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The Reds now have 48 players in Major League camp.
Prior to Thursday’s game against the Indians, the Reds optioned infielder Yonder Alonso and left-handed pitcher Bill Bray to Triple-A Louisville and optioned right-handed pitcher Jordan Smith and left-handed pitcher Philippe Valiquette to Double-A Carolina.
The club also assigned right-handed pitcher Jon Adkins and outfielder Josh Anderson to Louisville.
Question: Do Josh Anderson and Jon Adkins make the Louisville squad?
Guess I am a little surprised that Jordan Smith was assigned to AA. He’s been there for about a year and a half, and from what I’ve noticed, if you’re moved in minor league camp, it’s down, not up…so it would seem he’s going to be at AA. Maybe because they’re moving him to the bullpen?
UPDATE: Later in the day, Enerio Del Rosario, Sam LeCure, Chris Valaika, Pedro Viola, and Devin Mesoraco were optioned to Louisville. Also, Ben Jukich was returned from the Cardinals, where he’d been a Rule 5 selection. The Louisville roster is getting really crowded.
I would be surprised if Anderson doesn’t stay on at L’ville. I think Adkins could try to get on another team somewhere else, and likely not be asked to remain on in L’ville. As for Smith, he finished the season in AA and I think that is where he should start the season. Let him take the closer role and see how he performs before promoting him to AAA. For the time being, I like Ondrusek as the closer in L’ville.
5 more cuts are supposed to be coming after the game today. my guesses are viola, lecure, cozart, mesoraco, heisey.
Regarding Jordan Smith, where do you all project him with regards to the 2011 season? Working under the assumption that Harrang and Arroyo will likely be gone, figure the starters ranking would probably be, in order of importance, Bailey, Chapman, Cueto, Volquez, Wood, Leake, Maloney?, Smith? Lecure? It would be an incredible leap to think all of them fit into the picture. And this isn’t even counting what they might get if someone is traded.
I believe Volquez is the most expendable. I think his ’08 season was a fluke from a change of scenery and he wasn’t nearly as impressive last year even before they knew what bad shape his arm was in. (Nevermind that Baker and Jocketty should have put their foot down and ordered Volquez and Cueto not to play in the tournement.)
If Cueto doesn’t deliver this year, he is also expendable. I always thought he should have spent a season at AAA. People used to complain that Bailey’s attitude had kept him from winning. Cueto has shown some of the same lack of maturity, I think. I saw him pitching last year in NY, he seemed to shake off the catcher a lot and ended up paying for it. So why should he have 2 full years at the Major League level to work that out at the team’s expense.
If only they could package those two for a really top of the line type starter. AJ Burnett? Verlander? Think they could get Halladay from the Phillies if they threw in Alonso and Francisco?
fay says it’s del rosario, viola, lecure, mesoraco, and valaika
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith as the closer in AA. Ondursek will close games at L’ville, once he gets moved up Smith will get moved up.
Adkins is the classic AAAA player, and Anderson will remain with the Bats. Not sure about Adkins, I don’t know if he can catch on anywhere else and get on a 25 man.
I was a little surprised with Bray getting sent down already. His inability to stay healthy got him passed by Daniel Ray Herrera. It will be interesting if this is the year that he finally stays healthy all year.
I am really loving the depth of pitching talent in the organization right now. There are many teams that wish they had the bullpen options for their ML team that the Reds are going to send to L’ville.
C Trent reporting that the Reds are getting Jukich back from the Cardinals. That add more depth at L’ville.
@Python Curtus: i just don’t understand these sentiments about volquez and cueto.
volquez: plus fastball, plus plus change, 4 win pitcher as a 25 yr old.
cueto: plus fastbal, slider, and change, 2 win pitcher as a 23 yr old.
there’s nothing to suggest that volquez won’t come back as good or better than he was, in fact everything we here says his rehab is going better than expected.
cueto already is delivering, and he’s doing it at an exceptionally young age. we have both pitchers locked up through their primes. i don’t think i’d trade either one of them for burnett straight up.
p.s. the phillies aren’t trading halladay.
