What's happened to the Cincinnati Reds?

Question

Are you as upset as I am with the Reds for teasing us ( the fans ) with a 23 - 12 start and then proceeding to fall apart? The bullpen and the defense suck, and lately the starting pitching has begun to fail. I guess as long as baseball continues to operate under its present structure, small market teams such as the Reds can no longer hope to be competitive.

Answer 1

I don't agree with you on the small market philosophy. We have been very competitive and the main reason is that we now have a GM who is used to finding talent (he came from Minnesota). Think of where we would be without some of this years key acquisitions:

1)Hatteberg: Hitting over 300, potential gold glover year in and year out.
2)B. Phillips: Hitting over 300, Pokey Reese like fielding abilities.....and speed.
3)Arroyo: We had no room for Willy MO; Kearns is a way better defensive outfielder and will put up comparable numbers. Arroyo has saved us.
4) Ross: If it wasn't for Larue's large and in charge contract Ross would have some nasty number (12HR, 30+ RBI's, 300+ in limited time).
5)Every Day Eddie: Still TBD, but we gave up Chick who we received in the Randa trade last year and he has not been impressive in AA. Anyone is an upgrade right now.

So here is the scary thing; where would we be without these bargains? Can you say Pirate territory?

By us going out and getting Eddie that tells me that we are going to take a shot at the playoffs. We are playing in possibly the worst division in baseball. We have one of the top offenses, but yes our D, bullpen, and lack of a full starting rotation seem to be too much to overcome. The D we will have to live with, bullpen I think we could pick up a few arms, but we need one more solid starter. Not Mays. Will Paul Wilson be back in time to help us out?

My prediction: Unless the Cards get some more help in the starting rotation (and I don't see Weaver being the spark plug) I don't see the Cards holding on. We (Reds) need to make quite a few moves but in the end I think we finish 4th. Astros offense is horrible, will they make a move and pick up someone like Beltran like they did a few years ago? I doubt it. My pick (and I know you guys will hate this) is the Brew Crew. They have been gaining ground fast in the last month with 2 of their starters on the DL. Sheets is due back late July and Bush has been starting to look like the younger brother of Sheets at times. I think without a doubt they have the best starters in the division when healthy. Honestly any of the 4 teams could win. This might be the first year that I have ever seen the trade deadline impact one division so greatly. Whoever gets the most amount of talent/help added to their roster will win this. Book it.

Answer 2

I do think it sucks the Reds have fallen off the boat a little the last few weeks. However, if you consider what we're working with bullpen-wise coupled with the fact that we're still in the race...

I think we're doing pretty damn impressive. I think as we move away from the All-Star break and head into the second half we need to make a few trades and pick up no less then two reliable middle relief pitchers. We also need to send Todd Coffey down and let Guardado step in and close full time with Weathers as setup man. After that we could consider moving Griffey Jr. and a Louville pitcher or fielder for another reliable 10+ game starter.

What we should not do is lose Freel. He is a huge asset to the team with being able to play so many various postions. I hated that we gave up Wily Mo Pena and I think time will show that was a mistake because Kearns isn't that great and his longevity doesn't look all that promising.

That's my opinion on The Reds!!!

Answer 3

The Reds were a fluke from the beginning. Being a fan you had to know that they could not keep the pace they had all season. However, this season shows a huge step towards the building of Cincinnati's future.

Answer 4

You think we would be used to it by now. They keep saying they are going to finally get us pitching. They go out and get one or two decent pitchers and hope that will suffice. I am just as frustrated as you. What happened to Brandon Claussen. All that hype and..........nothing. I hope that Homer Bailey isn't such a flop. Next year, next year.....getting sick and tired of hearing that one. The owner said he is going to spend more money, but how many times have we heard that before.

Answer 5

Pitiching and defense are 90% of the game so you have answered your own question. Sorry, but I'm from Chicago and a White Sox fan. You guys had your day in the sun. It's our turn.

Answer 6

I thought they would be up there with the tigers and the sox at the beginning of the season. They just fell apart.

Answer 7

the usual