Today's Cincinnati Enquirer -

[TheBee]

one last thought about patience. We've got the goods here. I think from our recent trading history that we're not accustomed to being in this position of strength. I think a lot of Oriole fans think of the Bedard trade as the kickoff to a mountain of smaller deals, that everything else is on hold until this resolves. I think it should be the opposite if we want the best return for him. Haren is out, Kuroda is out, Santana is next. We want to be last! We can take calls from NY and Boston, help set the market higher for Bedard. Doesn't mean we have to deal with them in the end, but ultimately, their involvement will help one or two of the smaller market teams sweeten the pot. There is no reason we should not be demanding most any teams #1 prospect in trade for Bedard.

I agree with a lot of what you say. I think years of losing can put you in that mindset. Luckily, this is not the old regime.

[Sports Guy]

2 of these 4 guys must be in a Reds deal:

Cueto

Bailey

Votto

Bruce

Anything short of that should be a big no to the Reds.

[Greg Pappas]

Gregg, that is an outstanding post! Thank You. I would do that deal for Bedard. I loved Gary Roenicke. He was one of my favorite O's all time. Gary was an outstanding LFer. One of the best in the game defensively. If we get his boy, I will hang on every pitch the kid makes. And hope he doesn't hang many of his pitches. LOL. Votto and Cueto are the keys to me. We need to steer clear of Homer, and get Cueto instead. My deal is slightly different. I want Votto, Cueto, Keppinger and Roenicke for Bedard and Hoey.

That works, although I doubt we'd have to add Hoey.

I liked the 'hang' lines, regarding Roenicke.

[raypetty]

2 of these 4 guys must be in a Reds deal:

Cueto

Bailey

Votto

Bruce

Anything short of that should be a big no to the Reds.

Agreed and I think either one of Votto or Bruce should be one of the two.

[Sports Guy]

Agreed and I think either one of Votto or Bruce should be one of the two.

I agree but if it were both pitchers, I would look to flip one of them for a young bat...ala Garza/Young.

[Greg Pappas]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hamilton_(baseball)

I think the concern over Hamilton is understandable, but possibly short-sighted.

He's been clean for over two years and has his life in order. His story has taken a turn for the better and his special skills have finally paid dividends. We, I know I in particular, sometimes face trials and tribulations that take patience and understanding, and oft-times outside help to overcome what ails us. Will Josh stay clean? Is he truly over his troubled past or will he stray down that familiar and shadowed path once again? Time will tell.

From a baseball standpoint he is oozing with serious tools and in his first taste of big league pitching showed he can not only handle it, he can potentially dominate.

Give me this special talent and I'll take my chances with him. I for one am excited at the prospect of his inclusion in the Reds/Bedard talks.

[Sports Guy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hamilton_(baseball)

I think the concern over Hamilton is understandable, but possibly short-sighted.

He's been clean for over two years and has his life in order. His story has taken a turn for the better and his special skills have finally paid dividends. We, I know I in particular, sometimes face trials and tribulations that take patience and understanding, and oft-times outside help to overcome what ails us. Will Josh stay clean? Is he truly over his troubled past or will he stray down that familiar and shadowed path once again? Time will tell.

From a baseball standpoint he is oozing with serious tools and in his first taste of big league pitching showed he can not only handle it, he can potentially dominate.

Give me this special talent and I'll take my chances with him. I for one am excited at the prospect of his inclusion in the Reds/Bedard talks.

I am fine with him in the talks...but not as the first or second player in the deal.

[LookinUp]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hamilton_(baseball)

I think the concern over Hamilton is understandable, but possibly short-sighted.

He's been clean for over two years and has his life in order. His story has taken a turn for the better and his special skills have finally paid dividends. We, I know I in particular, sometimes face trials and tribulations that take patience and understanding, and oft-times outside help to overcome what ails us. Will Josh stay clean? Is he truly over his troubled past or will he stray down that familiar and shadowed path once again? Time will tell.

From a baseball standpoint he is oozing with serious tools and in his first taste of big league pitching showed he can not only handle it, he can potentially dominate.

Give me this special talent and I'll take my chances with him. I for one am excited at the prospect of his inclusion in the Reds/Bedard talks.

Agreed. However, teams must manage risk and Hamilton's downside risk is too prominent for him to be the cornerstone of any deal. For this reason, I don't think he's tradeable. The Reds are unlikely to get equal value for his talents.

[UMterp08]

I am fine with him in the talks...but not as the first or second player in the deal.

Agreed. I like him a lot, but he makes more sense for a lot of other teams (including the Reds even) than he does for the O's. Guys like Votto and Bruce are the age/level group we should be targeting. Not that he's old, but Hamilton is poised to have his career years in '08 and '09. We want guys who will be having career years in '10 and '11.

[ChrisRayRules]

Stubbs is a player. I would do Bailey, Votto, Stubbs in a second.

[clapdiddy]

Stubbs is a player. I would do Bailey, Votto, Stubbs in a second.

Make it Cueto instead of Bailey and you have a deal from me, too!

[Mackus]

I really hope we can get Cueto instead of Bailey.

[Boy Howdy]

I really hope we can get Cueto instead of Bailey.

I really want Cueto too. He's looking good so far in the Dominican winter league:

4-1, 2.84 in 6 starts.

31.2 IP, 31H & 37:7 K:BB ratio + only 1 home run allowed.

[TravisMoon]

There is no reason we should not be demanding most any teams #1 prospect in trade for Bedard.

Totally agree!

TM

[Greg Pappas]

Agreed. I like him a lot, but he makes more sense for a lot of other teams (including the Reds even) than he does for the O's. Guys like Votto and Bruce are the age/level group we should be targeting. Not that he's old, but Hamilton is poised to have his career years in '08 and '09. We want guys who will be having career years in '10 and '11.

Hmmmm... you think Josh Hamilton will not be having his best years at ages 29-30?

I think age is a very important factor, but let's not start to act as if 30 is too old for a potentially rebuilt and contending team in 2010-11. It's not as if he'll be 34 or 35 and possibly on the downside of his career.

Again, I do understand your line of thinking, but in my view Hamilton is a superior talent to Votto and is likely past his prior troubles.

Here's hoping we get both.