Mark Reynolds can hit the ball out of the park, but he's a leading reason why the D'Backs are striking out so much. No MLB team has ever whiffed more times than the 2010 D'Backs and Reynolds, who leads the National League in Ks for the third consecutive season, is the main culprit. He's tied for fifth in the league with 32 homers, but that .198/.321/.434 line looks thin.
The simplest way for GM Kevin Towers to reduce Arizona's 2011 strikeout total would be to trade Reynolds. The third baseman is under contract for two more years and will earn $13MM or more before his deal expires. Reynolds has been a below average defender for the past four seasons (according to UZR) and he doesn't have much experience at any position but third base.
It would have been considerably easier to trade Reynolds a year ago, when he was coming off a 44 homer season and a more respectable batting average. If the D'Backs shop him this winter, they may have to wait for some of the teams in search of a third baseman to determine where they fit in the Adrian Beltre sweepstakes.
For example, it's hard to imagine the Red Sox and Angels trading for Reynolds before Beltre signs. The White Sox could also have interest, but Chicago has Dayan Viciedo and Mark Teahen, so a Reynolds acquisition seems unlikely. Toronto may non-tender Edwin Encarnacion, but the Blue Jays already have their share of all-or-nothing hitters, so Reynolds doesn't seem like a fit.
The Tigers (16th in MLB in homers) and Padres (22nd) could use power and could create room at third for Reynolds. The A's rank 29th in baseball in homers, will be looking for power this offseason and may non-tender Kevin Kouzmanoff, so they may be the best fit of all. Arizona thought about offering Reynolds to Oakland before Towers took over, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the sides spark up talks.
What is a part? I never knew that players could hit the ball out of a part.
It amazes me that you were unable to figure out what he was trying to say.
Obviously sarcasm does not work well with you.
Problem is he isnt a 3rd baseman. Doesn’t hit enough to be a first baseman. Doesnt have the OPS of a player I would want manning DH. Signed the extension after a career year, and it doesn’t look quite value friendly right now. People want to compare him to Adam Dunn but its not close. Dunn is a better all around hitter than Reynolds. Not sure why a team would take on that money or give up anything of value for this guy.
Don’t forget to add Milwaukee as a possible destination if they trade Fielder….McGahee would then move over to 1B
McGahee has more range than Reynolds he wouldnt be moving anywhere
Plus, are the Brewers never letting Mat Gamel play again?
Great point on Gamel….given his injury history, combined with the pending loss of Fielder and Milwaukee’s ridiculously high expections, I don’t see where he fits into their team unless they trade McGahee, which I don’t see happening.
I see them as acquiring either a right fielder and move Hart to 1B or a first baseman with some pop.
I sense Gamel will become a utlility player for them in ’11 or used as trade bait for more pitching
They could just put him at 1B, could they not? That limits his injury risks by making athletic plays and fills Fielder’s void, meaning they can focus on getting a mountain of pitching for Fielder in a trade and not worrying about a replacement.
Yes, they could, but would you really want a guy with next to zero MLB experience, one who’s viewed by scouts as only the organizations’s fifth best prospect, one with hands of stone (16 errors in just 82 games) to replace a franchise great in Fielder? I just don’t see it happening with the void Fielder will leave.
Melvin’s going to have to get an impact player to replace Fielder – not quite sure Gamel is that guy, though I could be totally wrong.
I think Towers will spend more of his energy picking away at the Yankees minor league pitching depth, having worked with the team for much of this year. That’s my guess, anyway. The Yanks don’t want anything to do with Reynolds, however.
D-Backs need some pitchers if they want to compete.
Yankees? Minor League pitching depth?
You’re funny.
I would call Betances, Banuelos, Warren, Stoneburner, Nova, Brackman, Phelps as pitching depth, yea. No foolin’.
their is a difference between depth and quality depth. the only one of those names that stands out as having legit above average stuff is Banuelos, maybe Brackman.
