I haven't posted anything on Dusty Baker, because I'm kind of at the point where I don't have much to say. It is what it is. Wishing it away isn't going to do anything, and I unfortunately don't have the option of rooting for another team. It's just not in me to do that. I'm still a Bengals fan so my capacity for abuse is evidently infinite.
Bill Simmons recently wrote something about how the best part of being a fan is the in between times. How when your football team loses a conference championship, the bad part isn't that they aren't going to win the Super Bowl. The bad part is that you don't get to dream for the two weeks before the big game.
I feel like the Reds lately are always trying to take away my ability to dream, and that was my initial thought when I heard the announcement. "Well fuck, now I don't even get to hope during the offseason."
But you know what, screw that. It's not that I'm going to get behind Wayne Krivsky and Dusty Baker to the point of blindness, but I am going to allow myself to dream a little.
You know what I'm hoping for now?
I'm hoping that the Reds deal Joey Votto. For whatever, this part doesn't even really matter to me. Ideally some good pitching, maybe a reliever or two that would actually work out. Doesn't matter.
Then I'm hoping that the Reds will install Adam Dunn at first base. He is big and left handed, and that is enough to play first base as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if he'd be good there, and I don't particularly care if he wants to play there. Doesn't matter.
I want Adam Dunn at first because we need left field for Barry Bonds. A Bonds-Dusty reunion would benefit everyone involved. Sure he's probably injury prone at this point in his career, but what the hell. The Reds have pretty fantastic injury insurance in the form of Jay Bruce right now.
But I'm not done. Credit for this idea goes to a poster at RedsZone named M2. Find a way to get Johan Santana. He's in the last year of his contract and it's fairly likely the Twins will deal him at some point. The Reds are loaded in their farm system, and they can actually afford to take on salary because of Milton's $9 million coming off the books, combined with Castellini's assurance that payroll will be increasing for 2008. Offer Bailey and Hamilton, I really do think it would get the job done.
Then find a couple of solid relievers in the 30-35 age range as opposed to the 35-40 age range. At this point I imagine the payroll is up to $90-100 million a year.
Then go win the NL Central at the very least.
Unlikely as hell, I know. But we all know that the roster is going to look a lot different come April, so why not dream a little? It's ultimately what this is all about.