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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > December > 15 > Entry
Reds signs outfielder Nix
With only three outfielders on their 40-man roster - Jay Bruce, Chris Dickerson and Norris Hopper - the Cincinnati Reds are in search of a few good outfielders.
On Monday, they signed one to a minor-league contract, 28-year-old Laynce Nix. He has agreed to a minor-league contract that is worth $600,000 if he makes the team out of spring training with bonus clauses that could push it to $1.1 million.
The Reds hope to re-sign free agent Jerry Hairston Jr., but he is negotiating with two other teams. GM Walt Jocketty said talks with Hairston, “Are slow, but now that thre winter meetings are over maybe they’ll pick up.”
Hairston attended the winter meetings in Las Vegas last week, but did not sign with any team.
Nix was a top prospect with the Texas Ranger at one time before sustaining a severe shoulder injury when he ran into a wall in 2003.
The Rangers sent him to Milwaukee as part of the Carlos Lee deal in July 2006.
The last two years, playing at Class AAA Nashville in the Brewers’ system, he hit 48 homers and drove in 140 RBIs while playing all three outfield positions. During that time, he has had only 24 at-bats in the majors.
FOR A BRIEF PERIOD the Reds had only two outfielders. They did not offer a contract to Hopper. Nor did they offer contracts to pitcher Gary Majewski and Matt Belisle. All three were free to sign with another team.
The Reds, though, quickly signed Hopper to a one-year contract.
JOCKETTY’S TAKE ON the garish spending by the New York Yankees: “They money theyspent enough on two pitchers ($321 million to CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett) is enough to buy a whole franchise.
“It’s really hard for us (the Reds) to put into perspective because the money is so outrageous,” he added. “They are in a position to do it, but that doesn’t always equal success or a championship. Hey, as long as the rest of us aren’t expected to compete with that…”
JOCKETTY CONTINUES the search for a righthanded-hitting outfielder. Why righthanded when he has only two lefthanded hitters (Jay Bruce, Joey Votto), while as of now he has four righthanders (Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez, Ramon Hernandez)?
“We’re trying to find the right back to put between Bruce and Votto,” he said. Jocketty said of free agent Pat Burrell: “His market might be beyond our reach, but we’re looking a some non-tendered players, a few free agents or maybe a trade.”
How about the Jermaine Dye deal? “Right now, we’re thinking more long-term (Dye is 34) and on the final year of his contract ($11.5 million in 2009).
“We have to fill out our outfield and some bench spots and it may or may not happen right away, but we’re working on it,” he said.
ASKED IF THE MAN who missed all of last season, Alex Gonzalez, is the team’s shortstop going into spring training, Jocketty said, “Reports are that he should be ready for spring traing. If he’s not, we still have Jeff Keppiner and Paul Janish and Hairston, if we can sign him.”
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By wizard
December 25, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this
Merry Christmas and a Happy Playoff New Year to all Reds Rooters!
By MAC
December 25, 2008 1:41 AM | Link to this
Good pt. Hopper; I guess I should have directed more of that at Wiz instead of U. That being said, I do believe there is a degree of reality that says the Reds can only aford so much and as Gary suggests, we have to give Walt time and hope he can find a way to improve the team w/ the financial constraints in place. I just wished they’d stop telling me how hard they R trying; I guess that’s there way of staying positive?
By BrarHopper
December 24, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this
I hear ya MAC and appreciate your comments. AND I agre with ya. For me, discussing failed marriages & the last 20 years of Reds baseball are not so far apart.
By MAC
December 24, 2008 2:18 AM | Link to this
I see your pt now Gary & Hopper; it’s a lot more interesting to read about U & your wives than the Reds;-) The main pt I was trying to make of course is that the Reds R doing the same thing they’ve done for the last 20yrs no matter who’s been in charge…bringing in some oft injuried types & hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle long enough that they might be in contention at the break. In case U haven’t noticed, this approached hasn’t worked too well and talking about how much more U R committed to winning isn’t going to change that any time soon IMH and unprofessional opinion. U R right Marge made a lot of mistakes, but she’s much too easy a target IMO. As U pointed out, she also won a championship and she did that by going out & getting some quality players to go along w/ the core they had. At some pt. Walt & the boys R going to have to do the same thing IF they want to win that is. I guess the real question is: how long do U wait? Clearly EE, Votto, Bruce, Cueto & Volquez aren’t seasoned pros yet, but how long do U and others expect our SPs to be at the top of their game and capable of throwing 150-200 quality innings a year? Good quality SPs don’t last forever and that’s especially true in Cincy…Maybe U and others have been in Cincy too long and R used to the Bungles and Dreds losing ways and the excuses that go w/ it?
By BrarHopper
December 23, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this
Wiz, I tried that marriage thang. Yep, was married for 18 years. Then again that was to two different women. Have been sangle fer 14 years now and happy! got a girl friend and I know what ya mean about them chasin’ ya’ around. They won’t leave studs like us alone…they cain’t help themselves!
