Red Reposter - Reds Make Decent, Sensible Move; Surprise the Hell Out of Internet Jerks

Jorge Says No! likes the deal for both the Reds and Scott Rolen
Saying it gives the Reds flexibility and gives Rolen security. "I have a hard time thinking that in 2012 we'll think that this deal was fantastic, but in the short term, it accomplished an important goal for the Reds and now gives them the opportunity (albeit a small one) to spend money on some players."

Shawn at the Reds FanHuddle blog isn't wildly enthusiastic about the Rolen extension
but he doesn't seem terribly disappointed either.

DJ Short at Circling the Bases says it's "more than a fair deal"
for the Reds, assuming Rolen stays healthy. Bonus for freeing up $$ to "improve in other areas".

raygu at Fake Teams likes the Rolen extension too
The payroll flexibility is what intrigues him the most, as he wonders out loud if the money freed up in the Rolen extension could be used to eat more of Aaron Harang's salary in a dump trade with the Dodgers. It's an intriguing scenario, and one I hadn't heard yet.

Fonzie Forever has a very interesting post comparing Aaron Harang to John Lackey
I gotta say, it certainly raised my eyebrows. Harang has been Lackey's near-equal over the course of their careers, and Lackey just signed a deal with Boston for $82.5 mil. It's been widely rumored that for the Reds to trade Dangerfield Harang, they would have to eat at least half his salary.

Patriot takes a look at how lead-off hitters fared around the league
He uses a variety of different metrics and attacks the question from a variety of different angles, but one of the overwhelming conclusions to be drawn is "Willy Taveras managed to do what Jerry Hairston, Corey Patterson, and friends could not in 2008--lead the Reds leadoff slot to the bottom of the rankings". Faaaaaantastic.

Matt Klaassen at FanGraphs backs me up on what I was saying about evaluating deals and trades
He says the Gary Matthews Jr contract looks like a bear now, but at the time the deal was made it really wasn't so bad. Lil Sarge was coming off a 3-year stretch averaging over 3 WAR a season, so the 5-year $50 mil contract he got from the Angels, though a little long in years, was about right on market value. Of course, Matthews has been terrible since going to LA, but it's not good process to evaluate deals based on results, right?

Sheldon updates us on Edinson Volquez' rehab in his latest Inbox
He hopes to start throwing in January, but he's taking it slow to be on the safe side. He also dropped 12 pounds in a month. I didn't think he had that much to lose.

Erik Manning asks the Cubs just what they think they are doing
The Milton Bradley-Carlos Silva deal basically switches out Bradley and Tom Gorzelanny for Marlon Byrd (whom they are rumored to want for CF) and Silva, a switch that nets them a pretty tidy loss of a few wins. Keep f**king that chicken, Chicago!