So I held off on weighing in on this one, because I wanted to think about it. I think I rush into judgement way too often when it comes to trades, so I figured giving myself a day would be a good idea.
Especially since this one hurt quite a bit. I've always been a big Austin Kearns fan. When the team sent him down last year I was pissed, and I still think it was idiotic. He was the only outfielder we had who could play defense solidly, and he was a solid hitter. I'm going to miss him.
And I'm also going to miss Felipe. I had this stupid hope that Felipe would be the shortstop for the next fifteen years, because that's the way things are supposed to be for the Reds. We're not meant to have rejects like Royce Clayton manning the position that Dave Concepcion and Barry Larkin played. Wayne Krivsky has put an end to the era of great Cincinnati Reds shortstops, and he's done so as emphatically as possible. I have a sickening feeling that shortstop is about to become a revolving door. There certainly isn't anyone in the system, and the team seems weirdly opposed to putting Phillips there.
So I've thought about it, and I can honestly say that this is the worst trade the Reds have made in my lifetime.
Now, you might think I'm being a bit over the top, but seriously, what else comes close? Paul O'Neill for Roberto Kelly? Kelly was a pretty fine player when he came over, and he had a couple of decent seasons for the Reds, so yeah, I think this is it.
Here's the thing. Reds fans have certain blind spots. Everyone says that a team's fans overvalue it's players, and I agree to an extent, but I also think a team's fans undervalue what the team has in abundance, and overvalue what it lacks. We all are massively overvaluing relief pitching.
Relief pitching shouldn't cost what the Reds gave up today. Wayne Krivsky even agrees, he said as much in his press conference. Relief pitching is the cheapest asset in the game, and WayneK just gave up a massive amount to get some.
He just made the biggest mistake a GM can make. He saw a need, and decided that he was going to fill it, come hell or high water. It's kind of thinking that led to most of what Dan O'Brien did wrong.
We're going to feel sick in two weeks when we see middle relievers getting traded for far less than an Austin Kearns or a Felipe Lopez.
And let's make this clear, I'm not against dealing these two players. I loved watching them play, but I've always known they were two of our bigger chips. I'm against dealing them for a couple of middle relievers and Royce Clayton.
Royce Clayton people. Jesus.
With all that being said, this deal might make the Reds contenders for the rest of the year, but the cost was ridiculously high, too high. It's looking like the Reds are going to become the Minnesota Twins of the National League, all pitching and defense, and it makes me sick. I have little faith in Wayne Krivsky after Joe Mays and now this.
I'm sorry, but he only gets a free pass for Arroyo, Phillips, and Ross for so long. Those were all great moves, but he pretty much wiped them out yesterday.