Nova has quality stuff that he’s displayed at the Major League level. His problem is that he can’t pitch out of the stretch, yet. Betances has an injury history, but has good stuff. The others profile as bullpen arms, which if you didn’t know was one of the D-Backs biggest problems in 2010 and one of Towers’ favorite things to build up.
Nova is a back of the rotation starter. Those guys are a dime a dozen.
Considering their recent emphasis on defense, I don’t think the A’s would be interested. Maybe Seattle, shifting Figgins to 2b? Detroit? Baltimore has an opening, but I’m hoping they are smart enough to pass. SD or SF if Arizona is willing to trade in their own division. I wonder if the Marlins would pich him up? His extension wasn’t crazy expensive if I remember correctly.
Beane loves to buy low and I doubt it’d take much to get Reynolds. Not out of the realm of possibility.
I think Reynolds has been too healthy for the A’s to have any interest.
nice one
mahalo
As an A’s fan I would love to have Reynolds on the team. His power, while down would be a huge upgrade. It would hurt the defense, but our pitching is great and if we have to sacrifice a little defense for much more offense then thats what we need to do. I think he will bounce back from this season. If he can go back to his career averages he would be great
Florida shouldn’t even be mentioned in discussions to acquire any player who’s making more than $2 Million.
Seattle actually could be feasible. They’ll likely non-tender Jose Lopez which would open up third base. Figgins, by the way, already has been shifted over to second. Plus that team desperately needs some offense, no matter where it comes from. And at this point, Reynolds won’t cost too much to acquire.
figgins already is playing 2b
The K’s are frustrating, but I still think he’d be a fit for the Padres. It’s one thing to hit 30+ HR to go with 200+ K’s (Reynolds), it’s something else entirely to whiff 170 times and hit 12 HR (Headley). Headley’s defense is much better, but Reynolds is the bigger offensive threat. Also, I would put money on that batting average creeping back into the .250-.260 range next year – Reynolds is too talented to hit .200 again.
I would be able to stomach Reynold’s as a .250+ hitter filling a spot in the 4-6 range in the Padres order for the next two years. He’d provide a ton of power. Frankly, as long as they get Headley the heck out of here I will be happy. Maybe KT wants his boy back.
I agree, though I’m not sure Reynolds will get much past a .250 batting average.
He hit 32 HR while hitting .198 this season. He’s a monster if he hits .250. He’s a nightmare if he hits .260. I’m just tired of guys who hit 10-12 HR a year striking out 160+ times a season.
That would probably help both teams. AZ would save money, improve their defense at 3rd, and Headley would probably be very good in that ball park. He is a career .295 .353 .434 hitter outside of Petco and .309 .356 .404 at Chase Field. Reynolds would add some much needed power and run production to the Padres lineup. He can also hit the ball out of any park… even Petco. Headley can’t.
Headley 4 Reynolds
Bell 4 Elles & 6 mil to help sign Soriano
sign Crawford
trade Scotty & Deno 4 Vin Mazzaro
The White Sox are very content with Brent Morel. Viciedo is destined for 1B/DH, and Teahen will be an overpaid UTL player.
I think that this year’s batting average is a fluke and I’m impressed with his improved patience at the plate from year to year.
In his full seasons in the bigs he has hit .239, 260 and 198….the only one out of place is the 260. He is a 220 all or nothing hitter who can’t play defense. The season that was a fluke was the one he had before signing his extension….smart move
He’s more of a .240 hitter than a .220 hitter. No he can’t play defense that well, but he is better than what he has done this year.
Exactly, if he goes back up to hitting 240-250 and he keeps up his walk rate, he’d be a .250 hitter with a .370 OBP. Add in the bump to slugging and his OPS would be in the mid to high .800’s making him a very worthwhile player to include on the roster.
Basically, he’d be a right-handed Adam Dunn with SB potential.
