Win-now focus in Cincy could mean heavy action
That means trading right fielder Ken Griffey Jr., left fielder Adam Dunn and any other veterans who can bring a return. It means promoting outfielder Jay Bruce and any other prospects who can make a difference. It means committing to the future, once and for all.
MLB roundup
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Tuesday's action
- Two swings lift Cards over Phils
- Cabrera, Tigers pummel Tribe
- Mets' Pelfrey shows up Lincecum
- D-backs Webb wins 13th vs. Nats
- Pettitte, Yanks shut out Rays
- Manny rallies BoSox past Twins
- Errors cost O's against Jays
- Sabathia wins in Brewer debut
- Dempster wins 10th at Wrigley
- Rangers rookie outduels Halos ace
- A's Duchscherer two-hits M's
- ChiSox need 13 to dispatch Royals
- Pads end home skid in big way
- Braves beat up on Dodgers
- Bucs McLouth keeps Astros reeling
More on MLB:
- Rosenthal: Brewers hit parlay with C.C.
- Perry: All-Star voters got it right
- Rosenberg: MLB landscape is changing
- 2008 All-Star rosters announced
Photo gallery:
Greatest Yankee moments:
The All-Star Game (July 15, FOX) will be the last one played at Yankee Stadium. As we say goodbye to the "House," Dayn Perry busts out his list of the best moments from Yankee lore. POLL: Vote for your favorite!The Reds seem prepared to at least consider such measures; Jocketty recently asked Griffey if he wanted to be traded, according to a major-league source. Griffey replied that his preference was to stay in Cincinnati and try to turn around the Reds' season. But, he added, if the front office wanted to change direction, he would consider a deal.
Jocketty surely isn't ready to sell off parts, not with the July 31 non-waiver deadline still 10 weeks away. But Cincinnati isn't St. Louis, where Jocketty built contenders year after year. Nor is it Chicago or San Francisco, where Baker was accustomed to managing veteran clubs. To fix the Reds, Jocketty and Baker will need to adopt different mindsets. And Castellini, for once, will need to show patience.
As Johnny Cueto's recent struggles show, prospects do not always progress in linear fashion. At the same time, they need to be given every opportunity to advance. Why are the Reds waiting to promote Bruce, who has a .984 OPS at Class AAA? Corey Patterson, their most frequently used center fielder, needed to go 4-for-5 Monday night to raise his on-base percentage to .276.
The Reds are in last place in the NL Central, seven games back. Perhaps they could try to win while building toward the future, the way the Braves did when they promoted Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann in 2005. But the fact remains: Including Griffey and Dunn, the Reds have 13 potential free agents, the most of any club.
Griffey enjoys full no-trade protection, essentially giving him the right to choose his next team. However, he would not necessarily require a team to exercise his $16.5 million option for 2009 as a condition of a deal. He also is open to a greater number of teams than in the past, when his children were younger and being closer to his home in Orlando was a priority.
The Mariners, the most frequently mentioned possibility for Griffey, are last in the AL with a .579 OPS from the DH spot, yet even further out of first place than the Reds. Griffey, 38, would not be a certain cure-all -- his .717 OPS is more than 200 points below his career mark, and he has gone 63 at-bats since his last home run.
In any case, the next step for the Reds should be obvious. Their management team needs to step backward before going forward, unfamiliar as that path might be.
Phillies: Lidge over Burrell?
Look for the Phillies to make a more concerted effort to sign closer Brad Lidge to a contract extension than left fielder Pat Burrell. The reason: Free-agent hitters are easier to attract to hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park than pitchers.
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| Pat Burrell could be the odd man out in Philly. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images) |
The Phillies need Burrell as a right-handed hitting complement to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, but outfielders generally are in plentiful supply. If Burrell left as a free agent, the Phillies could replace him through free agency or a trade.
The departure of Lidge would create a larger void. "The Bank" will not be the first choice for Francisco Rodriguez, the other top potential free-agent closer. It is not the first choice for any free-agent pitcher.
Lidge, so far, is comfortable in Philadelphia; he has yet to allow an earned run in 17 innings. But awarding him a three- or four-year deal would be risky. The performance of most relievers is volatile, and Lidge has yet to be booed in Philadelphia. If he struggled the way he did in Houston, the Phillies would be stuck.
