Reds Mailbag: People want Ortiz back?

[redsrbetter]

11/07/2005 8:00 AM ET
Mailbag: Will Milton reach paradise?
Beat writer Anthony Castrovince answers fans' questions
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

Well, my bid of $129 in loose change and an Eddie Murray rookie card wasn't accepted, so it looks as though I won't be taking over the controlling interest in the Reds. What a shame.
And so it's back to the task at hand, reporting on the team rather than calling the shots.

In this week's installment of the Mailbag, we hear a Spanish translation, a query about the rotation and the opinions of two guys from Dayton.

So without hesitation (I know you're digging these rhymes, aren't you?), away we go...

What is going on with the new ownership for the Reds? With new ownership, we can go after Theo Epstein!!
-- Doug B., Dayton, Ohio

If you think this is the only Mailbag submission I got linking the new ownership to the potential addition of Theo Epstein, think again.

But let's slow this train of thought down before it starts, OK?

First off, here's the long-story-short breakdown of the ownership situation. As of this writing, an agreement between the current owners and the Castellini ownership group has not been signed, though that agreement is expected to be reached before the end of the year.

Once an agreement is in hand, the Castellini group must be approved by 75 percent of the 30 teams. That vote could come at the owners' quarterly meeting in January, or it could come sooner, if the owners decide a conference-call vote is in order.

Until the agreement is complete and the new owners do their due diligence in getting approved, they are not at liberty to discuss their plans for the team. So we simply don't know how committed Robert Castellini, who is in line to replace Carl Lindner as the team's chief executive officer, is to dumping more money into the payroll for next season and beyond.

We also don't know what Castellini's plans are for chief operating officer John Allen, general manager Dan O'Brien and manager Jerry Narron. It is my understanding that Allen isn't under contract for '06, and I'd be surprised if Castellini didn't bring in his own man for that job.

But O'Brien and Narron are under contract through '06, and, for now, there is no reason to believe they won't begin the season in their current roles.

So at this time, Theo Epstein is as much a part of the Reds' future as Theo Huxtable. But who's to say what the future will bring?

The letter from Elio in Venezuela [in last week's Mailbag] asked about the performance of his favorite team, especially with regard to pitching, and he also wanted to know when you're going to put the page in Spanish. Although you don't believe it, there are fanatics in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic and other countries.

Speaking of which, what are the organization's overseas scouting efforts? I heard the announcers mention during the World Series that Houston was the first team to start a camp in Latin America ... have the Reds invested similarly?
-- Craig M., Washington, D.C. Have a question about the Reds?

First of all, my thanks to Craig and the other handful of readers who took the time to translate Elio's letter from last week's Mailbag for me.

Now, regarding Elio's question ... Yes, I have become quite aware of the popularity of the Reds around the globe, particularly in Venezuela. I get letters from readers in that country all the time, and many of them tell me the Reds gained popularity in that region in the 70s, when the Big Red Machine and the Yankees were the two teams consistently shown on TV.

For now, there are no plans to put up a Spanish-language version of reds.com. But there is such a version of MLB.com up and running. Check it out here.

Now, Craig, regarding your question about the Reds' overseas efforts ... O'Brien tells me the team has been very active in that department in recent years. The organization essentially tore down and rebuilt its Latin American scouting and development system in the last two years, moved into a new academy in the Dominican and upgraded its academy in Venezuela.

The Reds now have a year-round scouting operation in both of those countries and, beginning this month, will initiate a six-week camp in the Dominican and Venezuela that will be similar to the Florida Instructional League.

"It's part of our desire to expand our presence down there and make it a 12-month-a-year establishment," O'Brien said.

O'Brien acknowledged that the Reds haven't taken as much advantage of the Latin market as a club of its market size needs to, which is why the team has invested more resources in that area in recent years.

