Larue is going to be traded?

[Cincy]

On another forum someone who says they have inside info. is basically saying we're shopping Larue around looking for a "Harang-like pitcher."

I personally think this is a smart move. As I said before, I think Larue is part of the reason why our pitching has been so bad. On a regular basis, I have questioned his personal calls.

Anyways Valentin, who will be a much cheaper option, showed in 2005 that he is a better hitter along with a better game caller...

[ghettochild]

valentin had a career year, no doubt about it.

he isn't a full-time player

and i don't want him behind the plate.

larue is way better than valentin and i would take him over mr. mustache any day of the week

[missionhockey21]

The Reds pitching woes are not because of LaRue. You can only do so much to improve a pitcher beyond what he can control. And the fact is we have had a lot of guys with little to no stuff and pretty blah control. Asking LaRue to make Jimmy Anderson or Jimmy Haynes from nothing into something isn't really fair to him. When was the last time we handed LaRue a guy with bigtime stuff (velocity, movement on his pitches, control, the works)? I can understand if we have had legit pitching options that failed miserably under LaRue for him to take some of the blame but we haven't IMO.

The Reds need to keep LaRue on for one more year and do whatever they can to trade for a legit catching prospect AA or higher, our system is completely barren of anyone like that. As for Valentin, nice year sure but I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him fulltime duties.

[Wally Mo Pena]

to me this just doesn't make sense with what's gone on so far this off-season. First, i agree with ghetto that there is too much of a risk that valentin will return to numbers like he had in previous years. Second, even if valentin does have a similar year, as the starter, he'll only play 120 games at best, and who's going to be int here the rest of the time?

Finally, if we have a surplus of position players anywhere on the field, it's still in the outfield, where pena, kearns, griffey, freel, and denorfia are all viable starters, and womack can back up.

I agree that a trade for a sub 4 ERA pitcher who can pitch 200 innings or so would help this team a lot, but it just makes way more sense to keep the catching core intact and trade an outfielder to get him.

[missionhockey21]

If the return was a "Harang-like" pitcher, I would consider it of course. But the Reds need to face this problem that their farm suffers from more than a lock of pitching prospects. Every year I am hoping to at least get a catching prospect in the 2nd round of the draft but it never happens. Dane Sardhina and Miguel Perez will NEVER cut it as a starter but yet the Reds don't seem to get this. I don't want to be stuck with scraps like that or some other batless wonder til they realize that they need to find a catcher of the future.

[missionhockey21]

And remember guys, LaRue posted the 4th best OPS for catchers with 350+ AB's. I am not trying to discredit what Valentin did but I would be very uncomfortable with depending on a repeat perfomance. Then again, in my books no one is untouchable so if LaRue was dealt, I would hope the organization would push finding a prospect catcher up on their priorities list (it should be as it is right now though.)

[redsrbetter]

I think DanO is back to the same agenda that he was on at the beginning of the offseason. He had stated that he was going to trade an outfielder and had mentioned that he would look to trade a ctacher as well. I remember him saying something about having the option of trading a catcher more than once. I think that if we trade LaRue, we are making a huge mistake. Unless we could get someone "Harang-like." But we all know that DanO could not pull this off. I believe that this can be going on and is likely one of DanO's priorities right now along with looking at FA pitchers. But, I don't like the idea.

[Geki Ace]

Trading LaRue = Stupid.

[Cincy]

I disagree with you guys.

If we want to turn this team around, change is needed. We're not going to start winning all of a sudden with the same old no playoff experience players that we have.

IMO releasing/trading Graves and Casey was one of the best decisions this team has made in years. I would love Junior and Larue to be the next two to go.

[Slyder]

I disagree with you guys.

If we want to turn this team around, change is needed. We're not going to start winning all of a sudden with the same old no playoff experience players that we have.

IMO releasing/trading Graves and Casey was one of the best decisions this team has made in years. I would love Junior and Larue to be the next two to go.

But trading guys like Casey for Doug, Dave, Dan, whatever the he** his name is Williams and Tony Womack ARE NOT GOING TO HELP. You are making a lateral move AT BEST with those types of moves, compared to what was at the positions last year and one of the bright spots in winter ball shouldnt be traded for an old, tired, utility guy. Those moves do not help. If O'Brien showed he had half a brain then I wouldnt flip out like I have but he has shown very little in his time here.

Your also potentially hurting the offense which was the one bright spot on this sorry team last year. If FA was rich in talent that could help immediately trading casey makes since cause then you use the money saved on more talent elsewhere... but its not there are ZERO impact type players out there.

[Wally Mo Pena]

the reds do'nt need people with playoff experience, they need people with pithcing talent.

The casey trade was not a huge upgrade to the staff, but it was an upgrade, and did nothing to hurt the offense, and it saved money to give us flexibility when making another upgrade.

If we can make a more significant upgrade to the rotation while only giving up an outfielder, i think we can compete.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Trading Casey allowed us to dump an average-slightly below average player who is getting worse all of the time, while adding a younger(average) pitcher.

Dumping LaRue wouldn't make sense unless the return is big, because we would be dumping one of the best Catchers in baseball.

[blugrssdude]

I have been waiting for this day for a long time, Larue is one of the worst catchers in baseball but somehow get's thrown into the "mediocre" department because of his cannon for an arm. Not only is he horrible at blocking pitches in the dirt, which in return causes a pitcher to change his pitch selection based on not wanting to throw a past ball, but he is not good at calling a game, never have I heard a starting pitcher on the Reds claim that he was confident with Larue behind the plate, back in the days you would often hear our starting pitchers give a mention to Bo Diaz or especially Joe Oliver, IMO the catcher is the second most important defensive position after shortstop. A confident pitcher, with a confident backstop makes for a more productive player. That being said, our starting pitching woes are not all Jason Larue's fault, but it would be a positive step in the right direction.