alonso, Cozart, Valaika, Janish, Heisey, Bailey, Cueto, Volquez, Chapman, Leake, Wood all have potential to be solid big leaguers but you know a couple won’t pan out. Either way I like our odds of having at least 10 out the 15 names become contributors to the big league club in the next couple years