By Wizard
December 22, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Brarhopper: whenever you and Mac get a moment after writing your right-on pieces of wisdom—you can both wish me a happy anniversary—yep, 42 of ‘em! My present from the little woman was that she agreed to stop chasing me long enough today—to allow me a brief respite—so that I could sit down long enough, to gain some new wisdom on my favorite blog! I’m getting oxygen at the same time, so as to enable me to stay just out of reach, when I have to run again…Whoa, here she comes—gotta run…Later…
By BrarHopper
December 22, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
I agree that the blame must fall on the formerly living Marge Schite, plus that miserable old cheap son-of-a-beech and the worst & stingiest member of the billionaire boys club, Mr. EgoTrip skinflint himself, Carl “The Magical Baptist” Lindner — A monumental failure along the lines of another classic catastrophic failure George W. Bush). Having said that and feeling all the better for having gushed my bile, I can also agree that it’s time to move forward. I believe in and trust Walt to do the best humanly possible considering the limits he must deal with in and the many constraints he must operate under (small market, $$$, a rehabbing farm system, etc.)
By BrarHopper
December 22, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
I agree that the blame must fall on the formerly living Marge Schite, plus that miserable old cheap son-of-a-beech and the worst & stingiest member of the billionaire boys club, Mr. EgoTrip skinflint himself, Carl “The Magical Baptist” Lindner — A monumental failure along the lines of another classic catastrophic failure George W. Bush). Having said that and feeling all the better for having gushed my bile, I can also agree that it’s time to move forward. I believe in and trust Walt to do the best humanly possible considering the limits he must deal with in and the many constraints he must operate under (small market, $$$, a rehabbing farm system, etc.)
By Y-City Jim
December 22, 2008 12:25 AM | Link to this
I think ol’ Uncle Carl can share some of that blame as well as Leatherpants Bowden.
By Gary Maloy Jr.
December 21, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
I’m not so sure I agree, MAC. Look at the managers the Reds have had (prior to the somewhat unpopular Dusty Baker). Quick, cheap fixes, all of them. We all clamored for somebody with a track record of which he could be proud. When they go out and find a manager with such a track record, too many of us btch and moan. Pitching has also been a problem the past 15 years or so. Rijo and Browning and - nothing since - until Harang came into his own. The young guys are coming along nicely. Good ol’ Marge Scht (choose the vowel you wish) ruined the scouting department and thereby the minor league conveyor belt. Management has had to re-vamp the entire organization. With Kearns, Dunn, Enarnacion, Votto, Bruce, Dickerson, Stubbs, Janisch and now Alonso (if they all make it) bear witness to the fact that Reds aren’t hopeless- the minor league organization is on the way back to respectability. Unfortunately they threw away a couple first round draft picks on kids who never made it. They stole Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft - and got one of the best young pitchers in the majors for him. They got Brandon Phillips from the Indians for a box of Cracker Jacks. They’ve just traded the player who has the highest training room costs for an established catcher - who speaks Spanish - and who can help the young latin american pitchers. I’m a guy who doesn’t like to maximize every little crisis - I don’t see the idea in that. I do see, though, new management with a driving desire to win - albeit within the bounds of the small market economy that steers most everything. There are way too many people criticizing the present ownership/management instead of - if you insist on looking at and griping about team history - placing blame where it deserves to be placed: Marge Schott. Marge, though is ‘safe at home’ because of the WS Sweep in 1990, but still IMO deserves ALL the blame for what has happened since. But, as I said, I choose to be positive. I feel that this team is only a couple jigsaw pieces away from a top, young contender that may well be able to go all the way. I really do wish that everyone was as positive - or even half as positive - as I am. This blog would be much more interesting to read. Merry Christmas, and to all Reds fans, let’s hope for a very happy and contending New Year.
By MAC
December 21, 2008 12:39 AM | Link to this
Gary consider the old adage: if you don’t learn from the past, U R likely to repeat it. Likewise, no matter how much the Reds talk about winning, they simply refuse to spend enough to change their losing ways…that’s something I and many other Reds fans have accepted! Perhaps more importantly, the Reds may have to accept fewer fans attending their games until they put a ML quality team on the field?
By jim m.
December 17, 2008 1:35 AM | Link to this
saw this tonight on mlb traderumours: “Rocco Baldelli Misdiagnosed? By Tim Dierkes [December 16 at 11:36pm CST] From Ken Bell of ABC6 out of Rhode Island: Great news for Rocco Baldelli. A visit to the Cleveland clinic last week revealed that doctors had misdiagnosed his illness. Baldelli missed much of last season, and when he did play, he was limited because of extreme fatigue. Doctors thought it was mitochondrial disorder, which can be fatal. The Baldelli family told me tonight that the Cleveland clinic diagnosed his condition as channelopathy, a non-progressive, highly treatable disease. Bell adds that the Red Sox have not contacted Baldelli, who is a free agent.” I think this would be a great chance to get Rocco now that they know what the real problem was with him and it can be cured!!
