Since we've reached the break and all, the Reds blogwriters decided this would be a good time to have another Reds blog roundtable. Here are the participants:
Shawn of Cincinnati Reds Blog (Part 1)
Daedalus from Church of Baseball (Part 2)
Doc Scott from Reds (and Blues) (Part 3)
Ashlee of ...and this one belongs to the Reds (Part 4)
Part 5 (This is it)
Jacci of We Heart the Reds (Part 6)
JinAZ of On Baseball and the Reds (Part 7)
Amanda of Red Hot Mama (Part 8)
Read part 5 after the jump:
Shawn: We've already bled into this one, but question 4....
Shawn: What moves would you like the Reds to make before the trading deadline? Be specific, if possible.
Ashlee: This is one thing I am no good at... I'll leave this to you guys.
Red Hot Mama: Likewise
Doc Scott: DL or DFA David Weathers and call up
David Shafer.
Shawn: How is Shafer doing?
Jacci: I'm all for doing something with Weathers
Daedalus: lopez for a starter, denorfia for a reliever, larue for a sucker, dfa weathers
Ashlee: Oh, yeah, well if were DFA'ing people, I'm on the DUMP WEATHERS bandwagon
JinAZ: I don't know who to target, but I just think they need to pursue bullpen help. Be it for a prospect or two, or for a position player.
JD: Trade an outfielder for relievers, bring up Homer Bailey for the bullpen, bring up David Shafer, bring up Dumatrait, DFA Weathers
JD: I think that's it
JinAZ: I think Weathers needs to be DL'd. He hasn't been good since he hurt his shoulder mid-June
Daedalus: yeah, i'm in agreement about bailey
Shawn: Actually, I'd be OK with keeping Weathers. I think he's just in a slump, or hurting
Ashlee: He was pulled off the mound with "severe shoulder tendinitis" and was pitching again a week later
Doc Scott: I would keep Lopez
Red Hot Mama: Are you nuts? Bailey?
Doc Scott: you don't trade guys like Lopez for veteran deadline help
JD: No, I think I'm sane
JD: I could be wrong
Shawn: It's not Bailey time yet. He's just 20. That's a recipe for Dwight Gooden-type flameouts.
Red Hot Mama: Just turn him into Wagner Jr. why don't you
JinAZ: I'd probably keep Bailey in AA, as painful as that is to do. Don't want him getting hurt.
JD: Two words: Jonathan Papelbon
Ashlee: ...what is going on with that!? Makes NO sense to me.
Jacci: I wouldn't be so keen on seeing Bailey up in Cincy yet
Shawn: Papelbon is 25, not 20
JD: We're too damn gun shy because we're Reds fans
Doc Scott: Jonathan Papelbon has command of more than one major-league caliber pitch.
JD: Any other organization wouldn't have a complex about bringing up a 20 year old for the bullpen - its not like he'd be throwing many innings in the pen
JinAZ: Bailey's curveball is getting pretty good though...
JD: So does Bailey
JD: From what I've read anyway
Shawn: Do you see any other organization bringing up a 20-year old for the bullpen?
Ashlee: I'm with JD. Look at Boston: A rookie reliever is anchoring the bullpen there. We're all about "Veteran presence" and look where our 'pen is!!!
Shawn: Bailey gets here, and Narron won't be able to stop himself from using him
Doc Scott: I didn't say Bailey didn't have more than one major-league pitch- but he doesn't command the breaking stuff quite well enough yet
Red Hot Mama: He was in high A earlier this year!
JD: I don't see any other organizations with the bullpen problems that the Reds have combined with a 20 year old that has a 98 mph fastball
Doc Scott: he could help in the bullpen with command of two pitches, I agree
JinAZ: I just think you have to focus long-term with Bailey. Keep him working on being a starter, maybe bring him up mid '07 for long relief/spot start work to get a taste for the majors.
Red Hot Mama: He could help the rotation in 2008 if we don't break him
JD: 2008?
