Reds trade Hamilton to Texas

December 21, 2007 by Mike Axisa 18 Comments

The return: RHP Edison Volquez and Danny Ray Herrera. Unless Cincy is going to turn around and flip Volquez to the O’s for Bedard, this deal is a step back for them. Once upon a time Volquez was the Rangers top prospect, but his star has faded considerably. Danny Ray Herrera is generously listed at 5’7″, 150 lbs, and sits at 80-82 with his fastball and 55-60 with his curve. I’m dead serious. He’s got half-decent numbers though, so maybe he works out for them. Meanwhile, Bill James projects Hamilton to a .979 OPS last year. Remember when you all laughed at me for saying the Yanks should pluck him off waivers a few years ago?

dan

WTF? I could throw harder than that in 6th grade. Okay, maybe not. But still, wtf?
RichYF

Haha Mike I was going to point this out to you, but I felt bad. I can almost picture the tears welling in your eyes. It’s a shame he’s not on the Yanks. Not because I think he’s good or anything, it’d just be worth it so you’d be so excited every time he did something great.
Chris

with the age in the outfield and no prospects projected to be ready for a couple of years why didnt the Yanks go after this guy. doesnt seem like it took a lot to get him. I know the OF is crowded, but they needed young position player talent. 3 changed teams this year – Young, Dukes and Hamilton and the Yanks were in on none of them. I love the youth movemet in pitchng, but what about the other 8 guys on the field?
Chris

Is it just me o does it seem like the Yankees lack direction. On one hand they want to get younger and increase roster flexibility. They are willing to depend on 3 kids in the rotation and all kids in the bullpen – refusing to sign any veteran relivers or apparently trade hughes for santana and yet they sign posada to a four year deal and maiano for 3 years. Are they rebuilding? Do they want to win a WS this or next year, or are they content to just contend fo the Wild card?

Other than matsui I wonder if they are shopping any vets? I just wish I could figure out what they are doing. I look at the team and wonder if, by the time these kids mature – will the vets still have any game left
- dan
  
  The Yankees are built to win both this year and in the future. Last year, before injuries occurred, Pavano and Igawa were the 4th/5th starters, that should be better this year. The bullpen was the same as it is now, and this year’s group has more upside because of age, quantity, and potential for mid-season improvement (Cox, Patterson, etc.). The line-up is virtually the same, and a few guys like Damon and Abreu had down years last season. Of course Posada and Arod had fabulous years, so the lineup should even out and be about the same overall as last year. This team will certainly contend, and we all know that once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.
Chris

This team was at its best at yeas end – no pavano – no igawa – joba in the pen and they still could not beat the indians – couldnt even come close.

how can we blieve that they can do any bette this yea with a line-up that is one yea older and moe fagile
Chris

Abeu was great in the second half, Posada had a caeer yea, ARod will not duplicate last yea (he may come close) – granted Cano may impove, but we have no 1B and if Duncan plays there he will be a defensive liability as would Giambi if he even plays. Will Damon be able to even play nesxt year?

The pen wont have Joba all season and we are depending on rookies to get it done and soone or late Mo will breal down.

The team still needs a numbe 1 starter and he is staring them in the face. Johan and 1 good set-up man makes this team the best team in baseball, but Cash wont pull the tigge because he wants to prove the point that he is in chage to the detriment of this team
- steve (different one)
  
  The team still needs a numbe 1 starter and he is staring them in the face. Johan and 1 good set-up man makes this team the best team in baseball, but Cash wont pull the tigge because he wants to prove the point that he is in chage to the detriment of this team
  
  except Hank has been quoted as saying a Johan trade is HIS decision, so your accusation doesn’t really hold water.
steve (different one)

what happened to your R key?
- dan
  
  hahahah. funny thing is, I was just reading along as if he were just trying to imitate some kind of ny accent.
dan

Maybe he throws the mysterious gyroball? Or even that pitch in backyard baseball that goes underground and comes back up just before home plate.
Steve S

Im skeptical whether it would have been the best idea to take a recovering crack addict and bring him to NY and give him the center field job. And that was the waiver comment.

As for this, I dont know again if his issues make him fit that well in NY. I also dont know how much his success last year had something to do with the ballpark and league he was playing in.

And Mike

“Bill James projects Hamilton to a .979 OPS last year”

Not sure what that means.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Crappy wording on my part. Bill James’ fantastically incredible shot-in-the-dark forecasting system says Hamilton will put up a .979 OPS next year, which would be like, 6th in all of baseball.
  - dan
    
    His projections do tend to have an infatuation with young players (Kevin Kouzmanoff was projected for .321/20 homers/121 rbi last year), but Hamilton did have a .922 OPS last year, which would put him 20th in baseball. A .979 would move him to 9th….it’s certainly optimistic, but it didn’t come out of nowhere.
Mighty Forego

Great trade for the Reds. Hamilton is a really talented kid but he simply cannot handle left handed pitching and he is made out of glass. Plus there is simply no way Bruce will not start in the big leagues next year. The best Red’s prospect since Johnny Bench.
Volquez has got an arm and, if he can step up just a little, can be a starter. In short, a team with plenty of offense traded an expendible talent for a much needed pitcher.
E-ROC

I’m still going to root for Josh Hamilton. Not many people can overcome drug addiction, live to tell about it, and perform like he did last season.

The Reds could be a scary team, especially if they acquire Bedard. The NL Central is up for grabs.
Chris

Steve

if you read between the lines in this whole thing you can see that hank and cash ae battling over this over hughes. As much as I hate Hank – he is ight on this one
- steve (different one)
  
  sure, and Hank can pull the trigger if he wants to. so i don’t understand your point that Cashman is “refusing” to pull the trigger. Hank can and will overrule him if he wants to. the FINAL decision is Hank’s, that’s what i call “pulling the trigger”, the guy with the final say.
  
  also, Cashman is in the last year of his contract. Johan would make the Yankees better in 2008. Cashman is reluctant to make a trade that he feels (right or wrong) might not be in the best long-term interests of the club, even though he personally stands to gain financially from a better 2008 season.
  
  Cashman is trying to do what he thinks is in the best interest of the New York Yankees, regardless of his own circumstances, and I think he deserves credit for that.
  
  your assertion that he is ONLY objecting to trading for Johan to assert his power is baseless, and basically is a bunch of BS.