I wish that he would have pursued Abreu or another big time hitting corner outfielder. But signing Nix & Gomes has worked out pretty well & has been very cheap.

No, it hasn't. Nix has a .297 OBP, and it's been worse since he became the platoon LF.

 

Dunn or Abreu would have gone a long way toward addressing the Reds' huge OBP problem.

I thought Hernandez filled in pretty well at first base. I was disappointed that it took Gomes so long to get to the big league level after he played well (and first base) in the Spring.

Hernandez is a horrible choice as a backup 1B ... his bat is woefully inadequate to man the position. You can't tell me the Reds couldn't have found some low-cost, minor-league slugger to fill in for Votto.

 

I understand the comment on Gomes ... my guess is Dusty didn't really go to bat for him because he was so hung up on giving Darnell McDonald some ABs.

I liked taking a chance on Taveras. It hasn't worked out well, but I liked the move.

A couple of us tried to warn you guys ...

All in all I'd be tempted to give Jocketty an A. He got rid of Dunn & Griffey's contracts & got some quality arms in return.

 

I think it's too early to really rate the GM though, as he seems to be building for the future and the next 4-5 seasons will really show the value of his moves. And, like you said, he didn't inherit much.

Bringing Dunn back at less money would have been a coup, especially after getting a rotation starter (and a hitter) for him.

 

Overall, he's done pretty well. I suspect he will be a little more active this offseason.

There's no way Dunn was coming back to Cincinnati. That era ended for both parties.

 

Our starting 1st baseman missed what, a month? Third baseman, 2 months? No way you can foresee that, nor can you have that type of quality depth with a "limited" payroll. Rosales was hot in AAA & almost made the big league club coming out of spring training. Hernandez filled in alright at 1st base. Under the circumstances, I think they handled it appropriately. If Rosales could've hit .260 after hitting over .300 in AAA, then our outlook would be completely different.

 

If anything, trading away Keppinger for Sutton was a deal that hurt us. Who else was involved in that? Keppy is having a decent season for Houston. Hitting .273 with 161 AB's.

 

I think Walt has Cincy on the right track & it seems he understands what it's going to take to get them there. The FA market wasn't all that great last year and I like the fact that he tried to win with what we've got. Although Cincy is still "in it", it has become very clear what we're lacking.

 

I think he'll be more active this offseason, too. Chances are I'll be willing to sell, sell, sell in another week & a half. Goodbye Rhodes, Weathers & Hernandez.

 

No, it hasn't. Nix has a .297 OBP, and it's been worse since he became the platoon LF.

 

Dunn or Abreu would have gone a long way toward addressing the Reds' huge OBP problem.

Hernandez is not a backup 1B ... his bat isn't nearly enough to man the position.

 

I understand the comment on Gomes ... my guess is Dusty didn't really go to bat for him because he was so hung up on giving Darnell McDonald some ABs.

A couple of us tried to warn you guys ...

Bringing Dunn back at less money would have been a coup, especially after getting a rotation starter (and a hitter) for him.

 

Overall, he's done pretty well. I suspect he will be a little more active this offseason.

There's no way Dunn was coming back to Cincinnati. That era ended for both parties.

Wasn't Dunn still looking for a job in February? The uncertainty may have changed his mind, especially if the Reds had made some real overtures.

Our starting 1st baseman missed what, a month? Third baseman, 2 months? No way you can foresee that, nor can you have that type of quality depth with a "limited" payroll. Rosales was hot in AAA & almost made the big league club coming out of spring training. Hernandez filled in alright at 1st base. Under the circumstances, I think they handled it appropriately. If Rosales could've hit .260 after hitting over .300 in AAA, then our outlook would be completely different.

 

If anything, trading away Keppinger for Sutton was a deal that hurt us. Who else was involved in that? Keppy is having a decent season for Houston. Hitting .273 with 161 AB's.

No team should suffer from a lack of a bat at 1B ... it's the easiest position to fill. Like I said, they could've found some guy hanging around at Triple-A looking for a major league job, even if it was just temporary. A lot of teams have guys like that manning a position in the minors with the agreement to let them go to another team for a spot on the 25-man roster.

 

The Reds had provisions to cover 3B with Hairston and Rosales. Keppinger would have been OK there, but he has a middle infielder's pop.

 

Hernandez didn't "fill in all right" at 1B ... his bat is way under standard for the position. Heck, they could have given Owings a few swings there.

I think Walt has Cincy on the right track & it seems he understands what it's going to take to get them there. The FA market wasn't all that great last year and I like the fact that he tried to win with what we've got. Although Cincy is still "in it", it has become very clear what we're lacking.

 

I think he'll be more active this offseason, too. Chances are I'll be willing to sell, sell, sell in another week & a half. Goodbye Rhodes, Weathers & Hernandez.

Jocketty has a good track record ... he was a good hire.