Sunday, January 03, 1999
Greene, Baerga to see Red next year?
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Though it's unlikely that Willie Greene will rejoin the Reds, Jim Bowden has taken steps to achieve that end.
Bowden, the Reds' general manager, said Saturday he has made “lowball” offers to Greene, second baseman Carlos Baerga and catcher Brian Johnson, who recently became free agents when their respective teams did not tender them contracts.
Forced to keep the Reds' payroll under $30 million, Bowden is trying to improve the team's depth by pursuing relatively accomplished but somewhat tarnished veterans who probably can't command seven-figure salaries.
Greene, 27, hit .270 with 14 homers and 49 RBI in 111 games before the Reds shipped him to Baltimore for center fielder Jeffrey Hammonds last Aug. 10. Greene finished with a .258 average, 15 homers and 54 RBI overall.
Known more for his hitting than his fielding, Greene probably will prompt more interest from American League teams. But Bowden said he fits with the Reds, too, as a backup at first base, third base, left field or right field.
“We're trying to build a situation where we have competition,” Bowden said. “Until you're able to get a club like we had in '95, where you knew who was going to play every position because they were stars, we're in a situation where we have a lot of young players competing.
“I'm not optimistic we can sign Willie Greene. I think it's a longshot at best. But we made him a lowball offer just in case the market died on him. If it died on him, sure we'd take him. This is a guy who hit 26 home runs two years ago for us. But he'd have to compete for a spot.”
So would Baerga, 30, who has plummeted from the elite-player status he enjoyed only a few seasons ago with Cleveland. The switch-hitter batted .266 with seven homers and 53 RBI in 147 games with the New York Mets last year. He can command only a fraction of his 1998 salary of $4,791,666.
Said Bowden, “He hasn't been in great physical shape and hasn't come close to the player he was. In fact, at times, he's looked like he's done. But Carlos is a guy who drove in a 100 runs a few years for Cleveland ... He fits if we can afford him. ”
Johnson, who turns 31 on Friday, amassed 13 homers in 308 at-bats with San Francisco, three fewer than Reds catchers Eddie Taubensee, Brook Fordyce and since-departed Guillermo Garcia combined to hit. He batted only .237 overall, despite posting fabulous numbers against Cincinnati (.429, four homers, seven RBI).
“He's a guy who may not be a No. 1, but is probably a very solid platoon-type of catcher,” Bowden said. “It would give us some depth and competition .”
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