Did the Reds really turn down Shane Victorino because of Logan Ondrusek?
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Did the Reds really turn down Shane Victorino because of Logan Ondrusek?
David Murphy
If the Cincinnati Enquirer is to be believed, the Phillies could struggle to gain anything of value in exchange for center fielder Shane Victorino.
Paul Daugherty, a columnist at the paper, included a tidbit on his blog that said the Reds nixed a deal that would have seen Victorino head to the Reds in return for Ondrusek, straight up.
Ondrusek is a 27-year-old righthander who is in the middle of his third full season in the major leagues. His 2.70 ERA looks good, but everything else about him says that he is at best a No. 4 or No. 5 reliever in a contender's bullpen (which is where he slots in the Reds bullpen). His strikeout rate is passable -- 6.1-per-nine this year, 6.0 for his career -- but he has walked at least 4.0 batters-per-nine in the last two seasons, which isn't something you want to see out of a guy who is pitching in high-leverage situations. If you do see it, you better be getting more than 6 strikeouts-per-nine.
That being said, he has gotten results, converting 31-of-37 hold/save opportunities in his career while stranding 77 of 97 inherited runners, and his groundball and home run rates are both solid. His whiff rate (17 percent), is slightly above average, as is his strike rate (62 percent).
Frankly, if the Phillies are hoping to get relief help in exchange for Victorino, which is what all of the indications are, Ondrusek is about the level of guy they can realistically expect. Anybody better is probably going to be an integral part of a contending team, which is the type of team that would be trading for Victorino. The only hope is that teams get more desperate as the deadline approaches.
Frankly, this sounds like it would have been a great trade for the Reds. From the Philies perspective, it would have been a cheap, usable bullpen piece who is better than anybody they have at the moment, aside from Antonio Bastardo and Jonathan Papelbon. But he profiles closer to Michael Schwimer than he does Papelbon. Ondusek would give the Phillies what they hoped they were getting when they signed Chad Qualls. But according to Daugherty, he won't be giving them anything.
Comment removed.
Rube, Dave, & fellas : Let's be 'buyers.' Let's stand pat, hold the present core together, strengthen the bullpen, and make a run. This present Phils team has for years been a 2nd-half team, and there enough games left against NL East foes. Let's be buyers and go for it.- People are posting on here like the Phillies are in the thick of the pennant race. I'm rooting for them also, but let's be realistic concerning this year. They need to play at well over a .600 clip and hope a few teams in front of them sputter badly.— DameB
- Wow, you guys are clueless. Victorino would have to be offered 12.5 mil to receive a sandwich round pick. He has admitted being on a 1 year deal has distracted him. Why on earth would people bank on that? Even with their comeback wins against the only other bullpen in the NL worse than theirs, with the possible exception of the Mets, they have not picked up any ground in the standings, as the Braves, Nats, and many more have matched their wins. They only really gained on Milwaukee, NYM and Miami. Using the Cards comeback from last year, they only had to catch one team, not pass 9 other teams in the process. They are done for this year, sell off the guys that won't be back, it is how baseball is run.
And the guy who said be buyers, how can they do that with nothing to trade and no money to spend this season?— craigmack - Phills have no one to play CF if they trade Shane. Mayberry could do it when lefty pitcher is opponent but what about the other 110 games? It was said by one of the writers that Mayberry is one of the classiest guys in clubhouse. I can believe it. You never see JMJ complain even when homeplate ump makes very questionable call against him. Play Fontenot at 3B. Too bad Rolen not the same player since injury. Then if he was same player no one would be looking to unload him.— Don w
- The upside of this report is that re-signing Victorino could be relatively cheap. If he tests free agency .... yeah, good luck with that. He has a home in Philly unless the Phils - wisely - go after Bourn in the off-season to undo another trade.— VANDERGRAAFK
- Why would the reds give away a key bullpen piece, that is cheap, young, on the improve, and under club control till 2017 for a rent a player? Stubbs in not leaving center field, just the way it is. That leaves us left field with a platoon of hiesey and more so ludwick, who is hitting about .280 with 10 home runs and 30 or so rbis in the last two months. Yes we have a third baseman. A guy named frazier who is a leading canidate in the N.L rookie of year, and the aging but sometimes productive Scott Rolen. So why would give away a key young arm out of our major league leading bullpen for an agin, expensive, rent-a-player?— brockcarson
- It appears that in order to get a legitimate third baseman for next year, Lee would have to be traded. Olt and Ramirez or Olt and Martin would seem very fair. Martin is a center fielder that appears to be ready right now. Olt would be our 3rd baseman, hopefully beginning when the 40 man roster opens up in 4 weeks.— GOLDY2007
- Keep Vic. I don't want to see him go, but if he has to, get something worthwhile in return.— pizzzmoe
- ... maybe the reds see shane for what he has become and not what he was...
— LivePhilly_DiePhilly - I hope we didn't ask for Ondrusek— njd3x3x3xchamps
- I think the pitching staff would like a great defense behind them. If that means weak bat but strong glove at 3rd base then go for it.— charladan
- @ Da Nuck- it is this kind of idiocy that drives me nuts. Dom Brown? Who can't stay healthy and who has not enjoyed sustained success and is now 24. Want to know what Hunter Pence did at 24 in MLB? He had 456 AB's/ 17 HR's/ 69 RBI's/ and hit .322! Pence has also demonstrated he can stay healthy, Brown has not. If you think RF's who are on pace to hit 25-30 HR's and 100+ RBI's and still under 30 come around everyday....Newsflash, they don't.— Special Agent Fox Mulder
- you don't get a draft pick, Gentian, unless we make him an offer (which he'll take screwing us as we don't want him). Better to trade for bullpen arm or prospects now and shed salary so we don't go over the tax level this year, saving that for next year— jeff gross
- I agree Wigginton should have caught that ball yesterday. More important, I hope Rollins and others watched what the batter and learned that running out a pop out is not a bad thing. Rollins would never have been on second base on that play.— rolenfan
