I don't really understand why the Pharm team has been frantically buying fringe relievers with what must be a <5% chance at the playoffs. North is having a hard time accepting the fact that he's going to miss the playoffs.
It's sad, because a lot of Reds fans and media are too concerned about his RBI totals to fully appreciate watching one of the best hitters to ever play.
I think the only thing I've said was that Votto for Sanchez starts to look interesting if the Reds eat like $40M. That effectively takes him to the same salary range as the other two, and he's a far better player.
I also have a serious man crush on Joey Votto.
He also fits the profile of a guy at increased risk of spending half of his remaining team control working back from surgery (huge velocity, worrisome mechanics according to people who know things about mechanics). He's really good, but he's a volatile asset.
I don't know how relevant Sanchez's age is. He's a pitcher under team control for 4 more years. He's probably more likely to break over the next 4 years than Votto is. I think there's absolutely a price point at which Votto is the more desirable asset, it's just not $175M.
Rolling with Barrett, Biagini, Salas, and Chris Young in your pen when you're fighting for your playoff life is pretty good evidence that you don't deserve to make the playoffs.
Probably more a reflection of his roster management than roster construction. He was too complacent with a bad bullpen when he should have been playing the wire, and he should have acquired a starter or two to bolster his rotation a few months ago. A grizzled vetrin manager would have taken that team to the playoffs.
Yes, the only way it's worth trading Sanchez for Votto is if the Reds cover the entire contract. That's "I wouldn't trade Hoffman for anyone but Trout" bad.
Spanky needs to help himself out. There's a very small, but nonzero chance he still misses the playoffs. He's up 10 games on me and 11 on North, and I play jays-fever while North plays Gibbers. He needs to make sure he doesn't get blown out.
Crazy how teams were giving guys like Axford and Bastardo $10-15M and the Jays plucked guys like Biagini and Grilli pretty much for free. Biagini has been great.
Reporting this story without any financial details of the negotiation is just irresponsible. Votto isn't worth much of anything if they don't cover anything, but Votto + $40M for Sanchez becomes a pretty reasonable ask.