The Cincinnati Reds disappointed many of their fans when they held onto Adam Dunn through the trading deadline. The team's going nowhere this season and Dunn's ability at the plate could have brought them some prospects for the future. GM Wayne Krivsky tried to work out a deal but couldn't find an offer he liked enough. Given his history that probably means no one wanted to deal a sore-armed reliever or two for a useful player but Krivsky's boneheaded dealmaking is another point altogether. The question on the table right now is why the Reds are so desperate to get rid of their best hitter?
Today's Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds will either try to deal Dunn in the offseason or decline his option and let him walk as a free agent. Well, he must be due a large raise, then, if the team would just let him walk away, right? Not really. He makes $10.5 million this year and is set to make $13 million next year, pretty manageable numbers for a 27-year old leftfielder who has hit 40 or more homers in each of the last three seasons and is on pace for 45 this summer. His OPS is 918, 12th in the National League and better than Todd Helton, Carlos Delgado and Andruw Jones, to name three NLers who make more than Dunn.
Yes, Dunn hits considerably better at home than on the road but that shouldn't be of overwhelming concern to the home team. Yes, he strikes out a lot but so does just about every great power hitter in the history of the game. The biggest drawback to his offensive production is the drop he suffers with runners in scoring position, especially this season, but that seems like an awfully tough stance to take on a team lacking offensive punch in so many places. He's improved his game across the board from a lackluster 2006, has never been arrested or accused of impropriety and has never asked out of town. So why all the hate?
Both local newspaper columnists have called for the club to trade him. Dunn said his mother won't listen to games that Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman or Jeff Brantley broadcast.
Would they rather be paying 31-year old Carlos Lee nearly $19 million a year until 2012? Or trying to figure out why Jason Bay has started going backward after three good years? Did I mention he's a year older than Dunn as well? As a Knick fan during the Patrick Ewing era I'm well familiar with how much fun it can be to focus on what a player can't do instead of what he can. If the Reds do let Dunn fly away after this year, however, it's hard to see how they are going to replace his production in the middle of the lineup. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.
Dunn strikes out too much and does not move runners in key situations. I am a die hard reds fan and I do think he gets too much of the blame, but it comes down to the fact that he is a career .250 hitter that will hit 40 home runs and strike out 200 times each season. The Reds being a small market need to utilize 10 million a year (roughly 1/7 of their payroll) better.
Posted by: Trip McFeely from Construda | August 08, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Trip - Thanks for the thoughts from the front. I don't watch that many Reds games so the eyewitness account helps.
I have a couple of questions that you might be better suited to answer - Is there a guy in the minors ready to step in and bop for them if Dunn goes away?
Would Dunn's contract be as big a deal if Milton's deal wasn't choking up another 1/7 of the payroll?
Posted by: TheFeed | August 08, 2007 at 03:37 PM