Keep, Trash, or Trade

[Slyder]

With the 2005 season coming to a merciful end I thought Id start up a thread where people could basically act as gm for a couple minutes.

Objective
Keep (they be back with the team next year and how Arby hearing, LTC, small vet contract like Aurilia was given a MLC this year)
Trash (release/let leave as an FA)
Trade (find some avenue to trade them) If you want put who youd like to see

Names:
MAN Jerry Narron (temp)
PITCH Vern Rule (temp)
C Jason LaRue (Free Agent)
C Javier Valentin (Free Agent)
INF Rich Aurilia (Free Agent)
SP Ramon Ortiz (Free Agent)
SP Eric Milton
RP Ben Weber (Free Agent)
OF Wily Mo Pena
OF Adam Dunn
OF Austin Kearns
OF Ken Griffey, Jr (note Im just listing them all)
2b D' Angelo Jimenez
RP David Weathers (note says .1 mil buyout of contract)
UT Jacob Cruz

[missionhockey21]

I'll try to respond later after my classes.... but to be honest, I completely forgot we had Jimenez still. Ha.

[Wally Mo Pena]

MAN Jerry Narron: All the buzz with the team seems to be to keep him, and even though we just went through this with Miley, i think we should. He just has a stronger personality than Miley did, he wants this job, and it shows. Beyond a lot of baseball knowledge, that's what managing takes. You have to let the players know that you want it bad, so that they want it too. Miley was interim, he acted like it, and should have stayed that way.

PITCH Vern Rule: If this guy hasn't earned his pay, i don't know who has. There's no justice in letting him go, after he's turned this whole staff around. Sure Milton still stinks, but he's dropped the team ERA more than a run, and that more than anything has lead to the reds winning ways.

C Jason LaRue: i would explain to larue that if he was willing to take a 3 year 15 mil contract, then we want him as our starter and a leader, otherwise we'd have to go with javy.

C Javier Valentin: release or see above.

INF Rich Aurilia: release with haste.

SP Ramon Ortiz: take his option i think, he has good stuff, and can keep us in games. He'll always give up too many HRs, but unlike milton, he doesn't let them doom him. he can be worth the 4 mil compared to other options

SP Eric Milton: trade, for whatever. Just get him to a different team, someone with a pitchers park will take him, half his salary, and give us a middle prospect.

RP Ben Weber: gone already

OF Wily Mo Pena: Trade, I'd tald to minnesota about baker or liriano. That team needs offense (they havne't had someone hit 30 HR in nearly 20 years) and their ownership is so cheap that they won't spend on a big FA. Wily Mo is perfect for them.

OF Adam Dunn: Lock him up, 8 years 80 mil

OF Austin Kearns: one year deal with a little raise for carrer highs, not more than 2 mil.

OF Ken Griffey, Jr: help him rehab and hope for the best next year, try out best to win for him.

2b D' Angelo Jimenez: trade or minor league filler.

RP David Weathers: keep him on his current contract, but hopefully not in the closers role.

UT Jacob Cruz: same deal as last year, bring him to camp and give him the lead in a competition for the last spot, but no guarantees.

That would give us:

Harang
Baker
Claussen
Ortiz
Wilson/Belisle/Hancock

Freel 2b
Lopez ss
Griffey cf
Dunn lf
Kearns rf
Casey 1b
Larue c
EdE 3b

with a decent pen and bench. looks pretty good to me if they can get that one big trade done.

[Cincy]

Narron and Rule: Keep (sign them to 1 year deals though)

Larue: I have seen enough of him. Part of the reason why we have such bad pitching is that he calls a bad game. Javier is probably the better hitter of the two anyways, plus he will be the cheaper option.

Aurilia: Keep... Freel has shown to me that he isn't a starter, but only a very very very good bench player.

Ortiz: Maybe resign, but not for his 4.5M option.

Milton: I'm afraid we're stuck with him.

Junior, Dunn, Pena, and Kearns: keep

Casey: Trade to NYM.

[Wally Mo Pena]

man am i tired of Dan O'brien, can't anything just get taken care of. We've all been noticing the communication problems this team has had this year, and he is a major culpret.

from hal:

PITTSBURGH | Jason LaRue believes it is time for the Cincinnati Reds to step to the plate, just as he has stepped behind the plate for them.

LaRue is in his fifth full season as the Reds' catcher and can become a free agent after 2006, but what he'd like is for the Reds to step up with a three-year deal.

The club hasn't said word one to LaRue — or anybody else — about his status for the next season and he said, "I'm hoping they address a multi-year deal right after the season. That's the right thing to do for what I've been for this organization and for what I've done for them. It's time for them to offer a three-year deal.

"I'm looking for the same thing that catchers have done that I've done — guys like Damian Miller (Brewers), Michael Barrett (Cubs) and Mike Matheny (Giants). That's what those guys are getting (three-year contracts) and I'm right there with them as to what they've done offensively and defensively and probably better than most offensively. They're all getting three-year deals and I that's what I should get."

[CincyRedsFan30]

With the 2005 season coming to a merciful end I thought Id start up a thread where people could basically act as gm for a couple minutes.