By Gary Maloy Jr.
December 16, 2008 8:04 PM | Link to this
Gentlemen, I must say that it’s entertaining reading your game of “What if?”. Let’s take it a step further… If the Colonialists had just paid their tea-tax to King George, Hitler wouldn’t have attacked Poland. It’s a stretch, but…follow me now… No American revolution - no need for French help - French economy stays fairly stable - the French royal family remains in power - No French revolution - No Napoleon humiliating Germany on his way to Russia - No need for the Prussian president Bismark to consolidate the many german states - Germany wouldn’t feel squeezed/threatened by both Russia and France - the Killing of Franz Ferdinand wouldn’t lead to the first world war - Germany wouldn’t have been humiliated at the Treaty of Versailles - Hitler would never have risen to power - the Germans wouldn’t feel the need for lebensraum - and, finally, Hitler doesn’t attack Poland. WHAT’S MY POINT? Hamilton is gone. Accept it. Jay Bruce is our future. Accept it. Stop playing “What if?” The acquisition of Rios is interesting; discussing possible trades over the Hot-Stove is classic winter fun. Discussing last year’s trades though is just…, well… BORING.
By Mike-Cinci
December 16, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
THe Stubbs/EE/Bailey trade for Rios is interesting. I think the Jays would want Volquez or Cueto instead of Bailey. I don’t think Homer has any trade value until he proves something. MAC has an interesting take on Bruce fearing he is not a top player. I wonder if the Texans would have taken Bruce instead of Hamilton for Volquez? I’d guess no since the Texans needed a centerfielder and Hamilton filled the need. Josh is a much better outfielder than Jay who seems to go to sleep in the field on occasion. He also loves the high fastball which he has shown he can’t hit. That said the young man is only 22. Let’s give him time. He has done better than Homer in the “big time”.
By Paul
December 16, 2008 6:24 AM | Link to this
On Rolen’s contract, I meant to say $11 million per year, not for all three years.
By Paul
December 16, 2008 6:19 AM | Link to this
MAC: On the surface, I agree that the presence of Rolen would make you think the Jays would not want EE. But, keep two things in mind. One, Rolen’s health started to significantly decline even while he was still in St. Louis and it has not improved since he has been in Toronto. Second, he is in the last year of a three-year $11 million dollar contract. With EE on board and with the Jays in a huge rebuilding mode, you can bet that if they were willing to part with Rios, how much more willing would they be willing to part with Rolen? If Rolen does manage to stay healthy during the first half of the season, the Jays would be in a great position to trade him at the deadline. So, even though EE is arbitration-eligible, he would be a much cheaper option for the Jays than Rolen.
By MAC
December 16, 2008 1:33 AM | Link to this
I don’t know what a fair value for Rios would be, but I still like the idea of him in a Reds uniform. He’s much closer to a 5 tool player than Bruce ever will be IMO. Bruce had a great 2 weeks, but showed poor plate discipline thereafter and struggled badly the rest of the year. I really don’t see him being much better than Kearns or Casey long term. I think it’s clear now that Cincy gave up the wrong OF (Hamilton) to get Volquez. As for the trade, I’m sure the Jays want pitching considering they have lost Burnett and would want some OF help if they traded Rios. I doubt they’d be interested in EE in that they have Rolen @ 3rd and EE is approaching arbitration this season and FA on the horizon?
By Denver
December 16, 2008 1:31 AM | Link to this
It’s a blog you moron. That you even asked that question guaranteesyou for charter menmbership in the low IQ Club. BTW, yours is the prefect exercise in typos, pisspoor punctuation, fragments and failures to capiltalize. Here’s your F+ doofus!
By r
December 15, 2008 11:13 PM | Link to this
can we count the typos in this story are we reading a newspaper or somebodys blog
By JD
December 15, 2008 10:18 PM | Link to this
I think Nix is a great addition and a sign that the team is moving in the right direction. He’s a much better option than many other overpriced that more importantly don’t even want to be here like a Dye or a Burrell.
By JD
December 15, 2008 10:14 PM | Link to this
Nick- Reds don’t need to sell the whole team to get 1 guy. I think the best thing to do is develop the young guys and let them compete against each other so the best homegrown players play. That’s how Votto got here. Same for Jeter and the Yanks. Heck, the Yanks developed so many guys…posada, rivera, bernie williams, wang, cano, pettite, and joba chamberlain. The rays did the same thing. So do the marlins and the phillies. For the phillies, look at utley, rollins, hamel, howard, and victorino. Time for the reds to develop some other guys to go along with bruce and votto. Personally, I think getting rid of griffey and dunn took way too long and it was way past overdue.
