Buying and Selling

As we approach the end of June, the trade deadline is only about a month away. Will the Reds still be in first? Will they be buyers? Would they sell? I am saying yes, yes, and yes.

It's not that we are over-powering the Cardinals for first, but that the Cardinals have done nothing to make me think they can over take the Reds for good. In saying that, you better believe the Cards will be making at least one if not two moves to prepare for the playoff push.

I see one clear answer if the Reds want to add anyone who could help the last couple months. With our strong pitching coming mostly from the younger guys, it would make sense to trade Aaron Harang while he is pitching decently well. I know some of you may think this is absurd, but to add payroll we have to dump some, and Harang's $12 million is a good place to start.

By trading Harang, the Reds could easily bring in a big bat to help down the stretch. The money would be available once someone takes some of Harang's off our backs.

It is simple. You have to give to get. Lets hope the Reds pull the trigger and get this team over the hump and to the playoffs.

All-Star Game Unfortunate for Reds

Now that we are within 14 games of the Summer Classic, I feel it is necessary to bring up a topic we hear this time of year. Should the fans get to vote who becomes an All-Star?

My answer to this question is a resounding NO!

If Stephan Strasburg were going to make the team, they would hold an All-Popular Game. That is not what this game is about, especially now that it has meaning. Don't get me wrong, Strasburg is the real deal, but I would still rather have the players who are having the best first half in baseball on my team.

Because of his leadership and incredible statistics for his age, Scott Rolen is a legitimate MVP candidate. So now I ask you this: Will Rolen be playing in the All-Star Game? Probably not. There just happen to be more popular players, more exciting players than the ageless Rolen.

The Reds are a first place team from a small market, which calculates into no true All-Star. I can't wait to count the number of guys who make the team who have a .250 batting average or an ERA over 4.00.

Until this system is fixed, which it will never be, the All-Star will continue to be what it has been for as long as I can remember: a joke.

In Need of Some (Pain) Relief

At this point, it is public knowledge that the Reds' bullpen is awful. There are only 2 proven throwers, being Coco Cordero and Arthur Rhodes. The rest has been a bad concoction of below-average nothings and busts the size of mountains.

The Stink List

Nick Masset
Daniel Ray Herrera
Mike Lincoln
Carlos Fisher
Logan Ondrusek

Neither Enerio del Rosario or Micah Owings have looked brilliant either, but they have not been near as bad as the above-named group. In the spirit of speculation, I have compiled a short list of relievers from around the league that I believe will or can be traded and not be too expensive.

Jesse Crain - Minnesota Twins
Aaron Heilman - Arizona Diamondbacks
Scot Shields - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
J.J. Putz - Chicago White Sox
Dan Wheeler - Tampa Bay Rays

These guys should be decently easy to acquire as soon as their current team is out of playoff contention. They are all in the last year of their respected contracts. The Reds should look into cutting ties with a Chris Dickerson or Micah Owings and see what else if anything you would have to give up to get some decent bullpen help.

5 Things I Didn't Expect

Today is June 14th and 5 things I didn't expect so far this season are:

1. I didn't expect Mike Leake to be the best rookie in the National League (maybe all of baseball.) Jason Heyward of the Braves is probably the leading vote-getter if the season were to end today, but there are not many young pitchers who can do what Leake has done, especially remembering the fact he had no professional experience before his first big league start.

2. I didn't expect Aroldis Chapman to be in the minors this long. Since the Reds are winning consistently and in 1st place, it is easy to say that he isn't ready and could use more seasoning. Let me be frank. If the Reds were in 2nd by 3 or more games, he would be here. The starting pitching has been borderline terrific. If it was only above average, Chapman would have made his debut a month ago.

3. I didn't expect Scott Rolen to play like he is 10 years younger. Rolen is the obvious catalyst for the offense. If he stays healthy, he will statistically have his best season in more than 5 years.

4. I didn't expect Dusty Baker would still have a job. Now this one was all based on whether or not this team could win, which they have. It's this simple: the Reds win, he works, they have a losing record to this point, he would have been gone.

5. I didn't expect Jay Bruce to hit a curveball, let alone curves from some of the games' best lefties. Bruce got his swing figured out adn is finally starting to worry pitchers again.

Moving Right Along

With 64 down and 98 to go, the 2010 season is heading into the summer stretch. The Reds are currently 1.5 games ahead of the Cardinals for 1st in the division. The Reds have not played the greatest baseball I have ever seen, but in a half-ass division where you can count the Brewers, Astros, and Pirates out already, I would have to say they are doing just fine.

I apologize to those of you who actually follow this blog, I have been super busy recently, but promise to step it up this summer. It does make it easier to keep up on here when there are positive things to write about.

Update 6/2

After beating the Cardinals last night, the Reds move back into sole possession of 1st place in the NL Central Division.

Ryan Hanigan is on the DL. Corky Miller has replaced him for the time-being.

Mike Lincoln is also on the DL, with Carlso Fisher being sent to AAA. Enerio del Rosario and Logan Ondrusek have replaced them in the bullpen.

Sam Lecure goes for win number two against Chris Carpenter on Wednesday night.

Homer Bailey felt no tightness or pain in his shoulder this week, meaning he is close to returning to the rotation.

Joey Votto missed six games with stiffness in his neck, but returned Tuesday night will no ill effects.

Bailey Placed on the DL

Homer Bailey has been placed on the 15-day DL with some shoulder inflammation. This is a smart move by the Reds. Homer is a big part of this teams' future, and you can't afford to take a huge risk of hoping he would be fine with a skipped start or a cortisone shot. Enerio Del Rosario has been called up from Louisville to help out the bullpen for a few days. A starter will most likely be called up on Friday to take Homer's spot in the rotation for a couple weeks. Sam Lecure has been pitching lights out recently, but since Travis Wood's spot in the rotation comes up on Friday, I think he is the most likely choice.