Of course, they also would be stuck if Lidge departed, but the Phillies might be better off finding next year's George Sherill than spending $10 million-plus per season on Lidge or another closer. Their ballpark simply is not conducive to a pitcher's long-term psychological health.
Young's Texas two-step
The Rangers could have crumbled after learning that manager Ron Washington was in danger of getting fired. Instead, they've won five straight series, and their offseason acquisitions of outfielders Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley look like winners.
As the team continues its development program, one of its next major decisions is the future position of shortstop Michael Young. Most scouts agree that Young no longer has the range to play short. But the Rangers aren't about to rush Class AA shortstop Elvis Andrus, whom they acquired in the Mark Teixeira trade.
Once Andrus is ready, the Rangers can move Young to third and either shift Hank Blalock to first or trade him. Another option would be to move Young to second base and Ian Kinsler to left field.
The situation is delicate — Young is a team player, but likely will want to remain at short. The Rangers were afraid to move Alfonso Soriano from second base to the outfield in 2005. Young, whose five-year, $80 million contract extension begins next season, will need to be handled firmly, but with respect.
The shift might not take place until next season; Andrus does not turn 20 until Aug. 26, and he is batting only .271/.329/.307 at Class AA. Still, one scout who has seen Andrus often does not necessarily believe that the needs to be brought along slowly.
"Nothing will intimidate him," the scout says. "He has a great amount of confidence. He would approach it the same way at the big-league level as he would at Double A or Triple A.
"Of course, you'll see better arms and better stuff in the big leagues. But he has always had good strike-zone command and good pitch recognition. It will serve him well, probably even better at the major-league level. The strike zone is tighter. And the pitchers, to some degree, are more predictable than they are at Double A."
Tigers: It's the pitching, too
For all the focus on the Tigers' offensive and defensive struggles, their rotation has produced only nine quality starts — eight fewer than the next-closest American League team. Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson are a combined 2-for-23 in quality starts. Armando Galarraga, meanwhile, is 3-for-5.
The worst part is, the Tigers are locked into this group; they've guaranteed Bonderman, Robertson and Dontrelle Willis a combined $29.5 million next season and a combined $34.5 million in '10. Willis, working his way back from a hyperextended right knee, still must prove he can succeed in the AL.
Verlander believes he is throwing better than his 6.43 ERA indicates, but others say he is pressing and flying open with his shoulder because his velocity is down to 92 mph. Class A right-hander Rick Porcello, the eventual replacement for Kenny Rogers, can't arrive quickly enough.
Orioles' Cabrera: Keep him or trade him?
A scout who witnessed Daniel Cabrera's three-hitter against the Royals last week called it, "the best-pitched game I've seen all year." Cabrera was throwing 95 mph in the ninth inning, but what impressed the scout the most was that the 6-foot-9 right-hander commanded his sinker, getting 18 groundball outs. "No way they trade this guy," the scout said. "He was like (Roy) Halladay, that's how impressive he was."
The Orioles, though, could indeed attempt to move Cabrera if he continues making progress under new pitching coach Rick Kranitz. Cabrera is a free agent after the 2010 season, and the Orioles might not trust him enough to make a cornerstone. Orioles owner Peter Angelos rarely has invested long-term in starting pitching. His most recent stab at it, a three-year, $22.5 million deal for Sidney Ponson in 2004, turned out miserably.
Cabrera, who turns 27 on May 28, will need more than six straight quality starts to restore his value; he finished 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA last season and is a very poor fielder. But the Orioles' change in pitching coaches from the dogmatic Leo Mazzone to the more flexible Kranitz clearly seems to be working to his benefit.
Around the horn
Barry Bonds to the Tigers? Gary Sheffield says he wouldn't object, and it's not as if the team can turn back after building a $137.6 million payroll, the third highest in the game. Jim Leyland is comfortable managing Bonds, the Tigers badly need left-handed power and the team's clubhouse is full of star players with big egos. "It's already a zoo," one Tiger says. "What's another hippopotamus?" ...
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| Jim Edmonds could be a good fit for the Cubs. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images) |
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