Wittenmyer & Williams: The Reds are stuck in the middle of the NL, fighting to stay above .500. Is it time for a new plan as the trade deadline looms?
Wittenmyer & Williams is a regular point/counterpoint column from Enquirer Reds reporter Gordon Wittenmyer and sports columnist Jason Williams. This week, they debate if the Reds need a new plan as the trade deadline approaches.
Wittenmyer: I saw your headline the other day on the Reds being "boring." I started to read the column, but then I fell asleep. So what's so "boring" about them?
Williams: They're basically the same team they were at this point last year. They're a .500 team. They win four in a row, and a week later they lose 3 or 4 in a row. They epitomize mediocrity, and they're not showing anything that suggests that's going to change anytime soon. Snooze.
Wittenmyer: I'm sorry, I dozed off again. Look, you're not wrong about who they are as a team, but I'm not sure where the boring part comes in. They have some exciting pitchers, including the rookie Chase Burns. They've got one of the most exciting young players in the game in Elly De La Cruz, and they play hard. Isn't that what fans want to see?
Williams: Sure, if it comes with winning. Playing hard should be a basic expectation for anybody who gets paid to play. And winning should be a basic expectation for anybody who pays for a ticket. We've seen this scrappy, underdog act for a long time. We've seen hot prospects make their much ballyhooed debuts and the short-term injection of excitement that comes with it. We've even seen the Reds go out and get the best available manager in the game. What we haven't seen is winning consistently.
Wittenmyer: Aren't you the guy who said you liked that they finally had a plan and "trust the process"?
Williams: Yeah, I did. But I'm not sure anymore what they're plan is. Jeimer Candelario? He's gone. $20 million for Nick Martinez? Are you serious? How many times are you going to go back to the Christian Encarnacion-Strand well? And why is Elly still playing shortstop when Matt McLain is better there? And what's it all gotten the Reds? Constantly fighting to stay around .500. Is that the plan?
Wittenmyer: As a wise man once said to me, "trust the process," right? The big questions I have for you are: First, did you think the process was going to be easy? And second, what's your solution for it now?
Williams: If the Reds want to salvage the plan, there's a trade deadline coming up. Be aggressive. Go big. Make this team better now and make sure that they're making it better as they look to next season, too.
Wittenmyer: Are you talking about trading Hunter Greene? That could get you a lot of help now and for next year, and it's obviously aggressive.
Williams: Yes, seriously shop him. If you can get enough back, you still might have enough starting pitching to keep your team strength intact. Didn't you write about this already?
Wittenmyer: That's why I was asking. What I think they need – and what I think you're saying you want – is the kind of impact players that they don't have. They've got good, young players. They have one or two who might be great. But if they're going to win in October for the first time in 30 years, they need more impact. They need more great.
Williams: Now you're getting it. To be clear, I'm not necessarily saying they should be a buyer or a seller at the deadline – or even trade Greene. But they have to pull themselves out of the muck in the middle of the league.
Wittenmyer: Good luck with that in a league with two $700 million players and the top three payrolls in baseball.
Williams: If you'll let me finish, what I'm saying is they can't just sit on their hands.
Wittenmyer: You mean, they can't just "trust the process."
Williams: Dammit, let me finish. They can't just do nothing at the deadline like they basically did the last two seasons. I go back to what Jonathan India told you after last year's deadline: "We didn't buy or sell. It was weird. I can't really make out what we did." Two years ago, the Reds needed a starting pitcher. Instead, they made a minor move and traded for lefty bullpen help and missed the playoffs by two games. That can't happen again.
And before you call me a hypocrite, yes, I agreed with them sitting tight at that time and taking a more long-term approach with a roster full of rookies. We've seen enough now to know what needs to come next. Go decisive or go home – and stay home for the playoffs. Again.
Wittenmyer: I'm sorry, I dozed off again. Can you repeat that last part?
Williams: Which part?
Wittenmyer: I got most of it. Just tell me what you said after they're basically the same team.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How to wake up sleepy Reds ahead of MLB trade deadline
Category: Baseball
