Red Reposter - 8/6/09

Brandon Phillips came to two quick conclusions when he heard Todd Frazier had been moved to 2nd
"I'm getting traded, or I'm moving to shortstop." He says he certainly doesnt want to be traded, but he'd be willing to move to SS if they asked him to. But it's probably too out-of-the-box for this team to do. I guess we'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Also, Micah Owings is rarin' to go after spending the last week-and-a-half on the DL. His shoulder feels strong and he says he's ready to go on a rehab assignment on Monday. But Dusty says that may not be necessary, and he may start in St Louis on Tuesday.

Jonah Keri at SI revisits that Trade of Trades, the Volquez-Hamilton deal
and just one year after most writers were speechless at how perfect the deal was working out for the respective teams (both Hobbs and the Wagon were All-Stars last season), Keri says the luster has worn off the pig. Hamilton is struggling big time, battling a torn ab muscle and OPSing just .654. And Volquez...well, I dont want to talk about it.

The Fay tweets that Banana Bob is a-ok with Dusty Baker
His job is safe for the rest of the year and he'll be back for next season. I dont really think this is news, I mean, Dusty is owed something like $4 mil for next season. That would be a pretty big matzoh ball for Bob to swallow.

Evan Brunell at THT takes a minority stand and defends the Reds for making the Rolen deal
He says Rolen is a significant upgrade over EdE at 3B due to his defensive wizardry, and the word that the BJays are kicking in more $$ makes the move much more palatable. He says the trade puts the Reds into a position to make a run in the weak NL Central next year. With a few minor FA signings, the Reds could significantly upgrade the lineup and put themselves in a place to push for the playoffs next season.

Mike Minor, the #7 pick of the Braves, signed for a bonus of $2.42 mil
This could set off a series of dominoes, including the Reds #8 pick Mike Leake. I would expect Leake to sign soon for something like $2.2-2.3 mil. I was never really worried about Leake's signability and I dont think Walt is either, but it seems like it's only a matter of time now. That's good.