By Thaq Diesel

Big day for the Reds as they added strong defense at short and a setup man / backup closer.  Alex Gonzalez isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he can stop the bleeding in the field.  Gonzalez only committed seven errors last year and has incentives in his contract for winning Gold Gloves.  Fine by me.  I’m still upset about the error on a routine grounder Felipe Lopez threw that allowed the winning run to score and cost the Reds a game last year.  Seriously – I think about it in idle moments sometimes.

Stanton has a good track record and adds more depth in the bullpen, where it’s crowded with journeymen and competent players.  Ideally five or six will pan out and hopefully the competition will bring out the best from someone.  It’s great to add a solid left handed reliever.

Jason LaRue was traded to the Royals for a future player.  The Reds even agreed to pay part of his salary.   It ends what was a minimal role for LaRue last year, which must have really frustrated him.  I’m sure he’s relieved.  I’ll never forget the monster grand slam I saw him hit in person at Enron Field in 1999.  Best of luck, Jason.

Permalink | Posted in 2007 Season