Sunday, October 20, 2002
Reds E-mail Q&A
Don't expect payroll to soar
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The big topic with e-mailers this week was the Reds' player payroll. Chief Operating Officer John Allen's comments about the bump being less because the Reds will get less in revenue sharing struck a nerve with many of you. The e-mail that follows is representative. Read on:
Q, from Rob in Buffalo: Now that Forbes magazine confirms that Carl Lindner is the sixth-richest owner in baseball - richer than George Steinbrenner - are we going to see him spend some of that money making the Reds competitive?
A: No. Lindner has always had the money to spend with the Steinbrenners of the world. But he chooses to run the Reds fiscally responsibly, i.e., he doesn't want to lose a lot of money. That will keep him from spending like Big George because the Reds' local revenue would barely pay Steinbrenner's extra players.
No one is certain what the Reds' payroll number will be. But the guess here is it will be no more than $60 million. That makes it tough to compete with the St. Louises of the world. The danger for the Reds is if they aren't competitive in 2003, the new stadium will do little beyond the one-year novelty effect. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers saw that.
Q, from Davie in New Hartford, Conn.: What is the opinion of the Reds' staff of the major league hopes for pitchers like Brian Reith, Jose Acevedo, Mike Neu, David Gil, and any other guys who may be considered as “second tier” prospects? Acevedo's numbers in Triple-A were quite good and Reith is thought of as having a very good arm.
A: There's a chance one of the pitchers you mentioned could make the club with a strong spring. Acevedo had a great year at Louisville. He's an interesting guy. When he had his good stuff, he was effective with the Reds.
The problem was on the nights he didn't have his stuff and got pounded. If he can adjust and pitch well on the nights his stuff is less than stellar, he can be a big league starter. Reith's results haven't caught up with his arm.
Q, from Dirk in Hamilton: In regards to a hitting coach for the Reds, whatever happened to roving minor league instructor Mike Greenwell? I recall in the summer of 2001, when Ken Griffey Sr. was sidelined with a back ailment, Greenwell came in for a couple of weeks and got some good reviews from the players. Is he still in the organization or has he gone elsewhere?
A: Greenwell left the Reds' organization after last season and went into private business. You're right, though. He was popular with the players.
E-mail: jfay@enquirer.com
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Reds E-mail Q&A: Don't expect payroll to soar
