If you can’t afford it, SELL THE TEAM!

I know the talk right now is all “green shoots,” but I think it will be years before the economy recovers. If ever. The fundamentals are ugly beyond belief. Yes, attendance matters, but I suspect what’s really hurting is corporate sponsorships/ad money. Baseball is far more dependent on those big-money deals than they were in the Great Depression – the last recession of this magnitude.

Agree that there needs to be a more level playing field, but MLB is in a different boat entirely from the NFL. The NFL started with the revenue sharing in the beginning. They are a sport designed for TV. Even so, rich teams like the Cowboys want to do away with it.

MLB waited too long. Now, some teams, like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets, have their own TV networks. Teams like the Yankees and Mariners that have Japanese stars make millions selling the TV rights in Japan. That’s going to make it hard to force sharing of TV and radio money.

I think baseball is different from football, too, in that it’s fundamentally more local. With football, there’s only one game a week. That makes football games of wider interest than baseball games. They’re national events, in a way baseball games are not.

IMO, the only hope of leveling the playing field is via the Internets. But MLB is really screwing that up, with their ridiculously arrogant and incompetent, blackout-ridden MLB.TV.

If you are worried about payroll, dont give Willy Taveras 6 Million over 2 years, or trade 3 younger, cheaper players for an aging 3B that will make 10 Million this year. If the Reds trade Votto just so they could move a “bad contract” Id be so pissed.

Any suggestions on how I can spend my time once I officially quit on the Reds next fall?

is that the one player the Reds would supposedly “prefer to keep” is Francisco Cordero. I like CoCo, but if you are looking to cut payroll, wouldn’t the most logical place to start be at the player who costs the most, pitches the least, and is in the most volatile field in baseball?

But he’d be second after players who make millions and contribute nothing at all.

Reds will sign Joey Gathright and Bengie Molina for a combined $6 million.

Walt trades Brandon Phillips to cut payroll.

Bob blames trade of Phillips on fan attendence.

Ralph Houk will die.

Saying you’re going to underfund the team is the best way to encourage people to buy season tickets, Bob. But if for some reason that makes them not want to buy, you can just use that as an excuse to underfund the team!

that article is wrong about Votto being traded. We’d probably lose Poodle if that happened…

Someone in the comments over there points out that by his estimates, the difference between Rolen’s contract next season and EdE’s ($11 million vs. $4.75 million) is, oh, about equal to the amount the Reds are looking to cut.

You should start a website around that premise, attract a irreverent core group, let it build it’s own culture…

Seriously, I haven’t quite given it up, but I recognize the symptoms and don’t doubt I’ll follow your path (much like finding my way here)

I mean heck play all minor leaguers. Then we can raise ticket prices. Beers will now be $17.50 and hotdogs $12. That should help you out Reds.

If you keep trading every person with name recognition or that shows a glimpse of talent, how do you expect your ticket sales to go up? ( I will not start on overpaying washed up rejects from other clubs) Just quit with the poor me, fans aren’t coming to the games.

Look at the money Cordero, Lincoln, Weathers, Taveras, Stanton, Hernandez, Rolen, even Dusty Baker. Are some of those nice pieces? Yes. But not the pieces a smaller market team can pay stupid money to (Especially the Bullpen Arms & Taveras).

I won’t really knock the Phillips or Harang deals, Arroyo is questionable, but if he can find a way to do all season what he did at the second half of last season, his contract doesn’t look near as bad.

Bottom line is, if the Reds saw this coming last June or July, no way the Rolen deal should have ever been an idea. Shit, the Reds could have signed DeRosa for less as a FA this off season, and NOT have given up Roenicke or Stewart.

without the comedy. Can we trade for Gene Wilder?

so that i can start following that team

has signed a one deal with the Mariners.

The Red’s financial problems are of their own making. Ill-advised personnel investments (Cordero, Lincoln, Taveras), knee-jerk reactions to fix the team (Rolen) and unwillingnesss to adapt the culture of the team and make an upfront investment – even bringing in outside investors – to build a long-term competitive team. This is all coming at a time when Cincinnati football is thriving and season-ticket sales for a hapless, self-destructive team are not going to be a hot item.

If Joey Votto is gone, Willy Taveras is still here and CoCo isn’t the player they’re trying to aggressively shop before anyone else, this team is well beyond help.

Jocketty’s response to possibly trading Votto: “Oh God, no.”

