Life Post-Junior

In the unexpected yet necessary Ken Griffey Jr. trade, the Reds need to fill the vacancy left by Junior in the leadership department. Of course, the leadership ability of a 38-year-old future Hall of Famer is not easily replaced, which is why an actual physical leader may not be the thing this club needs. With the direction this club is taking roster-wise, young players and those given a new life on the Reds (Keppinger, Hairston Jr., the entire bullpen, etc.), maybe this ballclub just needs that drive of the underdog to motivate these players. With Junior gone, Jay Bruce moved up to fill the 3rd spot, giving the rookie much more responsibility and more pressure to perform. I'm watching the game right now against the Brewers and Bruce just hit a homer to center, knocking in Joey Votto and giving him 3 RBI on the day. Those 3 RBI account for all of the Reds' runs thus far, so you have to figure Bruce is getting the job done, at least at first. Joey Votto, arguably the best hitter in the lineup, was finally given the opportunity to hit in the top of the order and he is certainly succeeding when his club needs him to (6 hits, 6 RBI, 1 HR) since being moved up in the lineup. Now all we need is for Hairston to stay healthy so we never have to see Corey Patterson again...

Jolbert Cabrera is pretty good, too.

Homer Bailey is Christian Bale

I apologize to any Cincinnatians out there as I'm sure you're tired of seeing this comparison, but I just saw the Dark Knight last night and Homer happens to be starting today, so the physical similarites are fresh on my mind.

And finally: Get yourself a ring, Ken Griffey Jr., because I'm sure you're an avid reader of this tiny section of the blogosphere.

Trade Deadline-A-Palooza

With the trade deadline quickly approaching (one hour and counting), I figured that it would be a good idea to take a brief look at what the Redbirds have done come deadline time over the past few years*:

2001- With the rise of El Hombre and the Cardinals en route to the playoffs, Jocketty traded LHP Jason Christiansen to San Francisco in exchange for Kevin Joseph and a player to be named later. Eventually, the Giants sent cash.

2002- In yet another pennant race, the Cardinals made several trades to improve the team. They acquired pitcher Chuck Finley from the Indians for first baseman/outfielder Luis Garcia and a minor league player to be named later (Coco Crisp). Later, they received Scott Rolen and Doug Nickel from the Phillies for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud “no-hit” Smith.

2003- In the year of the best fan ever, the Cardinals didn’t make any moves at the deadline, but did trade for Mike DeJean for two PTBNL.

2004- In the magic regular season of 2004, the Redbirds acquired Armando Rios from the O’s, a player who was released a month later. The Cardinals did prove to make a key waiver trade, though, acquiring Larry Walker from the Rox for Jason Burch, Luis Martinez and Chris Narveson.

2005- In the year of the “Miracle at Minute Maid Park”, the Cardinals stood pat at the deadline.

2006- In the Championship Season, the Redbirds made a handful of pivotal moves. They traded for World Series pitching hero, the best second baseman they had had in years, and a homerun-prone reliever, all for a slugger (minor leagues), a player in the doghouse, and a crappy minor league pitcher.

2007- En route to the first losing season in years, the Redbirds traded for Joel Piniero of the BoSox. He turned out to be (arguably) the pitcher who finally crushed the Mets spirits during their enormous collapse.

2008- That brings us to this season. So far, they have sent A-Rey to the Indians for Luis Perdomo.

*Note: as some of you may know, the Cardinals have a different GM this year. Although, he was the assistant GM for years under Walt Jocketty, so it is not as if he is new to the organization.

Most educated Cardinal fans would hate to be in GM John Mozeliak’s shoes right now. The future Hall of Fame manager is pushing for him to sell off pieces of the future so they will have a shot at winning in this so called “rebuilding season”. Ownership is telling him not to do it, especially while “Mo” is unwilling to give up many top prospects. In the mean time, some fans are riding him for not making moves so they will have a shot at winning it all. At the same time, these are the fans who will be TPing his house and harshly criticizing him if he does move any top prospects. Oh man, would I hate to be in Mo’s shoes!

Notes:

Top pitching prospect Jaime Garcia was apparently not with Triple-A Memphis last night. This could mean one of several things: after the send down of Randy Flores, the team is just looking for a better lefty specialist for the pen, or they are trading him. Either way, it should improve the team.

The team has reportedly been shopping ace Kyle Lohse, but will probably have to be blown away to move him. According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, “Officials of two teams that spoke with the Cardinals report that they've been offering to deal Lohse if they can get back the right package.”

Good luck at the deadline, Mo!

Losing Streak

With Volquez getting the start tonight, the Reds will hopefully be able to snap a five-game losing streak that can only be described as embarrassing. Losing as bad as they did to the Rockies at home is simply unacceptable, especially since the Reds have such a good record at Great American Ballpark and the Rockies aren't exactly a World Series team this year. The Reds were outscored 23-3 in the final series of the last homestand, including a 11-0 shutout. The offense this year has been nothing but inconsistent, making being a Reds fan so hit-and-miss. When the team is functioning according to their talent level, the Reds play great baseball and are a fun team to watch, but it's hard not to become disconnected as a fan during these frustrating cold streaks. It's no secret that the Reds are not a playoff caliber team this year, but I know they aren't as bad as their record indicates. All the ingredients are there, it's just a matter of putting it all together at the same time, a task much easier said than done but something all teams who want to win must be able to do consistently.

