Each Journey begins with a single step - 21st Century
Today we’ll wrap up the single step series.
November 16, 2000
Traded Eddie Taubensee to the Cleveland Indians. Received Jim Brower and Robert Purgmire.
On September 8th of 2000 Taubensee had back surgery, the Reds held 500K buyout on his contract and a 1.8 million dollar option, they took the salary option oddly enough and dealt Taubensee to the Indians (the second time he went there) Eddie back never held up and he was out of the game after 118 at bats in 2001. This ended the Taubensee era and began the Larue era. Let’s all note that once again Bowden deals damaged goods, his option move was perplexing and then the trade was sudden, taking both Taubensee and fans by surprise. His backs inability to survive the game probably didn’t surprise the Reds, nor should it have surprised the Indians who had to lean on the light hitting Elmer Diaz for the next two seasons.
December 11, 2001
Traded Dmitri Young to the Detroit Tigers. Received Juan Encarnacion and Luis Pineda.
December 18, 2001
Traded Pokey Reese and Dennys Reyes to the Colorado Rockies. Received Gabe White and Luke Hudson.
Every few years a bad apple deal turns up and controls the papers for a few weeks. The Departure of Reese and Young was a fine example of two such deals. Both players were quick to make comment son their way out the door, comments that concerned the make up of the club after the arrival of Griffey. The real crime was that Young was dealt for another outfielder and that Reese who was pulled out of the Griffey deal and replaced with Cameron only got Gabe White and Luke Hudson. A prime example of what happens when you hold onto something a little too long. The Reds were just on the start of their 6 years of losing and jettisoning Pokey and Young too late was part of the reason that they would continue to be mediocre.
December 15, 2002
As part of a 4-team trade, traded Elmer Dessens and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Received Felipe Lopez from the Toronto Blue Jays. In addition, the Oakland Athletics sent a player to be named later to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent Erubiel Durazo to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Jason Arnold (minors) (December 16, 2002) to the Toronto Blue Jays to complete the trade.
This deal was a stunner as well, the Reds lacked a replacement for Larkin, and they also lacked pitching. Dessens 3.08 ERA in 2001 was his career best; his RSAA (Runs Saved Above Average) was 28 that season, which until Harang matched it and Arroyo got 41 in 2006 was the best for a Reds pitcher in the 21st century. After a year in Arizona as a starter Dessens was moved to the bullpen, Lopez took awhile to come on and by all accounts performed well enough to say that the Reds were the winner of that trade. Which wasn’t the popular point of view immediately after the deal. Now gone to D. C. Lopez’s and Dessens worth to Reds fans will be viewed through the lens of what becomes of the pitchers and Brendan Harris who came over in Krivsky’s much maligned July deal with the Nationals, who as we all know are GM’d by the man who traded for Lopez back in 2002.
December 8, 2003
Signed Todd Van Poppel as a free agent.
This is it, a statement by a club that knows it doesn’t have anything, a statement to the league that the Reds will turn away nothing in an attempt to field a quality staff in 2004
How bad was it?
Read on
December 28, 2004
Signed Eric Milton as a free agent.
Early in 2004 Reds GM Dan O’Brien inked Cory Lidle to a Free Agent contract. After a 5.32 ERA as a Red, Lidle was dealt to the Phillies for Elizardo Ramirez. In the winter of 2004 The Reds were said to have 25 million to spend on pitching, and like a 13 year old with a $20 burning a hole in their pocket the Reds wanted instant gratification, chasing after a LH who was ill equipped for the short porch of the GAB and the even shorter alleys. Despite what any seamhead with a Bill James book would have recommended O’Brien inked Eric Milton to a 3-year contract worth 25 million dollars.
Look at the pitchers mentioned in the prior year and this year. Then look at the table below for the worst seasons ERA by a Reds pitcher with over 100 innings pitched since 1999.
YEAR ERA IP Ryan Dempster 2003 6.54 115.2 Eric Milton 2005 6.47 186.1 Todd Van Poppel 2004 6.09 115.1 Jose Acevedo 2004 5.94 157.2 Ron Villone 2000 5.43 141 Elizardo Ramirez 2006 5.37 104 Ramon Ortiz 2005 5.36 171.1 Danny Graves 2003 5.33 169 Cory Lidle 2004 5.32 149 Chris Reitsma 2001 5.29 182
Three Free Agent signings by Dan O and two players he acquired in trades.
To top it off he dealt Sean Casey a year too late and for more of the same chaff he longed after so obviously.
December 8, 2005
Traded Sean Casey and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Received Dave Williams.
And so here it is, I’m fairly certain that Dave Williams was not the best the Reds could have gotten for Sean Casey, but I’m fairly certain too that the Reds held on to Casey for too long. His personality and BA driven game was fine at a manageable price, however once he slumped and hit .290 his 7 million plus price tag was a drag on the Reds payroll. Not dealing Casey after the 2004 season seems to be a bigger crime then the return he got them in 2005. By then he was on a down year, one fraught with ground balls to second and little power, plus there was that issue of 4 outfielders that had dogged the team since 2001. The return stank, Casey wasn’t a feature player either, but the return for this Cincinnati icon was pathetic and that is why Dan O’Brien lost his GM position, because he moved to slow and often made the wrong choices and from what I can gather that isn’t exactly what new Reds owner Bob Castellini values from his workers.
And so that leaves us waiting to see what key move Wayne Krivsky makes this off season, and whether it changes anything about the Reds and their inability to win more then they lose.