This was something that had escaped my notice, but this article in the Post says that Ben Weber was DFA'd on Tuesday to make room on the 40 man for Chris Denorfia.
Weber was a risky pickup, with what looked like some upside. He had great numbers in 2002 and 2003, but the wheels came off in 2004 due to a bout with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Weber failed to bounce back this season, posting an 8.03 ERA in 12.3 innings.
Management by Baseball, a blog that teaches business lessons by studying baseball, took a look at the Reds and Ben Weber on Saturday:
According to an article in the Cincinnati Post, in the off-season, the Reds, in the words of their G.M., Dan O'Brien, signed Weber to a fairly low-price deal because Weber's previous failure in Anaheim made him affordable and his short history of useful success made him someone you could imagine might deliver some utility: What O'Brien calls a bounce-back guy.[...]
The Bounce-Back Guy theory is very useful to know about beyond baseball, less for individual contributors than it is for vendors. I'll explain what I mean after I flesh out the baseball model a little as background.
But the Bounce-Back Guy thing can work for a baseball team, and it can work out for organizations beyond baseball, too.
It's an interesting article, and you can check out the rest of it here.