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Halladay no-hits Reds in playoffs | |
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Arthur Rhodes’ case shows Cincinnati Reds have budget constraints | |
CINCINNATI — The fact the Cincinnati Reds were unable to re-sign Arthur Rhodes points to how tight the team’s budget is. The Reds wanted to bring Rhodes back, but they weren’t willing to risk offering him arbitration. You’ve got to figure Rhodes would have gotten no more than $5 million in arbitration. You’ve also got to figure Cincinnati was offering Rhodes at least $3.5 million. Rhodes signed a deal with the Texas Rangers that could be worth $8 million over two years because of a vesting option. For $1.5 million or so, the Reds let an important part of the bullpen walk away and got nothing in return. Remember, if Cincinnati had offered Rhodes arbitration, it would have gotten a draft pick as compensation. But it wasn’t willing to take the risk that Rhodes would accept and get $5 million or so. The Reds probably can live without Rhodes. He was great for the first three months of 2010. His ERA was 0.28 on June 30, but it was 5.08 after. Part of that was a foot problem, but for a 41-year-old pitcher, health often is an issue. Letting Rhodes leave, however, shows how limited Cincinnati is in what it can do. The payroll is going to be right around $80 million. If they can’t bump it a bit to sign Rhodes, it tells you the team isn’t going to be adding payroll through a trade. A lot of fans wanted to see the Reds make a run at former Royals right-hander Zack Greinke, who makes $13 million. He would have been replacing someone such as Mike Leake or Travis Wood in the rotation, both of whom will make about $420,000 this season. Money in baseball is funny money. We routinely call players who make a million or two bargains. But general manager Walt Jocketty is dealing with a budget just like anyone else in business. He can’t walk into owner Bob Castellini’s office and say: “I know you wanted to spend $80 million on players, but I went ahead and spent $93 million. Is that OK, boss?” Castellini wants to win. He has spent a lot of money on player development, and signed Aroldis Chapman for $30 million. But Castellini is a businessman. He knows he can’t compete for the top free agents. Sometimes, the Reds aren’t going to be able to afford a 41-year-old left-hander who they would like to sign. Winter League basherJuan Francisco had another great year in the Dominican Winter League. Francisco hit .322 with a .380 on-base percentage in 152 at-bats. He is one of the more interesting players going into spring training. He has big-time power. There will be plenty of at-bats at third base with Scott Rolen getting regular rest, but the question is Francisco’s defense. To get playing time over Miguel Cairo, Francisco is going to have to be solid at third. Francisco, oddly, didn’t play in the outfield during winter ball. Arrendondo’s wayRight-hander Jose Arrendondo is another guy to watch this spring. He was signed by the Reds in January 2009 even though he was headed for Tommy John surgery. He’s healthy now. He was 10-2 with 1.62 ERA in 2008 with the Angels. Stock up on WillisLeft-hander Dontrelle Willis is main benefactor of Rhodes’ departure. Willis now will get a chance to make the team out of the bullpen. What are your opinions. Posted in reds-news | Comments Off
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Former Baseball Owner With History Of Racist Remarks Defended By Former Player (Video) | |
by Glenn Davis | 1:30 pm, December 27th, 2010 Marge Schott, the late former owner of the Cincinnati Reds, was looked on less than fondly by many, many people. A prime reason: a long line of controversial (to put it mildly) remarks, such as reportedly calling two black players “million dollar niggers†(that was probably her most famous one), as well as, apparently, holding somewhat sympathetic views of Adolf Hitler. We now know, however, who one of her detractors isn’t: another one of her former players, Deion Sanders. Prime Time was on NFL Network to preview yesterday’s action when talk turned to the Chargers-Bengals game in Cincinnati – the city where, host Rich Eisen noted to Sanders, “you took a lot of Marge Schott’s money.†Sanders’ reaction to Schott’s name entering the conversation:
Plenty of people had rather…different dealings with her, it’s safe to say. [h/t the always-useful RoachRadioTube] Not much else going on in the MLB planet today. Posted in reds-news | Comments Off
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Return to prominence: ’10 a big year for Reds | |
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 12/27/10 10:00 AM EST CINCINNATI — It took 15 long years, but the Reds in 2010 finally reached a destination they’ve been seeking. As National League Central division winners, the Reds got to experience postseason play after going 91-71 and finishing five games ahead of the Cardinals. It was also Cincinnati’s first winning season since 2000. And while the taste of the playoffs was a brief one after being swept by the Phillies in the NL Division Series, the club exuded confidence that it won’t be anywhere close to another 15 years before the next playoff berth. Managed by Dusty Baker, Cincinnati got it done mainly on the backs of its younger players — like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Drew Stubbs, Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman, Mike Leake, Travis Wood and more. The contributions of veterans Scott Rolen, Jonny Gomes, Orlando Cabrera, Bronson Arroyo and Arthur Rhodes were invaluable. While the Reds weren’t the best team in the NL, they were a complete bunch. The offense not only led the league in the Triple Crown categories (hitting, home runs and RBIs), but also was tops in runs scored, hits, total bases, slugging percentage and hitting with runners in scoring position. The defense — featuring Gold Glove winners in Rolen, Phillips and Arroyo — was second in fielding percentage and committed an NL-low 72 errors.