Doc Scott: I'm thinking he can be up by 2007
Shawn: It's a recipe for killing the arm that could win you championships for years to come.
JD: I'm sorry, but I haven't seen a playoff game as a Reds fan since 1995
JD: I'm not really ok with waiting until 2008 to try to win
Shawn: Bailey in the second half of 2007, after he gets through the first arm injury
Red Hot Mama: So that's worth blowing out a good kid with a great talent?
JD: I don't think a bullpen stint would blow him out
Red Hot Mama: I've never seen a Reds playoff game, but I'm not willing to go there.
JD: If I did, then I wouldnt want him brought up
JinAZ: Relief doesn't have innings, but it has frequent appearances, and that can be stressful too.
Shawn: Bring up Denorfia and put him in the lineup
Doc Scott: JD, it's not a binary thing, choosing a) Bailey in the bigs or b) losing
Daedalus: [cabrera is raking now, 8 so far] bailey throwing in the Majors the same number of innings as he would in AA is no greater risk of injury
Doc Scott: c'mon now...
Shawn: AA ends in early September
Shawn: Not in October
JD: I think it might be actually
Doc Scott: Bailey showed zero consistency in 2005 and only slightly more in Sarasota, then he puts up three shutout starts in AA and he's in the bigs?
JD: The bullpen is what has broken this team so far, if its not fixed then they're done
Doc Scott: that move just doesn't stand a good chance of working
Shawn: Give Guardado some time. We need a long man. Chris Michalak is a good candidate.
Doc Scott: Wayne has shown he can get pitchers in here... whether they work is another story
Daedalus goes to get a beer
Shawn: Someone who can throw more than two innings at a time
Red Hot Mama: We've got a new owner. We've got a good first half of the season. I'd like to see us buy someone personally.
Doc Scott: Guardado for Chick was a perfectly solid trade for "now"
Shawn: Yeah, Chick is still far away from the majors
Doc Scott: sure, it could bite us later, but so could Arroyo for Pena
Doc Scott: and nobody's saying that now
Shawn: Apologies to Bronson, but that one still scares me.
JinAZ: Chick might be solid, but there's at least a 50% chance he won't amount to anything either. Good trade given the Reds' situation.
Doc Scott: higher than 50%
JD: yeah, much higher
Doc Scott: I'd give him 25% to make the bigs at all, then maybe 1/3 chance of sticking
Doc Scott: The Naked Gun and Officer Nordberg are coming to mind
JinAZ: On the other hand, he still is young (22) and talented. A lot of 22-year olds are still pitching in college, and he's had two years in AA
Shawn: Would the Cubs give us Bobby Howry for Rich Aurilia?
Shawn: I'd make that deal.
Jacci: I could probably live with that
Shawn: Or Scott Eyre for Aurilia? That'd be cool.
Doc Scott: as of right now, Chick has shown poor enough control that he has to take something off that mid-90s fastball to consistently throw strikes... so he's gotten hit this year and last
Red Hot Mama: I don't know if Richy would fit in in Chicago. Might be more of a McCracken type deal...
JD: That'd be a great trade if it happened
Doc Scott: and he can't control the rest of his stuff
Shawn: Oh, Dusty would looooove to have Aurilia again
JD: Not sure why the Cubs would do that though, but they're stupid, so who knows
Shawn: If Dusty doesn't get fired this weekend
Shawn: Week, whatever
Doc Scott: the Cubs' farm system has sorta gone to shambles, so don't assume they won't want prospects
JinAZ: Cubs are pretty much out of it -- I'd guess they'd want prospects, not 34-year old infielders
Shawn: It's worth the asking.
Doc Scott: they traded a bunch of their pitchers for Juan Pierre, Pie the five-tooler is hitting like Corey Patterson, and their power-hitting 1Bs are both in AA hitting like Anderson Machado
JinAZ: definitely.
Doc Scott: Dusty's fired, dude
Doc Scott: He's dead like Zed
Shawn: Oh well