December 02, 2007
Baking a Winner
Dusty Baker played an important part in bringing Francisco Cordero to the Reds:
"I got a couple of telephone calls from Dusty and that showed me they really want me," said Cordero. "They showed a lot of interest.
"Dusty assured me that they are not going to rebuild a team right now," Cordero added. "They are trying to put together a winning team, a team that will compete and not only go to the playoffs, but the World Series.
"Knowing Dusty Baker like I do, watching when he managed the Giants and the Cubs, I know he is a great manager," he said. "Knowing a lot of players who played for him, they told me I'm going to love to be part of a team where Dusty Baker is the manager. He played a big role in my signing. He showed me how much he respects me and how much he wants me to be part of the Cincinnati Reds."
If the Reds are going to win now, I expect to see a lot more action from them this winter.
Dusty Baker also opposes "clogging up the bases" by walking. So, I expect the Reds to do very little of that.
Doormats don't really need a bigtime closer - they're going to pay him big $$$ to pitch when they're behind 9-4 and they're going to finish last - another testament to Dusty's genius
The NL Central is so weak. The Cubs and Brewers were the only teams above breakeven on run diff, at +62 and +25, respectively. Really, almost any team in the division could luck into contention, as the wretched Cardinals did for a while last year.
With a -70 run diff in 2007 the Reds aren't hopelessly bad. I agree that the Cordero signing is hardly the way to go. They should be spending big on decent starters who will pitch more than 70 innings.
Baker will keep everybody happy, anyway. That might be important for Dunn, who could have an MVP year one of these seasons. Just hope Dusty doesn't bug him to walk less, but even Baker should be smart enough to avoid that.