"It’s all part of the big picture," Jocketty said. "We’re building a younger club for the long-term. If we can get players who are major leauge ready — 1- to 3-year guys — who can help us, we’ll look at it."

i feel like it is time for me to give you up. I haven’t given up a habit since i stopped sucking my thumb in kindergarten.

You know I have a lot of family from the South Side who are White Sox fans, maybe I can find a new home there. I enjoy Cellular Field, their fans seem nice, 35th street is a little scary.

But really dear Reds we are in an abusive relationship and you know it as well as I do. Every spring I think with a few lucky breaks this will be the years. You trick me, try to pass off Eric Milton and Ramon Ortiz and upgrades, and silly me well I believed you. But the trust is gone, and trust is the most important part of any relationship.

This guy from Camden Crazies on Twitter just proposed this deal to me:

Harang/Phillips for Nolan Reimold? I’d imagine you’d say no to that, but I probably would from the O’s end as well.

I had never heard of Nolan Reimold, so I decided to look him up. Sickels says: “I think Reimold will be a solid hitter, but I don’t think he’ll be a star. Grade: B-”. And this fella thinks that trading 2 good starting players is a good deal for him? His minor league numbers are nice (.286/.383/.521), but he’ll be 26 next season with 411 big league PAs and a 117 OPS+ as a corner outfielder (and not a very good defensive one according to a small sample of UZR).

Am I missing something? I’m so baffled that someone seriously uttered those words, that I can’t figure out if I’m just blinded to something.

Leatherpants tweets so.

The Red’s could drop Clownboy and ’tHom and save not only money but some dignity too boot.

No more stupid contracts to fast free agent outfielders.
No more fat-cat deals to strengthen the bullpen.

We finally get the young guys brought up to play on the big league level. Yeah we will likely not improve our record next year. But the young guys will come up and gain experience, rather than us wasting money on vets to cover the gap for prospects.

Do not resign Hernandez. Trade Harang, Cordero and Rolen if offered decent prospects, but don’t dump them, they are valuable as mentors to the youth. Wait for a great deal on Phillips. Dump Arroyo for prospects. Murder Taveras and have insurance pay his wages. That is all.

Reds may entertain offers for francisco cordero, brandon phillips and bronson arroyo.

Seems like a certainty that one of the three will be traded during the offseason in order to get payroll down into the 60s. Selling high on Bronson seems like the way to go, with Cordero being paid the same but harder to move and Phillips a better bet to provide more value at a lower cost next year.

the economy sucks. most ballpark revenue streams are down considerably. attendance isnt necessarily down that much but most folks, i imagine, are spending less at the park. (except jch who got a sweet severance and likes to get his buzz on and go to Jeff Hall, solo in a rainstorm if need be)

if i ran this club i wouldnt add 10mm salary next season either. the smart move is to flip Cordero and either Arroyo or Harang (even if i think they’re valuable assets at current salaries). the bottom line is that the line between the have and have nots is widening, especially b/c some teams make a mint of their own local broadcasting rights.

look at the NFL. Pittsburgh and Indianapolis can be extremely competitive in small markets for a decade, or so. Minnesota, New Orleans, and Cincy are currently upper echelon teams. Chi hasnt won in 23 years and the NY Jets havent in 40? Dallas, a monster of revenue income, still sucks and there is no team in LA.

However Bob’s money would be gone in a couple of seasons if he weren’t a cautious business person/…Poof goes money in this economy. He’s just being smart.

you add Cordero on a big contract and then Rolen on a big contract and now you’re going to sell off some key players? Seems silly. The Reds would have been better off waiving Encarnacion.

Blah… obviously the best thing to do is to trade Cordero, even if it meant eating half of his 2010 salary. I don’t see how the Reds do it though. I don’t understand why Rolen isn’t on the trading block?

It’s likely that they won’t get a good offer for Cordero, so I don’t see him leaving. If the Reds are smart, they wouldn’t trade anyone right now, but would be better off waiting until the deadline and trying to move Cordero or Phillips then. I hope the team has the patience for that.

Once again the Reds really should be playing to rebuild 2010 and shoot for 2011. Many good young players should be hitting their stride then: Bailey, Cueto, Bruce, Votto, Stubbs, and maybe Volquez. I think trading away Harang and Arroyo would be foolish and the Reds would likely never get back any pitching worth as much as those two. Ultimately that’s all I’m hoping for.

Maybe Arroyo, Phillips, and Mesacaro could get the job done.

When J.D. posts people listen – and participate.
At this writing – 299 comments…J.D. is a game thread unto himself!

is better than discussions about john wall.

where’s dave from louisville when I need him? (i’m gonna guess louisville)