Reynolds cannot and wont every be able to hold Adam Dunn’s jock as a hitter. I get the fact he had a great 2009 (statistically) but a 240 hitter who makes over 220 non productive outs a year is not worth 7.5 mil.
Im as big a fan of Adam Dunn as anybody but it’s not like he wasn’t susceptible to seeing his batting average drop below .220. And his K’s so far could very well eclipse 200 by the end of the season as well.
I think writing him off after one bad season is being very reactionary. Especially considering he doesn’t exactly have the best coaching staff or situation at his disposal. He wouldn’t be the first player with depressed stats due to trying too hard for a struggling team.
The vast majority of all out are unproductive. The concept that strikeouts are somehow worse than a normal out is outdated.
What? I and most baseball fans/observers would disagree with that. A strikeout has no postive result in a game ZERO. A Groundout can move a player over, drive in a run. Flyouts same thing. I respect others opinions but this is a fact that can’t be disputed
a groundout can also be twice as bad as a strikeout(double plays). this can go both ways but here is the important fact:
an out is an out. you have 27 of them in a game. use them wisely.
what about the mets as a destination if they actually look to do something like move wright to boston for pitching? not likely of course, but it would change the face of the team for sure to bring in one or two young stud sawx pitchers and add reynolds hopefully on the cheap without makign a major impact on payroll…
I’m going to get bashed for this…but here it is: Reynolds’ offensive slash is pretty similar to that of Carlos Pena.
Reynold’s defense is definitely not as good, especially since he has a negative UZR at 3rd. He strikes out a ton, that’s a given and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change–and if it does I bet he won’t be hitting nearly as many HR’s.
Roughly 2yr/13MM isn’t an absurb amount for this type of production especially if he can be obtained fairly cheap. Pena is earning ~10MM this year for similar production. With all this considered, Reynold’s is playing out in AZ against the NL west whereas Pena is playing against probably the toughest division of pitchers.
You shouldn’t get bashed, it’s a fair comparision. Though I would say that Carlos Pena is vastly overrated and someone will regret signing him this winter.
And not, Reynold’s contract isn’t that crazy.
I think it’s a good comparison, but Pena also is making that much because of signing a contract after an exceptional year. If they knew he would be putting up the numbers he is, he wouldn’t be making as much money- and I can’t imagine that Pena makes anything close to that next year.
red sox.
You are right and my initial thoughts were that he’d be good in Oak. But I’m not really sure he is that much of an upgrade over Kouz. to make it worthwhile. That said, Beane does like to make a splash too. Maybe keep Kouz. and use Reynolds as DH/back up 3b/1b?
Personally, I think people sell Kouz. a little short because they are expecting him to be a big middle of the line up bat. Quite simply he had no way to live up to that comparison. In San Deigo, his run production was due in large part to be placed in the middle of the order because they didn’t have anyone else. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping him as a 7th place hitter, expecting 15-18hr, 70-80 rbi, and .250-.260 batting average. The trick is, can the A’s find some better bats to put in the 3-5 holes of their lineup to shift Kouz. into the complimentary role for which he is best suited.
Personally, I would like to see them sign Magglio Ordonez to be the 3 hole hitter, and trade Braden for a run producing outfielder to be a 4-5hitter. It may not be the most impressive batting order, but it would generate more offense than this year.
A couple problems:
1) Kouz’s OBP is beyond awful. His defense doesn’t make up for having a sub-.290 OBP.
2) I’d be leery of Ordonez coming over, because he would have to DH. Everyone is discounting Jack Cust, who leads the team in practically every important offensive category, while having 200 less AB’s than the team leaders. Reynolds and Cust might best the Reynolds/J-Up tandem for K’s (but also production, hopefully…fingers crossed)
3) Doubtful that Braden will fetch a run-producing OF. He’s an injury-risk guy with his nerve problems in his feet.
Its gonna sound stupid but man would I love for a Headley for Reynolds trade based on Kt’s infatuation with Headley. Now as expected, tell me how I am wrong.