By Paul
December 15, 2008 9:55 PM | Link to this
Mike-Cinci: I think the trade would be mutually beneficial. From the Reds standpoint, Rios himself would make Stubbs expendable. Moreover, signing Wigginton would make EE expendable this year, or the Reds roll the dice this year and wait for either Frazier or Valaika to take over third in 2010. As for Bailey, he obviously is expendable or we would not have sought to trade him to the White Sox for Dye. Now, this doesn’t make EE, Bailey and Stubbs bad players, indeed they are good. But like you said, you have to give up something of value, especially to acquire a player of the caliber of Rios. On the Jays side, all three of these players would cost them less than Rios would, at least right now. Hal, I would be interested in your thoughts about the prospect of a EE, Bailey and Stubbs trade for Alex Rios.
By gobucks1980
December 15, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this
Jerry Hairston is a journeyman outfielder who had a great year. Let’s not get stupid and overpay for him. These type outfielders are easy to pick up.
By Mike-Cinci
December 15, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
Paul, I would answer the phone on your proposed trade. This could be very interesting. EE, Bailey, and Stubbs for Rios. Now that is a trade I would consider for the Reds and the Jays. I would not do it if I were the Reds but I would think about it. You have to give up something to get something. Look what the Reds got for Dunn and Griffey. The Reds did not get much.
By Matthew
December 15, 2008 7:58 PM | Link to this
I was a batboy for the Nashville Sounds last season and got the chance to meet Nix as he played for the team the larger part of the year. He’s a great guy, works hard and takes things very seriously. Although there is a reason he was not re-signed by the Brewers: hopefully he can have a breakout year here.
By Paul
December 15, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
I wonder if the Blue Jays would answer the phone for the following trade proposal: Rios for EE, Bailey and Stubbs?
By Nick
December 15, 2008 7:41 PM | Link to this
I bet we could get him for Bailey, Roenicke, and Dickerson would land him. He is beyond affordable at 6 years 64 million.
By Y-City Jim
December 15, 2008 6:37 PM | Link to this
Reds Fans on Crack! This could be the 32-year follow-up to the Tubes’ “White Punks on Dope.”
By D-Town Guru
December 15, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this
You have to be on crack if you think Volquez for Rios is a good trade. Volquez is on of the top 5 arms in the league. He would be the biggest star in Cincy history if he were white!! Homer Bailey gets more attention and he couldn’t strike out Adam Dunn!! Cincy fans are a joke!!
By jeff
December 15, 2008 5:40 PM | Link to this
why not go after Eric Hinske? He can play 1b,3b & OF?
By Mike-Cinci
December 15, 2008 5:05 PM | Link to this
Nick, I was not aware Rios had signed a long term deal. He is worth it. I think the Blue Jays will need to unload players due to the Canadian dollar falling vs. the US dollar. It puts them at a financial disadvantage. That said the Reds will have to give much more than Bailey and Dickerson to get him. Other teams will compete for him. He is a talent.
By Nick
December 15, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
Mike-Cinci, I have read on ESPN.com about two weeks ago that because of the economi climate in Toronto that the Jays were looking to unload some payroll. Rios still has 5 years on his current deal so FA is a long ways away. The deal pays a total of 64 million over 6 years with the big money coming at the end of the contract. The man is only 27 years old and cost around 4.5 a year right now. Toronto might trade him. Even if at the end of the contract he is making 12 mil a year, that is not that much for a guy in his prime.
By Mike-Cinci
December 15, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
I love Alex Rios but the Blue Jays would fire their GM if he traded Rios for Bailey and Dickerson. Volquez and Dickerson might get them to answer the phone but the Reds may have to add another player to get a deal done. Also get out the pocketbook. Rios will test the free agent market and he is good enough to get the Sawx, Yanks, and Angels in the bidding. If these teams want him they will get him.
By Charles
December 15, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this
Jocketty is making a huge mistake messing around with Jerry Hairston Jr. I hear the Royal and Mariners are making huge pushes to get a deal done with him, and that is going to leave us with who? Nix, Hopper, Bruce, and Dickerson? Come on Walt. Pony up the money and secure us a lead off / center fielder / middle infielder who can help us finally return to the playoffs.
By Nick
December 15, 2008 3:34 PM | Link to this
Another thing about this outfield and organization. When the heck is Drew Stubbs going to be ready to take over center field. I know he was the college most valuable player but those days are over. He needs to start hitting or this is a huge mistake by the Reds. Do you guys know that we could have drafted Tim Lincecum instead in that draft. Imagine that.
By Nick
December 15, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
Cheap fix with upside. If nothing else he provides outfield depth. A good cheap signing. Now lets trade Homer Bailey and Dickerson to Toronto for Alex Rios.