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The Fay asks whether you would go for a bat or an arm at the deadline
He says the only thing the Reds surely don't need is relief pitching, but I think you could make an argument that one more shut-down reliever wouldn't hurt a bit. Not to be too equivocal about it, but I think the deal the Reds should make is the best available one. I would love Ubaldo Jimenez or James Shields, but it's possible that those guys are either wholly unavailable or only available at a prohibitive price. Of course, it's possible that no deal out there makes good sense, and in that case I think it's reasonable for Walt to stand pat. That would be a tough pill to swallow indeed, but sometimes the best move to make is no move. -
Zeldink at RHM bangs the drum for starting pitching
LF and SS are also areas of need, but those can reasonably be addressed by playing Chris Heisey and Zack Cozart more. While I tend to agree, I wouldn't be opposed to the Reds finding an upgrade at either or both. Starting pitching is the greatest area of need, but if the Reds can get Carlos "WCW Intercontinental Championship" Beltran or "The Outlaw" Jose Reyes I would likely approve. -
Brien Jackson makes a very convincing case for the Reds to go hard after James Shields
Consider me convinced. Check it out for yourself, but his argument basically boils down the fact that the Reds and Rays match up well in a deal (they need help at catcher and first base), Shields is good and signed semi long-term, and the Reds window to compete is really only open as long as Joey Votto is on this team. Not only could a deal for Big Game James help now, but it sets the team up to win for the next two years as well. The price could be steep, but it could be so worth it. -
OMGReds has graciously donated their bodies to the Reds Community Fund
so that Red Reporter can bash their brains in at wiffle ball. I would consider it a magnanimous gesture, but they are probably way too stupid to realize that our team is soooo much better than their team. If you would like to donate to the Red Reporter team, please follow this link. It probably wouldn't hurt to give to the OMGReds team too, because it's just so cute that they are even trying.
John at Blog Red Machine thinks the Reds just need to make a trade
ANY trade. His argument goes like this: "My feeling is who we trade for is almost meaningless, but we MUST make a trade. So why not find someone ready to win for the Reds? The reason is simple, the 25 men on this roster before and after any changes are made, need to know the front office expects to win now, with or without any of them."
I disagree with this assessment. I think it's folly to believe that just because a team isn't playing up our expectations that some of that is due to an attitude problem. John seems to think that part of the reason why the Reds are only a .500ish team so far is because of a lack of passion, a lack of a "win now" attitude. I don't claim to know what every player or every Reds employee is thinking, but I'm pretty confident that they all want to win right now. I think a big trade will inject a goodly amount of enthusiasm into the fanbase, but not necessarily the team. And I don't think the Reds need to make a trade just to make us feel better. They need to do it to improve the rotation, the lineup, the bullpen, whatever. But only as long as the trade is a reasonable one.
Johnny Cueto is one of the best surprises of the National League thus far
so sayeth the Platoon Advantage. "Nobody’s talking about the fact that Johnny Cueto, despite the worst K% of his career (14.9%), has a 1.98 ERA through 14 starts and almost 96 innings. If he had just two more IP, he’d be leading the NL in ERA, not the equally surprising but much better hyped Ryan Vogelsong. Cueto has suddenly become a groundballer, which has been an exceptionally good development given Cincinnati’s NL leading defense (.713 defensive efficiency). It’s helped him cut down on his homer rate, raise his double play percentage, and drop his BABIP down to an anemic .222. Much of this improvement is a function of luck, but a shift in pitching style to induce more grounders is a strategy that has become increasingly popular in 2011. And no one is doing it better than Cueto right now."
Marc Katz at the DDN argues that the complainers should shut the elf up
Sure, the team has been languishing around .500 for what seems like forever, but there are plenty of young, exciting players on the team (and in AAA) to keep this team in contention for a long time. And of course, "...remember, this is a lot better than what you’d expect from the football team in Cincinnati."
Commence Retweeter:
Jamie Ramsey:
TONIGHT'S LINEUP VS. METS...1976: WHO'S YOUR REDS PICK-TO-CLICK? http://wp.me/p1rXtQ-90hB.
I gotta vote Votto here, because I think he's the only one younger than 60.
Rojos_Beisbol:
Sábado el 23 de julio sea uno de los primeros 30.000 aficionados y reciba un muñeco bobblehead de Jonny Gomes. Juego empieza a las 4:10 PM.
I understand about three words in this tweet, but what I think it says is that Jonny Gomes and Antonio Sábado Jr and some guy named Julio are going to fight out a three-way steel cage death match to decide who gets a bobble head doll. The fight will take place at 4:10 PM.
Russell Wight:
@InTheGapShirts Yeah. The Pirates fans were really nice, which is weird b/c they probably turn into douche bags in the fall.
It's a funny thing. Once a long-suffering fanbase finally starts winning they inevitably become insufferable jerks. We saw it with the Red Sox in '04, the White Sox in '05, the Phillies in '08, and the Yankees in all the time. The lone exception to this rule is us. We went to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years last year, but we are still as cool and awesome and wicked sweet as we've ever been. It's a funny thing.
Aaron:
Just got home from work. We traded Gomes for Jimenez and Renteria for Shields, right? #Reds #Rockies #Raysz
My insider sources say these rumors are just that; rumors. It's true that the Reds are getting Jimenez and Shields (they will be making starts for the Reds in the upcoming series against the Mets), but the packages do not include Gomes or Renteria. Gomes and Renteria are being packaged to get Hanley Ramirez in a separate deal.
Mike Newman:
Was in attedance for this home run by Alonso last night. http://bit.ly/nlJGjq What a georgeous swing on that baseball. #Reds