Owner Bob Castellini traveled to Houston to see his team play the Astros and maybe provide a little moral support. More accurately, I think his appearance at a game on the road two days before the trade deadline was meant to keep the players on their toes and make them fear for their jobs. Arroyo, who has been the center of many trade rumors, got the start in front of Castellini. Last week, Bronson made it clear he didn't want to be traded, and I doubt he will be. Even with all the rumors surrounding Griffey Jr. and Dunn, I don't see the Reds making any huge deals in the next day.

In other news, I was down in the dumps earlier this morning about the losing ways of the Reds, so I searched "1990 world series reds" in youtube and found some uplifting videos. Most notably a video from Nazi Germany. Even Hitler is upset with how poorly the Reds are playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoF3SbtYR20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk_zLsEh2YM&feature=related

Blown Saves Galore! Pt. 2

As I mentioned in my last post, the Cardinals bullpen has reached somewhat of a low point. And by somewhat I mean a disaster. And by disaster I mean that the team’s playoff run hinges on the effectiveness of the bullpen. As of late, the team has been linked to the likes of Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill, Ron Mahay, Will Ohman and Eddie Guardado. As dominant as (most) of these pitchers have been, ownership has been reluctant to give up top prospect Colby Rasmus, as confirmed in a recent interview with majority owner Bill DeWitt. With doubt creeping into Cardinal fans’ minds after the recent sweep by the Brewers, few can predict the team’s level of activity at the trade deadline. I, luckily for you, am one of those few. The four games against the Brewers were all within the Redbirds’ reach. The biggest deficit the Cardinals had a chance to overcome was a mere three runs. With the exception of the stellar outing by CC, the bullpen blew every game for the Cardinals. That is completely unacceptable. If they blew one game, that’s fine, but to lose three games because your bullpen is made up of warm bodies and Russ Springer is unforgivable. Now, for a look at what they can do, will do, and should do:

Can Do:
Move a starter to the pen/stand pat at the deadline. The Cardinals can wait for both injured aces (Wainwright and Carpenter) to come back from their rehab stints so they can bump two players to the bullpen. This may be the best option, seeing as how one of the most likely players to be bumped will be former reliever Braden Looper. Even though Looper’s switch from reliever to starter last season was considered a success, it seems like he could better help the team from the bullpen for the rest of the season.

Make a trade. The Cardinals can also go out and trade for a lights out reliever/closer such as George Sherrill. The only problem with this is that it would take some serious prospects to acquire such a talented player. The perfect prospect the Cardinals could trade for Sherrill would be starter Jess Todd. Todd has had a dominating year, to say the least. I feel that he is the perfect trade candidate because he projects as a reliever in The Bigs. Yes, he is having a dominant year, and yes, projections can be wrong. But it is not as if he is the only Cardinal starting pitching prospect in the system. They have four prospects that should be ready to take a spot in the rotation next season. On the other hand, it is thought that Todd could be a September call-up this season, and fill a role in the depleted bullpen. Still, I think that he is the best piece of trade bait that the Cardinals have, besides Anthony Reyes. Also, it is not as if we are completely mortgaging our future for one run at the playoffs. Sherrill is under team control through 2011.

Use someone from Triple-A. Ever since Chris Perez was drafted back in 2006, he has been bred as Jason Isringhausen’s replacement. Called up in May, Perez had success as a late-innings reliever. He was recently sent down so the Cardinals could activate Randy Flores from the DL. Even though the young fireballer lost his slider and had some control problems, he cannot be much worse than Izzy and Franklin. He is not the only reliever at AAA who could be called up to revive the bullpen. There is also former catcher Jason Motte, and Mark Worrell. This trio of relievers is definitely better than the trio of relievers at the major league level (Franklin, Izzy, Flores) who are blowing games left and right.

Will Do:
· I definitely see the Cardinals going out and trading for a reliever, but nobody who will cost them a small fortune of prospects. Maybe they will go after Ron Mahay, Jimmy Gobble, Will Ohman, or they even might trade for several relievers. As good as I think Looper will be in the pen, I still think that Braden himself cannot turn around the pen, and needs the help of several other proven relievers.

Should Do:
· If the Cardinals would be able to give up a decent amount of B-level prospects and extra pieces on the major league team (Brad Thompson, Aaron Miles, Chris Duncan, Jon Jay, Daryl Jones), then I definitely see a reason for going after George Sherrill. But if they are unable to swing a deal for a lights out reliever without giving up any of the untouchable prospects such as Jaime Garcia and Colby Rasmus, then it is not worth it. Also, it doesn't seem right to go after a decent reliever whose contract is up at the end of the year. Why trade pieces of your future in a so called "rebuilding year" for a rental? That rules out Fuentes.