From this successful ’10 season, here are the top five story lines that made it interesting to watch: No. 5: Leake skips Minors The eighth-overall selection in the ’09 First-Year Player Draft out of Arizona State, Leake was on the fast track. But few expected it would be as fast as it proved to be. When Leake beat out fellow prospects Chapman and Wood for the rotation’s fifth spot out of Reds camp, he became only the 21st drafted player since 1965 to skip the Minors and debut in the Majors. The last starting pitcher to do it was Jim Abbott with the Angels in ’89. Despite not being completely healthy after the All-Star break, Leake was 8-4 with a 3.78 ERA as a starter and a big part of the first-half success. No. 4: Back and forth with the Cardinals The National League Central race was essentially a two-team fight between Cincinnati and St. Louis. For a Major League-record 101 straight days from May 10-Aug. 18, the two teams held either first or second place — with there never being more than a three-game lead. That also included 19 lead changes. The battle got salty during the Aug. 9-11 series at Great American Ball Park, where inflammatory media comments by Phillips were the catalyst for a bench-clearing donnybrook. Although the Reds were swept in that three-game series, they caught fire and eventually took first place for good, while the Cardinals faded. No. 3: Aroldis Chapman From the moment the Reds shocked baseball with the winning bid of six years for $30.25 million to sign the Cuban defector, the buzz was incessant. A 22-year-old lefty, Chapman already had a reputation for exceeding 100 mph and he proved it with the Reds. The club let him get comfortable in his new country at Triple-A Louisville and eventually converted him from starter to reliever to aid in the pennant chase. On Aug. 31, Chapman made his big league debut — and, while striking out first batter Jonathan Lucroy, threw a 103-mph pitch. As a late-inning reliever in late September at San Diego, Chapman threw a 105.1-mph pitch to Tony Gwynn Jr. — the fastest pitch ever recorded. No. 2: Bruce’s bat clinches division In a moment that will be difficult to forget, Bruce ended 15 years of frustration with one swing. Leading off the bottom of the ninth of a 2-2 game against the Astros on Sept. 28, Bruce slugged a first-pitch fastball from reliever Tim Byrdak to straightaway center field for a thrilling win. The Reds were NL Central champions and earned their first playoff berth since ’95. No. 1: Joey Votto, MVP Following a big breakout year, Votto won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award. He received 31 out of a possible 32 first-place votes and 443 points to easily prevent Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols from winning his third MVP in a row and fourth overall. After an initial snub, Votto also earned his first trip to the All-Star Game, as 13 million fans voted at MLB.com for him to win the Final Vote. The 27-year-old was second in the NL with a .324 average and was third in both home runs, with 37, and RBIs, with 113 — all career highs. He led the NL with a .600 slugging percentage and .424 on-base percentage. In August, he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and became the face of a revitalized franchise. Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com Read his blog, Mark My Word and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
That’s all the news for today. Posted in reds-news | Comments Off
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Reds identified as mystery team in on Brandon Webb | |
More developments here in the hunt for free agent right-hander Brandon Webb. The NL Central “mystery†team that was mentioned earlier by ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark has been identified by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com as the Cincinnati Reds. Rosenthal believes that Webb is now choosing between Texas and Cincinnati. The 31-year-old righty knows Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and Cincy trainer Paul Lessard from their days together with the Diamondbacks, but he also has connections with Rangers medical director Keith Meister. In the end, it’s going to come down to money. Which team will offer the 31-year-old right-hander more in base salary and more in performance-based incentives? The Yankees have also been monitoring the negotiations and could always decide to swoop in with a last-minute proposal. Webb is expected to decide on a landing spot within the next couple of days. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in reds-news | Comments Off
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Reds after Podsednik? | |
The Reds would have the lefty Podsednik hitting leadoff and platooning with the right-handed Jonny Gomes(notes), the site reports. The 34-year-old Podsednik hit .297 with 35 steals this year for the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also caught stealing 15 times, though. Last year, the Reds’ leadoff hitters had an on-base percentage of .306. Podsednik’s on-base percentage for the past two seasons is .347. What are you waiting for? Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook. Source: FOXSports.com Related: Scott Podsednik, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers That’s all the news for today. Posted in reds-news | Comments Off
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MLB Year in Review
The Cincinnati Reds have joined the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in pursuit of 
