There is a story at si.com about the NL Central where the writer, John Donovan, claims that anyone, even the Reds, could win it. This is part of what he wrote about Cincinnati.
The NL Central, more than any place in baseball, is ripe for one good swap this trade season, one well-placed whopper of a deal that would turn the division on its earflap. And who better to pull that deal off than Wayne Krivsky, the general manager of the last-place Reds? Krivsky, barely into his second year as a big-league GM, has managed a mega-trade before. He just may be inclined to do it again this season.
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It was just 11 months ago, as you might recall, that Krivsky pulled off the blockbuster of the season, trading two regulars (shortstop Felipe Lopez and outfielder Austin Kearns) to the Nationals for a couple of relievers, a fill-in shortstop and some minor leaguers. Krivsky was ripped far and wide for the swap. Even his buddy, former Mets GM Steve Phillips, let him have it on ESPN.
The deal didn't do either team much immediate good. Neither made it to the postseason last year, and it's very unlikely either will this season. Still, the effort counts for something. And Krivsky isn't about to concede that the trade was anything but a positive for his team.
Neither Lopez nor Kearns have been very good in Washington. (Some, in fact, might call them total busts.) And while Gary Majewski (who may or may not have been injured before the trade, a sticking point now between the Nats and Reds) has been batted about in his first six innings or so since his return to the Cincinnati bullpen, Krivsky still has big hopes for him.
Another piece in the trade, lefty reliever Bill Bray, should be off of Cincinnati's disabled list by the end of the month. And a non-headlined part of the deal, 21-year-old right-hander Daryl Thompson, is pitching well in Class A ball with the Reds. Also, former closer Eddie Guardado is expected back by the end of the month.
If the return of Majewski and Bray solidifies the Reds' bullpen -- however unlikely that may be -- and that leads to an improvement in the slumping rotation (Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, Kyle Lohse, rookie phenom Homer Bailey), Cincinnati still could be a factor in the Central. The Reds score more than 4 1/2 runs a game, fifth in the NL. If their pitching is there, the Reds will improve. One good trade could put them in the running.
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First off, the Nationals didn't make the trade to do "immediate good" nor did they make the trade in an attempt to make the playoffs last year.
While Lopez and Kearns certainly haven't been All-Star caliber, they've been clearly better than what the Reds got in return. And the "some" who call them "total busts" are totally ignorant.
If "Krivsky isn't about to concede that the trade was anything but a positive for his team." then why is he still trying to have the Nationals investigated over this very trade? Funny that wasn't mentioned in the story.