Dear BP: It’s Not You; It’s Us

Dear @DatDudeBP,

Thank you for eleven great years of baseball. You’ve been a joy to watch. You made highlight reel plays like this:

And this..

And this..

Not only were you awesome to watch on the field, but you’ve been great for the Cincinnati community too. Remember that time you went to some random dude’s little league game? How about the time you donated $32,500 to rebuild the Clark Montessori baseball field into Brandon Phillips Field?

Awesome.

The Cincinnati community-at-large loves you, the Reds fan base loves you, and the Cincinnati Reds franchise loves you so much that they’ve paid you nearly $83 million to play for them. We get that there are some things happening behind the scenes that we don’t know about it. We get it.

But man, it’s time to move on. Let’s be honest: it’s well past time. The teams you were a part of missed their window, and now nearly everyone has moved on. It’s your turn.

Remember back in April 2006 when the Reds traded for you? You were the 24-year-old former top prospect that the Indians needed to trade because Ramon Vazquez had beaten you out for a roster spot.

The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote an article a couple of days later, discussing the crowded infield situation.

Back in 2006, it was Rich Aurilia, Tony Womack, and Ryan Freel that you had to compete with for playing time. You were in the same position that Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera find themselves in now, just waiting for your opportunity to play every day and to prove you had the talent to compete in the majors. It didn’t take long for the Reds to notice that talent and turn second base over to you for the next decade.

Now it’s Peraza and Herrera’s turn. They’re the youthful upstarts that need big league at bats and you’re the grizzled, battle-tested vet. You need to step aside and give them the opportunity you were given in 2006. It’s time for you to take your talents to Atlanta, or Washington, or Arizona, or whoever will have you. You’re still going to get your $14 million for this year, you’ll undoubtedly get a contract for the following years too, and you may even get to compete for a World Series.

We’ll still cheer for you when you come to town — unless you’re playing for the Cardinals (please don’t go to the Cardinals) — and we’ll always have the good times.

But it’s time for the next chapter to begin for both of us, so please accept this situation, BP. It’s not you; it’s us. It’s time for both of us to move on.

Love Always,
Cincinnati Reds fans