As you can see, I'm strongly in favor of them making a trade. I see the Redbirds doing that, but not for someone who will cost them multiple key parts of the future. Maybe Will Ohman or Jack Taschner will be wearing Cardinal Red before the week is up. I guarantee that by the end of the week, the Cardinals will have a different player closing games out. With the trade deadline fast approaching (Thursday), I will try to post as often as I can about the trade the Cardinals (hopefully) make.

Cards Send World Series Game 1 Winner To Cleveland For Minor Leaguer And Cash

Well, the title pretty much sums it up. The Cardinals, frustrated after several years of Reyes butting heads with pitching coach Dave Duncan, have finally parted with their former #1 prospect. Reyes, who spent part of the season in the bullpen and the other part as a starter for Triple-A Memphis, is being traded for Indians minor league reliever Luis Perdomo.

To me, it seems as if the Cardinals got swindled. Reyes was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and gets traded for a player at least two years away from the majors and cash, and unless the Indians gave us 10 mil., it seems the Redbirds got taken advantage of. At the very least, they should have tried to negotiate for the rights of Rule-V pick Brian Barton (who was drafted from the Cleveland organization).

Over the past three years, Reyes has been at odds with Duncan, because of the difference in their pitching strategies. Reyes, who was a strikeout pitcher and threw high in the zone, was instructed by Duncan to become a groundball pitcher and pitch low in the zone. Obviously, Reyes was conflicted, because why would someone who had so much success using his own strategy switch to a completely different one? Still, most Cardinal fans think all that Reyes needed to become effective was a change of scenery and will probably thrive under a different pitching coach, on a different team, in a different division, in a different league, and with about 500 miles separating him from the evil that is Dave Duncan.

Still, I don’t think that anyone in the vast Nation of Cardinal will forget Reyes for these games. I wish Reyes all the best, and hope to see him thrive in Cleveland. For a more in depth scouting report of Perdomo, click here. Check back tomorrow for Blown Saves Galore! Part 2

Blown Saves Galore! Pt. 1

Holy Toledo! With the Cardinal bullpen blown-save-o-meter hitting 23, it seems as if last year’s strongest link has now become the weakest. The 2007 bullpen had the fewest bullpen losses (12) in the majors, and was considered the team’s strong point. This season, the Cardinals are 28/51 in save opportunities, and their bullpen has lost a grand total of 22 games. The 2008 bullpen is pretty crappy, to say the least. But what are the differences between this year and last? Let’s take a look at the main parts*:

*Sorry, it looks like you have to click on the link to see the table.

As you can see, the 2008 team’s bullpen has been anemic, to say the least. The weak point is obviously the closer role, and the team has been looking for an upgrade for weeks now. In Part 2 (hopefully posted tomorrow), I will discuss what this team can do, will do, and should do. Stay tuned, folks!

Phillips, Volquez, and a Failed All-Star Game

Dan Uggla had 3 errors in the All-Star game.  Last season, Brandon Phillips had just 8 errors in 433 attempts, had a 30/30 season, and was denied not just the All-Star game, but even a Gold Glove, as he was beat out by Arizona's Orlando Hudson, who had 10 errors in 387 attempts.  Despite being denied attention and well-deserved accolades, something teammate Aaron Harang has dealt with for years, Brandon Phillips seems like he couldn't care less.  I mean obviously he'd love to be recognized in the All-Star game, but turning this Cincinnati Reds team around is #1 on his list.  It's no secret that professional baseball has become a popularity contest, I'm just as sick of hearing this as everyone else, but it sucks seeing probably the best all-around second baseman in the game (obviously a biased opinion) not get recognized for his achievements.  We all saw what happened to Dan Uggla the other night.  Sure, you can blame nerves and maybe some of those balls were a little tricky to play, but Uggla was in the All-Star game because he can hit home runs, and that's all.  Don't get me wrong, I like Dan Uggla (compared to my unjustified contempt for Chase Utley), but an All-Star should excel in all facets of the game, something I naively took to be pretty obvious all my life.

One other thing about the All-Star game that I couldn't quite figure out came in the 6th inning.  With the clinic Josh Hamilton put on at the derby, followed by essentially non-stop coverage of his 28-homer round, his struggles with drugs, and how he came to be a Texas Ranger, THEY DIDNT PUT VOLQUEZ IN TO FACE HIM, even after he put a briefcase on home plate during Hamilton's historic round (I assume that was a reference to the trade?).  Basically all I'm saying is that Volquez v. Hamilton would result in a week of media frenzy, something the All-Star game seems determined to stir up anyway.  I understand Chris Berman isn't managing the teams, but give me a break.  Arguably the best hitter in baseball facing arguably the best pitcher in baseball were traded for one another and when given the chance to see them face each other in the All-Star game of all places, you pass it up.  

Anyway, the Reds and their fans are optimistic heading into the second half that begins tonight at home against the Mets.  Simply hoping Harang turns it around and Hairston stays off the DL doesn't cut it anymore. These things, along with plenty others, need to happen if the Reds want to end up .500 or better.