Notes: Who's out of the outfield?

[missionhockey21]

09/28/2005 9:28 PM ET
Notes: Who's out of the outfield?
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

MILWAUKEE -- The four-headed monster that is the Reds' outfield might soon be a thing of the past.

Of course, the Reds are certain to carry four outfielders in 2006. What's not as certain is whether those four will once again be Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Wily Mo Pena and Austin Kearns.

The Reds kept all four this season as a precaution in case of injuries. But until Griffey went down with a strained right foot earlier this month, health was not an issue.

And health isn't expected to be an issue when Spring Training 2006 rolls around.

"The difference is -- and this is important -- a year ago, two of those guys [Griffey and Kearns] were legitimately injured with a bit of an uncertain outcome coming into Spring Training," general manager Dan O'Brien said. "So now the difference is, we appear to have an entire outfield that's going to be healthy going into the spring. It's a completely different set of circumstances."

It's a circumstance that could very well mean the departure of one of the four via the trade route.

Dunn will be eligible for his last round of arbitration in the offseason, and he indicated earlier this year that he wouldn't mind discussing a long-term deal with the club.

Kearns and Pena will also be arbitration-eligible, and the team could have trouble accommodating both of their 2006 contracts.

Though Kearns was sent down to Triple-A Louisville for six weeks earlier this season, he's clearly been the club's go-to option in right field. Pena became a reserve when Kearns returned on July 20, and he didn't get regular starts until Griffey's season came to an abrupt end on Sept. 4.

Both Kearns and Pena have expressed their displeasure with the four-outfielder situation.

"I can understand why anyone would be frustrated with that situation," Kearns said on June 12, the day he was sent to Louisville. "Yeah, you're happy to be in the big leagues when you first get here. But it comes to a point where you want to make a name for yourself, and you don't want to be in a mix of guys every year. It comes to a point where you want to be an everyday player."

Manager Jerry Narron thinks that Kearns and Pena deserve the opportunity to play every day, and he knows that will be impossible if the Reds begin the 2006 season with all four on hand.

Pena's struggles in the outfield have long been a concern for the Reds, and he hasn't demonstrated much improvement in that area this year.

Should he or any of the other four be shipped off, Chris Denorfia -- coming off a season in which he hit .317 with 20 homers and 87 RBIs at Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga -- would be the logical choice to fill the reserve spot.

"But I'm sure we're not going to just give anybody away," Narron said. "If anybody here is traded, we're going to have to deal with it."

Click here for the rest of Reds Notes

[Wally Mo Pena]

i think that 's the first time i've seen DanO say anything that sounded like he was going to move someone, which means it's probably a guarantee.

[CincyRedsFan30]

The writing is on the wall or in O'Brien's case, the words are finally in print.

That's the most candid I've ever seen him be.

[missionhockey21]

Whoever is making the deals, lets just hope they arent desperate ones. Or ones based on purely finacial reasoning (IE, we cant afford all four so we'll do the best we can in the trade market... even if it isn't very good.) This offseason screams of uncertainty on all fronts and I don't like the sound of that with Lindner and Allen at the helm of our ship.

[Wally Mo Pena]

hopefully DanO will get involved with the Twins, they're a perfect fit as far as i can see. They're one of the few teams in the league that would really benefit from an outfielder who only hit 25 HRs, which i think is the bottom of our guys potential in a whole season. They need 25 HRs bad, and they have some good pitching.

[missionhockey21]

But they also have been known to be pretty stingy with the prospects they do have. Although if it was a swap of youth talent, maybe they would have a change of heart. There are a few guys in their system that I wouldn't mind the Reds snagging.

[redsrbetter]

This is our crutch guys. This is going to be the basis of our offseason questioning. It all has to do with this exact formation. And you guys hit it right on the head, they have to be smart in the trade market. Put Pena or Kearns on the trading block and sign Dunn LTC. This will give us an idea of the direction this team is headed. Until then, we are left clueless and guessing like we are now.

[Geki Ace]

The Twins wouldn't give up Liriano or Baker to pick up one of our outfielders, and beyond those two, they don't have much in the way of talented starters who are close to the majors.

[Wally Mo Pena]

The Twins wouldn't give up Liriano or Baker to pick up one of our outfielders, and beyond those two, they don't have much in the way of talented starters who are close to the majors.

I didn't know that the twins were known for being stingy with their prospects, that stinks. I guess is hould have guessed with how their season turned out.

If they were smart they would give up one of those two for Pena/Kearns and someone like Hancock, and if the reds were smart they'd take that deal in a heartbeat.

The twins staff is so good from top to bottom, that a serviceable guy like hancock could eat some innings for them and not be too much of a burden (and he's cheap, which they like). and who knows, their pitching coach seems to know what he's doing and maybe they can get some quality out of one of them.

The reds have tons of mediocre guys like that (hancock, belisle, keisler, hudson, and all the guys in the minors) and we don't have room for them all. It would be great if we could spin one of them into a top tier starter in a package with an outfielder.

[Geki Ace]

I don't know that I'd take Baker for Pena or Kearns, to be honest. His stuff projects to a number three or four starter. Liriano, on the other hand, looks like he could be incredible.