2008 rotation

[redsrbetter]

Choose who you think WILL be here and not who you WANT:

Of this list of pitchers, choose 5 for your 2008 pitching rotation. This is a list of current Reds and their prospects. Free Agents to be. And guys who may be on the trade blcok.

Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Homer Bailey
Kyle Lohse
Matt Belisle
Phil Dumatrait
Bobby Livingston
Richie Gardner
Kirk Saarloos
Steven Kelly
Elizardo Ramirez
Johnny Cueto
Jeremy Affeldt
Mark Buehrle
Casey Fossum
Odalis Perez
Andy Pettitte
Mark Redman
Randy Wolf
Tony Armas
Pedro Astacio
Kris Benson
Paul Byrd
Matt Clement
Bartolo Colon
Josh Fogg
Freddy Garcia
Livan Hernandez
Jason Jennings
Tim Wakefield
Kip Wells
Carlos Zambrano
Victor Zambrano

[HollywoodLeo]

Harang
Arroyo
Bailey
Byrd
Kip Wells

[redsrbetter]

My rotation:

Aaron Harang
Mark Buehrle
Bronson Arroyo
Homer Bailey
Matt Belisle/Phil Dumatrait

Let this be the beginning of our dissapointment. But if either Dunn or Griffey are traded, with Milton off the books there is no reason why we can't afford Buehrle. He is at 10 million this year so I fully expect him to get a 15 million dollar contract at least by the way free agency goes. He isn't a Boras client either.

I see Krivsky only going after one SP, then it is all about relief pitching. But the big money should still go to the rotation.

[HollywoodLeo]

You think he'll move in on Scott Linebrink?

[redsrbetter]

Not sure what you are asking here. Do I think Krivsky will go after Linebrink? It is possible. Is Linebrink a FA after this season?

[HollywoodLeo]

Yes, he's a FA

[redsrbetter]

Yeah I can see them going after him in free agency. But not as a trade at all. I think if we spend big on a SP (which this would be the best time in a very long time to do it) then Krivsky will have to try and work magic on the bullpen. Which is scary, but we need that rotation to be more solid.

[Turn 2]

My rotation:

Aaron Harang
Mark Buehrle
Bronson Arroyo
Homer Bailey
Matt Belisle/Phil Dumatrait

Let this be the beginning of our dissapointment. But if either Dunn or Griffey are traded, with Milton off the books there is no reason why we can't afford Buehrle. He is at 10 million this year so I fully expect him to get a 15 million dollar contract at least by the way free agency goes. He isn't a Boras client either.

I see Krivsky only going after one SP, then it is all about relief pitching. But the big money should still go to the rotation.

Now that would be a great rotation there.

[redsrbetter]

Now that would be a great rotation there.

Yep, and all it would takeisto get a pitcher like Buehrle. Yes, that would be hard and I am making it sound simple. But with the money that Krivsky would have, we can finally afford a serious FA.

[HollywoodLeo]

I highly doubt the Reds, or anyone, trades for Scott Linebrink.

Padres fans everywhere are clamoring for Towers to trade him, but they fail to realize that a team in contention isn't going to give up what the Padres need for him and a team not in contention isn't going to trade for a guy who could walk after the season's over (or that they can sign at said time.)

Any rate, don't want to derail this thread so I'll leave that subject at that.

Pitching has been the Reds' concern for some time now. Buehrle would be an awesome pick up.

I posted Byrd and Wells as a wild guess prediction of what they will do, but Buehrle would be better for them and I hope they do that.

[redsrbetter]

Buehrle would be really nice. But as I said before, it will be very hard as well. He is one of the best pitchers coming up for FA after this season. It will be expensive and Krivsky will have to employ some kind of bargaining greatness if he were to go after him.

The biggest thing for this team though is simply going after him. I mentioned before that this could be the beginningof us being dissapointed as Reds fans. We all know that the money could be spent this way, but will they even try?

[Mario-Rijo]

Harang
Buerhle
Arroyo
Bailey (Only 4th to keep his overall IP down for one more season, if it weren't for that he would push Arroyo to 4th)
Belisle

I think Buerhle is the perfect complement to these guys. A LH who gets groundballs is a plus. On top of the fact that he pitches well in a pitchers park in perhaps the best division in baseball and holds his own. And he's an innings eater.

And I have wanted a good lefty for oh so long.

However the 29 yr old (next March he'll be 29) Buerhle reportedly turned down an extension from his Sox today. It was a 4 yr 50 million dollar deal.

How much does he want? How much would you give him? Remember he has ate up some innings well over 200+ IP for the past 6 years and he's on pace for about another 200. My gut says he'll get alot. But something to consider is that if he ain't missing bats and/or his walks go up his ERA is likely to mirror that of one Eric Milton. And although his numbers don't look as bad as last year's (only 48 BB's but his K's were way down 98 K's in 204 IP. His ERA was 4.99.

My guess is that deal is the best that I would do. And I'm not sure I would feel real good about it.

So let me change my vote:

Harang
(Find a good younger LHSP who misses bats to make a deal for)
Arroyo
Bailey
Belisle

Cueto is a nice name but I don't think he will be ready in time and he has showed some signs of struggling at times.