NY Post: Jocketty wants to clean house

[redsrbetter]

New Reds GM Walt Jocketty has told counterparts he wants to clean house, notably of free-agent-to-be outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, plus Ryan Freel and - in the right deal -starter Bronson Arroyo.

Link

He is ready to dump the money. I hate to see Dunn's name in there though. Really, who will be in our outfield other than Bruce? Perhaps Votto and/or Frazier are being looked at to fill the void. But they can't be expected to bring the same production as Dunn.

Fire Sale may be coming. I wonder how NY knows this and others don't.

[Kingdom]

As representative of the braves, I will offer Josh Anderson for Charles Bronson Arroyo.

[Doppelgänger]

That is odd. It looks like Votto will be moving to the outfield potentially where he could out produce Dunn, although not immediately. Just have to trust Jocketty knows what he is doing I suppose.

[Slyder]

Theres no way Votto EVER out produces Dunn. Votto is a fine young hitter but you dont replace 40 (HR)-100 (RBI)-100 (Runs)-100 (BBs). This offense would be even more anemic without Dunn in it. But I seem to be in a minority when I say he isnt the problem that others are.

If anyone wants Junior take em. Im not trashing on Junior he's one of the greatest all time hitters in baseball history but its just not meant to be a storybook ending for him here. Let him go somewhere and DH/be a really dangerous bat in the lower part of a lot of lineups (except for Duhsty).

Freel I am pretty blah on because that means if we also see Junior traded that were guarenteed a Duhsty special with a huge helping of 0 for from Corey "dont blink" Patterson in centerfield and leading off with him barely hitting his weight (.194 to 175 according to yahoo). At least with Freel it gives you the option to play someone who actually can occasionally get on base.

If Bronson is wanted by a team I wouldnt write it off, we got some options to use but I would shop Fogg, Belisle around first and see if you couldnt get another Maloney type spect or Conine type return.

[missionhockey21]

That is odd. It looks like Votto will be moving to the outfield potentially where he could out produce Dunn, although not immediately. Just have to trust Jocketty knows what he is doing I suppose.

I guarantee Votto in his best year will not out produce Dunn in his best. Votto is a good player but he is not in Bruce's echelon, Bruce is the only player who could have a bigger impact in terms of OPS, RC/27, etc. And Bruce in his best year could easily be a 1.000+ OPS type of guy, I only see Votto matching what Dunn currently is doing (sacrifice some of the OBP for more basehits basically and a bit less power.)

As for the article, this is the NY Post redsr. The NY Post.

[missionhockey21]

That isn't to say that Jocketty won't make moves, of course he will, and I am sure he will be putting his spin on the team as we expect.

[redsrbetter]

As representative of the braves, I will offer Josh Anderson for Charles Bronson Arroyo.

We already have one of those. His name is Corey Patterson. Anderson sounded good in 2004, but his speed has slipped and he is not likely to hit at the MLB level. He is no more than a utility outfielder.

Not that Bronson would command much in return, but hopefully we don't see something we have a surplus of.

[Doppelgänger]

I think Votto has the potential to be great. He is one of those players that is good, but needs a push to elevate his game, and he has that push. Or so that is what I have heard, he is one of the hardest working players around. Sans defense haha.

[redsrbetter]

I think this just kicked off the beginning of the Reds rumor mill. It is now in orbit and we have to find a safe place to take cover. Or, you can be like me and try to figure things out before they happen. It's always more fun that way.

[HollywoodLeo]

I'm sure Jocketty won't just give Dunn away, but he may look to get a bigger return for his loss than one extra draft pick. (Which isn't something to sneeze at, of course.)

[redsrbetter]

I think Votto has the potential to be great. He is one of those players that is good, but needs a push to elevate his game, and he has that push. Or so that is what I have heard, he is one of the hardest working players around. Sans defense haha.

I think he could be close to Dunn's production. He won't hit 40 HRs every year, but his OBP will be real close to Dunn's as he will walk a bit less but hit for a better average. The dude has a real eye at the plate and once he gains respect from the league, he will walk even more.

I think it is closer than many think. I think Votto could be Dunn with less power. I also think Bruce will be better than both.

But losing Dunn could still be a disaster. Surely we will not get equal value. Perhaps we replace him with Bruce. Perhaps Votto replaces Griffey. Remember, when Griffey and Dunn were the biggest bats this offense had, this team lead the league in runs scored. Maybe Bruce and Votto can supplement their loss. But imagine if we still had Dunn on top of that.

Anyhow, if Dunn were traded, where would Jocketty be looking? Or better yet, who would be looking at Dunn?

[Banter]

I think getting rid of Dunn would be a mistake, Dunn is still young and has alot of talent, With all the young talent on the team we need someone like Dunn or Griffey to mentor these kids.

[redsrbetter]

John Fay says Jocketty denies these reports:

Walt Jocketty dismissed a published report that he "wants to clean house."
"I don't where that came from," he said. "First of all, I'd would have never said clean house. It's not necessary. There's a strong possibility we'll have everyone till the end of the year. Dusty (Baker) and I are haven't been here that long. We're still evaluating the team. We haven't had the luxury of seeing everyone over a long period of time."
The things to remember:
-- The Reds may keep things together even if the chances of making the postseason are remote. Ending the string of seven straight losing seasons is a priority. "Absolutely," Jocketty said. "We talked about it from the beginning. A winning record is important. You want to change the culture and get the players to believe they can win."
--The players mentioned in the clean-house item -- Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Ryan Freel and Bronson Arroyo -- would be difficult to trade. Griffey and Dunn are both basically free agents. The Reds tried to trade Dunn at the deadline last year and found little interested. Griffey is 38, not hitting well and has a full no-trade clause. Freel is a probably a month from playing and is owed $4 million in '09. Arroyo is owed $25 million for 2009 and '10.

You are correct mission. This is just something from the NY Post. That was fun while it lasted.