Objective
Keep (they be back with the team next year and how Arby hearing, LTC, small vet contract like Aurilia was given a MLC this year)
Trash (release/let leave as an FA)
Trade (find some avenue to trade them) If you want put who youd like to see

Names:
MAN Jerry Narron (temp)
PITCH Vern Rule (temp)
C Jason LaRue (Free Agent)
C Javier Valentin (Free Agent)
INF Rich Aurilia (Free Agent)
SP Ramon Ortiz (Free Agent)
SP Eric Milton
RP Ben Weber (Free Agent)
OF Wily Mo Pena
OF Adam Dunn
OF Austin Kearns
OF Ken Griffey, Jr (note Im just listing them all)
2b D' Angelo Jimenez
RP David Weathers (note says .1 mil buyout of contract)
UT Jacob Cruz

Narron- Trash
Ruhle- Re-assign to former position of minor league coordinator
LaRue- Lock up to a three-year or so deal
Valentin- Re-sign for one year
Aurilia- Trash or trade if anyone wants him
Ortiz- Trash
Milton- Trash- eat salary if needed
Weber- Trash
Pena- Trade
Dunn- Sign long-term...big contract at a fair price for having # 10 NL OPS
Kearns- Sign long-term...smaller length of time and price than Dunn, but fair
Griffey- Don't trade him unless get a fair deal(especially if Pena traded)
Jimenez- Let him be in AA
Weathers- Keep for only this year and then let him go
Cruz- Dump him- Denorfia stays around

[Geki Ace]

I agree with everything CRF said, except with Ortiz. Keep him around.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Ortiz has certainly been better lately, but I really worry about signing him again only to have him fail miserably next year. We can count Harang and Claussen as members of the rotation next year, and probably Germano(at least at some point). If we can't add a couple of FA starters or trade for a couple of starters in the offseason, then I'd consider keeping Ortiz around(if we hadn't already made a decision on him by that point), but otherwise I would let him go.

[Cincy]

There is no way both Larue and Valentin are going to be back next year.

I will say it again, Larue is mixing fire with gasoline with this staff!

[CincyRedsFan30]

LaRue can't control that flyball pitchers like Milton/Ortiz are in a flyball park and aren't good pitchers. Of couse we would have to give credit to him for helping Harang/Claussen this year too, wouldn't we? It's not like a Catcher can make a bad pitcher good.

And I don't know if both LaRue/Valentin will be back or not, but I would bring both back.

[Slyder]

With the 2005 season coming to a merciful end I thought Id start up a thread where people could basically act as gm for a couple minutes.

Objective
Keep (they be back with the team next year and how Arby hearing, LTC, small vet contract like Aurilia was given a MLC this year)
Trash (release/let leave as an FA)
Trade (find some avenue to trade them) If you want put who youd like to see

Names:
MAN Jerry Narron (temp)
PITCH Vern Rule (temp)
C Jason LaRue (Free Agent)
C Javier Valentin (Free Agent)
INF Rich Aurilia (Free Agent)
SP Ramon Ortiz (Free Agent)
SP Eric Milton
RP Ben Weber (Free Agent)
OF Wily Mo Pena
OF Adam Dunn
OF Austin Kearns
OF Ken Griffey, Jr (note Im just listing them all)
2b D' Angelo Jimenez
RP David Weathers (note says .1 mil buyout of contract)
UT Jacob Cruz

Narron- Great guy but we need someone the players would have to respect because hes won it before. Id love to see Sweet Lou back in Cincy and it would bring a sense of urgency that could help this team.

Ruhle- Probably the single biggest reason for the improvements is that he was pitching coach. Unless you can get Leo Mazzone he stays right where he is.

LaRue- Earned the 3 yr contract this year with his play. Id give him in the range of 2.5-4 mil a year for 3 yrs and let him work on his d this offseason and ST.

Valentin- Deserves a chance to start, but if he wants to stay let him. Teams are so desperate for catchers with any sign of offensive ability that I expect him to get not quite LaRue money on the free market. In which case thanks for what you did here Valentin but its time to move on. Less than a mil keep, if not let him go.

Aurilia- Trash. He had a good post hamstring but hes going to be 33, and keeping a younger talent off the field. We will never know how good the young guy(s) is/are going to be if Rich is here cause he will likely start some where benching anyone or two of these guys: Griffey, Dunn, Pena, Casey, Freel, Olemado, Lopez, Encarncion, Kearns and IMO its not worth it ever.

Ortiz- Will not likely want less money than he made this year, and IMO again not worth it. He improved under Ruhle but to pay him 4 mil again is not smart money management by a team who cannot afford to be wrong again.

Milton- If O'Brien is done and gone, I fully expect the temp GM or whoever is eventually hired WILL TRADE Milton to some big park who believes their park and D can keep him in the park (IE LA, Washington). If by some unknown circumstance that O'Brien is back he wont go anywhere, cause OB has shown he wont admit a mistake.

Weber- Trash. Gotta Love the attitude but the injury problems got to send most MLB teams running. Unless hes brought in as a non roster invitee/MLC receipiant he should be let go. Wish it could have ended differently (and yes I still like that risk we took on him.).

Wily Mo- Trade. With Denorfia and Freel we have 6 legitimate options for the OF next year, one of them HAVE to be dealt for the good of the team and for neccessity purposes. I feel Wily Mo fits best with the most teams (not yet Arby and still a very high ceiling).

Griffey- Stay. His contract is just too ginormous for anyone to take on. The best chance to trade him to a contender was this year, and OB dropped the ball like the Jets.

Dunn- Stay. Sign LTC and tell him to do extra running to work on that sweat and move him to 1b j/k. He should man LF and should get better with more time defensively.

Kearns- Stay. Kearns is probably the most complete OF we got right now thats under 28 and still has untouched potential. RF

Jimenez- Eventually trade. If his attitude changes this offseason let him rebuild his value and trade him to someone looking for a switch hitting bat. If hes an outright FA dont bother.

Weathers and Mercker both- Trade. Teams are always looking for pitching help in the pen especially a LHP, both of their values will never be higher than what they are now, dont risk father time rearing its head and giving us an Al Leiter.

Cruz- Keep: hitting .286/ .346 obp thats great for a guy coming in cold and not having a single thing before hand to do. Bring him back and see if he at 33 can still produce. Have a backup plan ready just in case.