Even if the Reds were to pursue a big-name, front-of-the-rotation pitcher, such as A.J. Burnett, would Great American Ball Park's reputation as a "hitter's park" keep them away? By the way, I know this is a hypothetical question: The chances of the Reds spending any significant money this offseason are about as good as my dog making tacos for dinner.
-- Tyler W., Portsmouth, Ohio

Mmm... tacos.

Well, Tyler, you're probably correct in your assumption that the Reds won't be spending much money on free agents this offseason, so this question probably does go in the hypothetical category.

But I will say that money talks, and if a pitcher is happy enough with his contract or confident enough in a team's ability to contend, he could probably ignore a ballpark's quirks. What this particular team needs to find, considering its elements, are sinkerball pitchers more prone to inducing ground balls than souvenirs.

Again, though, this is probably a moot point this offseason. But if your dog starts whipping up some tacos, anything is possible, I suppose.

In response to Mark S.'s question [from last week's Mailbag], why didn't you just answer that Eric Milton never had it in the first place? His best season was a 4.32 ERA, throwing out his one three-start season. He's always been a league-average starter, but the Reds tried to claim he was a No. 1 starter and paid him as such.
-- Craig B., Dayton, Ohio

A good point if I've ever heard one, Craig. The Reds were obviously hoping for much more from Milton than they got. It is true, though, that to expect him to be an ace of any staff is being unrealistic.

Does the organization really believe that Ryan Freel can be an everyday player? If Rich Aurilia re-signs, aren't the Reds stronger with Freel floating around four to five games a week?
-- Jack T., Delaware, Ohio

Actually, I don't think the organization is sold on Freel becoming an everyday player. They just couldn't give Aurilia guarantees of having the everyday second-base job and being on a contender next season, so he decided to explore free agency.

I can see the argument for or against giving Freel the second base job. On the one hand, the speed he gives you at the top of the lineup is a must for a team so prone to a reliance on power-hitting. On the other hand, he is a rare commodity in his ability to play five positions well, and his constant hustle leaves him prone to injury, so it's a risk to stick him at one spot.

In the end, I think it's best for the Reds to find a veteran utility man to fill out the infield next year, play some second base, spell Edwin Encarnacion at third and keep Freel rotating around the field. And this will give youngsters like William Bergolla and Kevin Howard another year to mature and, hopefully, compete for the second base job in 2007.

What are the Reds going to do with Ramon Ortiz? They declined his option for next year, but, given the starting pitcher situation, they surely can use a proven pitcher like him. What is the chance that he is coming back at a lesser price than $4.55 million? -- J.K., Aachen, Germany

I think there's a decent chance of that happening. O'Brien certainly seems open to the idea.

The Reds still control Ortiz on their roster, and he's eligible for arbitration. Given the year he had, I think they could probably afford him via the arbitration route.

In fact, their odds of affording Ortiz are much greater than my odds of affording a ballclub. So you can expect to find me right back here next week. Keep those questions coming!

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=cin

[Wally Mo Pena]

howards not getting any younger, and it always seems like the reds drag their feet at this point with prospects. we want thtem to thoroughly dominate the competition at every concievable level of play for an exted period of time. For what? Didn't larson do that? and did it translate intoa major league career?

i think that most of the smart baseball people in this world look at a player's consistency over their pro career, and as long as there isn't anything funky in their delivery or swing, they assume that they will learn on the job at the big league level if they've been solid through the minors.

i say give howard the utility role they're talking about in the mailbag. let him split time with freel at second, and have freel moving around the field to keep guys fresh, and if howard takes off, then we have another piece of the young reds puzzle in place.

[redsrbetter]

Isay that could be good for Howard or bergolla. More Howard these days than Bergolla and maybe its because of his AFL stints, but he has been impressive nonetheless. I agree to have Howard in as the utility guy and have him share time with Freel and EdE. A utility role is the perfect role for grroming a young player instead of waiting for a September callup and having perhaps one AB or one day to play the infield. That isn't even a taste of the big league level. Give them opportunities because they are earned. Also, of course, this keep Aurilia off their minds as well.