Freak of the Week

Cincinnati Reds fans have had a few months to complain about the lack of moves the Reds had made this off-season. Now the Reds finally make a move and fans are complaining.

Here’s how the trade breaks down.

San Diego Padres: Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger, Edinson “Opening Day” Volquez

Cincinnati Reds: Mat Latos

It seems unbalanced–and it is–three players (four if you count Volquez… which I don’t) for one guy in return. But you know what? Teams have to overpay to get something they need (especially starting pitching). Do you think the Angels wanted to pay $254 million to get a “31-year-old” first baseman? Of course not–they had to pay $254 million, because that’s what the market demands.

Reds fans say we gave up too much. “Experts” say there must be something wrong with Latos if the Padres were willing to trade him. Reds fans say Volquez was this close to turning the corner and becoming the ace everyone imagined. “Experts” say that Latos has a bad attitude.

BOO-HOO!

While it’s easy to immediately react to a trade by FREAKING THE %#@& OUT, the more sensible approach is to step back and think about it first. You might even want to wait a couple of years to see how the trade worked out for both teams, rather than choose the “winner” and “loser” 9-minutes after the trade was announced.

First and foremost, the Reds needed a starting pitcher. Badly. Someone who could be a #2 starter, with the possibility of growing into a #1 starter. There was a very short list of players that met this need: James Shields, Gio Gonzalez, Jair Jurrjens, and Mat Latos.

If given the choice, I would have preferred Shields or Jurrjens, but if it took Alonso/Grandal/Boxberger/Volquez to get Latos, what do you think the Rays and Braves were asking for in return?

ANSWER: A lot more than Paul Janish

So, the trade…

I’ll start with Edinson Volquez, because I don’t think anybody cares that he’s gone (and if you do care, you really shouldn’t). Last season was the final straw for the guy–it was time for him to go. And who cares if he was the final remaining piece from the Josh Hamilton trade? The Rangers got a good player in return–a player who’s been injured a lot–and the Reds got a pitcher who showed moments of brilliance, but was also a total headcase on the mound a lot of the time.

Yonder Alonso was a man without a position. He was blocked at 1B by Votto… until the Reds trade him in July 2013 when they realize they’ll never be able to re-sign him. Would Alonso get better in the outfield if the Reds kept playing him there? Maybe, but all signs pointed at him not being the best fielder. He wasn’t traded because he can’t hit; he was traded because the Reds didn’t have a (logical) place to play him. Not to mention that his trade-value will never be higher than it is right now.

Yasmani Grandal was behind Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco. It was highly unlikely the guy was ever going to see time behind the plate for the Reds. The Reds’ depth at catcher has long been one of their best bargaining chips. Not to mention that Grandal hasn’t seen a single at-bat in the Major Leagues, so who knows how good he even was/is.

The same goes for Brad Boxberger. We’ve heard a lot about how good he is, but we also heard about how great Brandon Larson was. Strange things happen when Minor League studs get called up to the Majors. They’re not always as good as everyone thought.

Now, that’s not to say that Alonso, Grandal, and Boxberger won’t develop into great Major League talent, but the thing is–nobody knows! The Padres got prospects, the Reds got a guy who’s proven he can pitch in the big league.

When all is said and done, the Padres will probably end up getting the better end of the deal. Even if only two of the four players they got turn out to be good, they still win (even if Latos turns out to be a solid addition to the Reds’ rotation). Unfortunately, that’s the way it works when you’re a small-market team who can’t afford to pay for big-name free agents. Like it or not.

Is Mat Latos the answer to the Reds’ rotation problems? I have no idea. All I know is that I’m not going to complain about a trade before the guy has thrown a single pitch for the Reds.

I’m complain about the trade after he’s thrown his second pitch.