The Cubs could definitely be an option. Reynolds is a fairly competent defender at 1B, and the Cubs have a blatant hole. Also, if they were to send Ramirez to the Red Sox, Reynolds could take over there.
Put up a 3-way deal where the Cubs get Reynolds and Boston gets Ramirez, and then they can sign another corner IF for either side. It gives them flexibility in free agency.
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I’d love to see Reynolds play next to some actual veteran presence and learn the art of hitting. He has played on a last place Arizona team for too long now and playing next to a few veterans and a better hitting coach could really harness that power and get his average to respectable numbers. He swings for the fences in 0-2 counts, that’s a simple thing to fix.
If the Giants were unable to re-sign Huff after this season, he could fit in at first and third in that lineup, especially if Burrell and that fantastic eye at the plate are there to help him along.
Right-handed hitters with little plate discipline and good pop(Uribe, Feliz, Molina) have all had career power seasons at AT&T park by bombing the ball to a more hitter-friendly left field fence. Reynolds has put up good numbers there and would be a terror in the 5 or 6 spot of the lineup and a more veteran team around him.
How can you say Reynolds has little plate discipline? He’s 5th in the NL in BB%, and .1 behind 4th.
Bingo. He has horrible contact skills, but there’s not many out there with a better eye.
Being 5th in BB% doesn’t even come close to making up for the fact that he’s the worst whiffer in MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HISTORY!
Actually, it does come close. He’s only one single point off being a league average hitter.
The Dbacks don’t just have the most K’s of the 2010 season. The 2010 Diamondbacks have set the all time MLB record for most strikeouts in a season. This is more than just a Reynolds its the whole damn team. They have more strikeouts than hits…..
And they’re right in the middle of the pack in the NL for runs scored. Again, who cares how much they strikeout?
Isn’t Reynolds on record stating something to the likes of he doesn’t care how much he strikes out, it’s not a big deal???
Braves make a ton of sense. They’re going to be in the market for a right-handed power bat, Reynolds could replace Chipper or play in LF next year, the Braves have a good minor league system to draw from, and they have a lot of contact/OBP guys to get on in front of Reynolds. I’d love to see him in ATL.
I can’t imagine the dbacks getting a return for what Reynolds is worth. They should hold on to him until at least the deadline next year when teams will be more desperate.
And for everyone saying he’s a horrible defender because UZR said so, if you watched him play everyday you would know that he’s a pretty good defender and makes a lot of spectacular plays.
This exactly, you can look at numbers all you want, but it doesn’t take into account the fact that Reynolds is a BETTER defender than his numbers show. He does make errors, but he also make Ryan Zimmeran-esque plays at third base, at least once a game. He’s perfected the bare-handed slow roller. I hope Arizona holds onto him for one more year because they’ll get nothing back for him.
Cards could look into him if they’re not convinced by Freese’s health.
Trade him to the sox, reddick for Reynolds(money)
why would the d’backs want another outfielder who hasn’t proven himself?!
I know people haven’t said this yet, but what if the Yankees give up some minor league pitching depth, someone like Nova, for Mark Reynolds as a DH, and a part time 3B when A-Rod needs rest/
Something like this:
Ivan Nova or Andrew Brackman for Mark Reynolds + Money. The Yankees definitely need a DH with Lance Berkman most likely departing, and he could fill the void, because the rest of the lineup could carry a .230 DH/3B.
Also, the veteran presence of the Yankee team, and its good coaching staff could improve his average, and make him a better hitter.
It seems the Dbacks former GM overpays a guy aka (ERIC BYRNES)with a new contract when they have a career year. Its seem Reynolds is in the same realm. Thank god the GM and Brynes are GONE!!!!! Byrnes got 10 mil in 2010 and wasn’t with the team and couldn’t cut the mustard with Seattle. Laughing all the way to the bank