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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > December > 08
Monday, December 8, 2008
Dye on hold, Freel on the block?
While the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White have had discussions about outfielder Jermaine Dye and pitcher Homer Bailey, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said there have not been recent discussions.
A soure close to the White Sox told The Dayton Daily News Sunday that a deal was imminent and could be announced at baseball’s annual winter meetings this week in Las Vegas.
“We’re not close to a deal and while we have talked to the White Sox, there hasn’t been anything this month.”
The Reds are seeking a righthanded power-hitting outfielder and Dye hit 34 homers last year. He will make $11 million in 2008 with a $12 million mutual option in 2009 - seemingly an affordable price tag with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. off the roster.
So, the Reds and White Sox could announce a deal this week, re-visit it after the meetings or not make the trade at all.
Another available righthanded power-hitter is Houston shortstop Miguel Tejada and the Astros are searching for a young starting pitcher.
Bailey is 22 and a native Texan who resides in LaGrage.
The Reds search for a catcher could be solved if the Baltimore Orioles are willing to eat a portion of Ramon Hernandez’s $8 million contract for 2008. If they’d do that, the Reds would send them outfielder-infielder Ryan Freel.
Hernandez hit .257 last year with 15 homers and 65 RBIs.
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Dying to hear about Dye
So far, on this chilly Monday afternoon in Dayton, there has been no confirmation or announcement on the trade of pitcher Homer Bailey to the Chicago White Sox (with a couple of minor-leaguers tossed in) for outfielder Jermaine Dye.
As many of you might suspect - because there is no LAS VEGAS dateline on my newspaper stories, I am NOT at the winter meetings. The economy being what it is, it just made little sense for the paper to send me to the meetings for four or five days when news out the winter meetings is so scarce.
Let’s hope there hasn’t been a snag in the deal. My source, reliable and an insider with the White Sox, says there is a deal in place. Or was.
White Sox GM Ken Williams is known as a tough guy to deal with and has been known to change his mind on a quick whim. And he might want more than the Reds are willing to part with from the minor-league system.
The deal certainly would be good for the Reds, even though Dye is 34 years old and Bailey is only 22.
For once the Reds have a surplus of starting pitchers and they need a righthanded bat, preferably in the outfield. Dye, who hit 34 homers last year, would hit that many, if not more, playing in Great American Ball Park.
While he does strike out (104 times last season), it is still far fewer than Adam Dunn (164) and Dye is a better defensive player and baserunner. He also hits for a better average - .292 to Dunn’s .245. They are about equals in RBIs (Dunn 100, Dye 96). Dunn takes more walks - 112 to 44.
It is a good trade for the Reds. Bailey still has a large upside and may soon live up to his pre-signing hype, but it isn’t likely to happen in Cincinnati.
Pull the trigger, Walt Jocketty. Pull the trigger Ken Williams.
THE REDS have talked in the past to the Texas Rangers about acquiring catcher Gerald Laird, a commodity thye Reds need. But that won’t happen. It appears the Rangers have traded Laird to the Detroit Tigers.
