Reds pull off blockbuster

notes34 · Post by **notes34** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:04 pm

I would have loved to get Puig and Wood. That would've solved 2 big issues on this team.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:15 pm

321813231402020E610 wrote: This winter reminds me of 2016, and I fear a similar outcome once the games begin. I think the Pirates have looked at their 2019 roster and concluded that, since Polanco is hurt, they can't compete for the playoffs, so they are just going to slap a couple of band-aids on the team and hope for 2020.

Apart from Cervelli, Dickerson and Kang, I think they control everyone through 2020. Probably hoping that Keller and Tucker will be MLB-ready in 2020. They've certainly made room for them.

Fellow Bucs fans, please correct me if there are other players we are losing control of in 2020.

I know this is a "Bah, humbug" post, but Merry Christmas!

I think it goes deeper than losing Polanco for half a season. He's not a difference maker. Last year after a great first week, he became pretty useless in April, May and August. He's a career .253 hitter whose personal best BA is a mere .258. His career high in HRs was last year's 23 and that was thru the 1st week of September when he got hurt. It's nice that he's the top power threat on a powerless team but he's not a major power threat in the NL. Aside from his power, his likelihood of getting a hit or otherwise reaching base is about the same as Jordy Mercer's:

Mercer (career): .256 BA, .316 OBP

Polanco (career): .253 BA, .321 OBP.

I think we tend to overvalue Polanco just because the rest of the team hits so poorly. But he's hardly an offensive dynamo and he is deficient in the field and on the base paths. Maybe he's the difference between 78 and 82 wins but I don't think he makes them a contender. I don't think TBMTIB would be doing things any differently this off season if Polanco was healthy.

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:05 pm

676B6A3138313934332C36010 wrote: This trade makes me wonder why I want to follow baseball. The Dodgers dumped 3 rather decent players to the Reds with not much return. Sure the Reds took on alot of payroll, but they acquired two starting outfielders and a lefty starting pitcher, and did not return any player from their starting lineup. They dumped Bailey who has stunk since he signed the big contract a few years ago. It is amazing that Baseball will permit a team like the Dodgers to trade 3 above average players to another team for very little return.

The Dodgers got a couple of decent prospects back. They most likely won't ever play for the Dodgers but will be used to trade to fill a need during the season. The Dodgers got a better return than what the Bucs got for dealing Liriano to Blue Jays.

mouse · Post by **mouse** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:55 pm

I see where the Dodgers have released Homer bailey. Let's hope NH doesn't hear of this.

DemDog · Post by **DemDog** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 6:16 pm

35342F3E28686F5B0 wrote: I would have loved to get Puig and Wood. That would've solved 2 big issues on this team.

I would too Notes. But the money issue aside, the Bucs do not have nor would they part with another top 5 prospect as well as one just outside the top 10. Scuttlebutt on the web seems to think that the Dodgers will just jettison Harvey and the post from ecbucs above confirms that move by the Dodgers.

OrlandoMerced · Post by **OrlandoMerced** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 1:43 pm

113736213727540 wrote: This trade makes me wonder why I want to follow baseball. The Dodgers dumped 3 rather decent players to the Reds with not much return. Sure the Reds took on alot of payroll, but they acquired two starting outfielders and a lefty starting pitcher, and did not return any player from their starting lineup. They dumped Bailey who has stunk since he signed the big contract a few years ago. It is amazing that Baseball will permit a team like the Dodgers to trade 3 above average players to another team for very little return.

The Dodgers got a couple of decent prospects back. They most likely won't ever play for the Dodgers but will be used to trade to fill a need during the season. The Dodgers got a better return than what the Bucs got for dealing Liriano to Blue Jays.

The reason the Dodgers got any return from the Reds is probably due to taking Bailey's salary.

I think that Kemp and Bailey mostly cancel each other out, the trade is basically Puig and Wood for the two prospects. Both are in their walk years, they are both around 10M, which isn't bad. Wood was pitching out of the bullpen for LA, so even though he was really good in 2017, that's not who the reds acquired. He's a solid mid-3's back end rotation guy, but that could unravel a bit as he moves to the NL Central and out of Dodger stadium.

Puig will probably look great at times, and at other times terrible. I think Polanco is a fair comparison to puig, as both are enigmas.

JollyRoger · Post by **JollyRoger** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 4:57 pm

I think both Puig and Kemp will feast on that Bandbox they call Great American Ballpark. They could hit 40 playing there!

BucsFaninGA · Post by **BucsFaninGA** » Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:41 pm

Bobster, great analogy on the Bucs happy with a new musket while the rest of the NL Central polish and add new weaponry!

Bucs really need a new owner big time...Wonder if the folks who started the petition from last year to can Nutting will be on the soapbox again? Something has to give here eventually....It just has to :-[