He is the only proven, consistently good pitcher we got.

I am becoming more and more of a believer in blowing up the team right now and working like hell towards 2009

Phillips, on the other hand, could be very intriguing. he is exactly the kind of guy you sell high. his flashy glove and 30-30 status (not to mention his charisma) make him the kind of guy that some GMs would over-value. but who takes over at 2B? its obvious that Keppinger would be that guy, but i can see some folks crying that that would be a downgrade. here are their career OPS stats going all the way back to college:

Keppinger: ~.800 OPS
Phillips: ~.750 OPS

Kepp has clearly been a better hitter, taking their entire professional careers in account. of course, Phillips has a more established major league record, as 37% of his pro ABs have been in the majors while only 16% of Kepp’s have been in the majors. Phillips may have the Gold Glove reputation (and here is where my stats acumen falters, as i dont know enough about defensive metrics to back this up) but would anyone really consider Kepp a liability at 2B? he’s handling SS just fine. all in all, i think it is more than fair to say that Kepp is every bit the ball player that BP is, and at a terrificly discounted price. but i seriously doubt most GMs see it that way. this is precisely the kind of market perception you have to exploit. i think it would have been best to trade BP this winter and let someone else extend him, but perhaps he can keep his numbers up enough to do it this July or in the winter. if all the right cards turn up, Chris Valaika will tear up his promotion to AA and could be ready to step into the bigs next spring, or at least when Gonzo is gone.

dont get me wrong though, i have absolutely no problems keeping BP, as long as he doesnt pitch a hissy fit when he is moved down in the order. he is signed to a reasonable contract and is a nice face for the franchise (im looking forward to my BP 30-30 bobblehead on May 17). truth be told though, i have serious doubts Walt would listen to a single word of this.

For Phillips, that is. No way I trade Harang. This organization has struggled to find No. 3 starters for years. When you get a No. 2 or a No. 1, you keep him unless something ridiculous is offered.

As for Phillips, I vote for keeping him, too, but if the Reds deal him, who needs a 2B? At present, it appears the following teams:

San Francisco
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland
Colorado

Put Toronto, the Dodgers, Washington and Kansas City in the “maybe” pile.

If I deal Phillips to the Giants for prospects, I want Tim Alderson or Madison Bumgarner, a pair of terrific young pitchers. I’d love to land Nick Noonan, a 2B who I think will be a stud in a few years.

If I deal with the White Sox, and with Uribe, Ramirez and Richar around I’m not so sure they belong on the list, I’d require something such as Carlos Quentin. Chicago’s minor league system is as bare as any in the game.

Cleveland probably would offer Jeff Stevens back for Phillips, huh? I’d look for a package of prospects headed by LHP Chuck Lofgren.

Colorado would have to offer Franklin Morales and Chris Ianetta maybe.

It’s all just off the top of my head tinkering around, for what that’s worth. I’d have to get more in depth to feel comfortable with what I would ask for Phillips.

There are only two major trading chips that this team has Griffey and Dunn. I only say Dunn because if they can get a nice midseason hull from a team needing a power hitter, lets say the Yankees (completely theoritcal, I don’t even know if they have a need in the outfield/DH, but they seem to be down on Phil Hughes right now, and if Hank Steinbrenner fires Cashman who knows what will happen.) But if it does not appear likely that Dunn will resign mightaswell get some top prospects from a team in need.

But a team with a core of young players and/or players who are under control for the next few eyars including, Bruce, Cueto, Volquez, Bailey, Votto, EdE, Phillips, Kepp, Harang, Bray, Roenickie, Viola, etc, is a team that has been rebuilt and is just waiting to blossom. It is possible that Arroyo will be the worst pitcher in the rotation next year, and I realize that isn’t saying much with his early work, but he isn’t this bad. He doens’t appear to have an arm injury. He went through a rough patch last year, but put up a solid ERA in the low 4’s, so for the first time in a long time the starting rotation appears to be stable.

The only thing this team will need for next year is an outfielder or two, and a catcher. With the offense that Bruce, Phillips, Kepp, Votto, and EdE put up, they can probably take on a more defensive minded outfielder, as long as he isn’t an automatic out. Plus some of the young pitching talent, maybe Thompson if he continues to pitch well, could be traded for an outfielder in the offseason.

I just want the roster blown up
3 catchers
2 LH batting 1st basemen
Corey Patterson
Josh Fogg
meanwhile J. Bruce is languishing in AAA
I don’t know if Bailey will make it or not but now is a really good time to check him out.
We need a big RH bat and a catcher
Where you gonna get him? not from AAA
Maybe BP and a prospect or 2 could reel someone in towards the end of May or middle June. As ridiculous as it may sound to some, I think that BP is playing the best ball now that he’ll ever play. Plus some team out there might need a great shortstop..because OBVIOUSLY The Reds don’t.

going around, how about packaging him with Phillips for Juan Castro?

Because they are good? A trade for trade’s sake is foolish, especially when you are unloading some of the best players on your roster. And seeing how good starting pitching is such a rare commodity in this league (we could not even trade Dunn last year for a starting pitcher of Harang’s skill level), and that we still hope to have a winning season someday, hopefully, it makes even less sense (especially when you consider that no conceivable trade would give us a value of equal return for a top-of-the-line middle infielder or starting pitcher). You will just end up gutting the remainder of the team, dispiriting the fan base, and giving anyone a convenient excuse not to watch the games.

I am not opposed to trades, per se, but there must be something of equal value (financial and in terms of talent) that you receive in return. It would have to be one heckuva deal for me to approve of a trade like this, particularly Harang.

with the injection from young pitching and the addition of some youth in the field (Votto, Bruce) they really aren’t that far away.

this is the last thing i wouuld want to see happen

maybe (in teh off season)i would consider phillips but no way on god’s green earth would i trade harang