We should also take into consideration the expense of keeping a number of the player they have now. I’m predicting a huge year for Votto and the Reds would be fools not to lock him up for a long time before he goes to arbitration, just like they did with Reggie Sanders way back when. Jay Bruce is another one who should be in for a big year followed by a big payday. So do some projections—-will Bailey, Herrera, Janish and Cueto make super 2 status next year? Volquez will be arbitration eligible for sure. So will he be worth a big payout at the expense of Votto, et al? I say no.
And I acknowledge the Halladay quip was pure conjecture. But we can hope, can’t we?
Oh and correct me if I’m wrong, but Chapman’s contract is paying him at a Major League rate for the duration, right? He’s got a 6 year deal at set rates. So they won’t have to worry about arbitration with him. This is part of why I figure he’s going to be in the Majors right off the bat.
This different from a contract like Alonso’s. Alonso was a draft pick out of college, whereas Chapman was an international professional signed as a free agent, the way Japanese players like Ichiro Suzuki are signed. So Alonso was signed to essentially a Major League split contract with a provision that the Reds are obligated to call him up after 3 years. This is exactly the same set up as Wily Pena had, by the way. And we were just talking about how well that worked out.
Mescoraco to Louisville??? Does this mean he is going to start the season there or is he headed to Carolina?
@Python Curtus: unfortunately no, but that’s what i thought too. chapman’s contract still allows him to become arbitration eligible IN ADDITION to the 30 mil he’s getting. the eventual price tag could be much more than 30 over 6. which is why i think most people guessed he’s start in the minors, to keep the arb clock still.
i agree with you that the reds do have to be conscious of all the young guys they have hitting arb at the same time.
that said, they do have 36 mil/year coming off the books over the next two seasons. that’s a lot of arb raises right there. we’re not going to keep everyone, that’s a given. but i think it’s a little early to say that some of our top young pitching is expendable.
and yes, at this time of the year, we can hope.
@Python Curtus: I agree Votto needs to be locked up soon. I’d look at Longoria’s or Braun’s contracts and fit something in around there. Bruce I wouldn’t lock up yet, there are a lot more question marks with him.
Atkins is going to be coaching High School gym class before the year is out. Anderson will stick in AAA and come back as a Sept call up.
Might be a little more getting freed up, Al. I predict Phillips will be traded either during the year (Janish takes over at 2B) or next winter meetings, with Valaika most likely taking over. I also don’t see Cabrera staying the whole year. High errors + average production will make him expendable.
Mesoraco to Louisville? I doubt it…. He has impressed bigtime this spring from what I hear. I predict AA Carolina.
Not surprised but a little disappointed Bray could not come back. A second lefty that can also face some RH hitters would be valuable, and Rhoads and age and workload last year and Herrera’s size and track record make me a little nervous.
Python, if Phillips gets traded (and I agree it is possible) I will place money on Frazier taking that spot. His bat plays better there than in the OF, and I think he has shown he can handle it defensively.
Bray to Louisville is not an indictment of his current abilities. He is not fully recovered yet and is not pitching in live games yet. Bray said himseld on the radio last week that he expects to start in Louisville and he will not be able to pitch a live game until the end of spring training. While he hopes to be ready and break camp with Louisville, he said there’s a possibility he might have to stay around for extended Spring Training. But he says he feels good and has had no setbacks. You’ve got to realize that he’s not even a year removed from Tommy John surgery at this point. I, personally, am still hopeful he will contribute to the Reds this year. It’ll just be a month or so down the road.
@binks23: Yeah, this surprised me as well, but in all likelihood he will start in AA.
Thanks Rivercity, did not know any of that. Hoping he can make it back, he could be very valuable IF healthy.
With all the talent that Louisville is going to have it’s going to feel a little bit like a major league team (at least on the pitching side). I’m going to love watching the Bats this year!