Sunday, January 20, 2002
Reds insider
Baldwin talks on despite money woes
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds don't have any money to play with, but they're still trying to improve their pitching by adding a veteran player.
Friday, they talked with the agent for James Baldwin.
“I'm not optimistic,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “But they didn't shut us out. They're at least listening.”
Given the Reds' payroll situation, getting the attention of free agents is difficult enough these days.
The Reds basically have zero money to offer anyone for this season.
So what they're offering is nothing up front (that's $500,000 in baseball money) for 2002, with a chance to make a lot of money in 2003.
“We're trying to be creative,” Bowden said, “and work out something over a two-year period.”
Baldwin, a 30-year-old right-hander, went 7-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 17 starts with the Chicago White Sox last year before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. He was 3-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 12 starts with the Dodgers.
"We like his makeup,” Bowden said. “He had some medical issues. Those have been cleared up.”
The fact Baldwin pitched 175 innings last year indicates he's healthy.
Baldwin was 14-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 2000.
“We think it's a good fit,” Bowden said. “He likes the fact that we have good young players.”
But if a team with money wants Baldwin, the Reds are out of luck. Their chances of winning a bidding war with the New York Mets or Yankees are less than zero.
GOOD NEWS
For those of you who like to buy cheap tickets and move down (I'm among you), Great American Ball Park will be an improvement over Cinergy.
Unlike Cinergy, where you need a blue-seat ticket to get to the field level, any ticket will get you virtually anywhere in GABP.
In fact, you enter the stadium on the level of the high-dollar seats.
WHAT ABOUT HAYNES?
Of the bargain guys the Reds did sign — Jose Rijo, Joey Hamilton, Brian Bohanon and Jimmy Haynes — the guess here is Haynes is the most likely to end up in the rotation.
Haynes went 8-17 last year. That's the good and bad news.
“If they keep running you out there, it means you're pitching all right,” Reds assistant general manager Doc Rodgers said. “He was the victim of poor, poor run support.”
Reds pitching coach Don Gullett recommended signing Haynes. The Reds are hoping Gullett can turn things around for Haynes.
“He may be a late bloomer, like Steve Parris,” Rodgers said, “someone who doesn't come on until they're 29, 30 years old. There's not a lot of difference between a fourth and fifth starter and No.2 or 3. The big thing is consistency.”
WILLIE'S CASE:
Look for the Reds to go to arbitration with Scott Williamson. The team settles nearly every case, but it is holding its ground on this one.
Why? Williamson pitched two-thirds of an inning last year, hurt his elbow and missed the rest of the year. But he's asking for a raise from $400,000 to $600,000. The Reds are offering no raise.
The six months Williamson spent on the disabled list is the service time that made Williamson eligible for arbitration.
BARGAIN:
Here's an idea why the Reds wanted to trade Pokey Reese for John Halama Friday: Halama, the 29-year-old Seattle left-hander, signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract Friday.
For a guy who went 10-7 last year, that's a bargain.
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