The Return of Chris Reitsma?
By
BubbaFan
Posted at 10:20 pm
I was poking around AJC.com, looking for news on the long-rumored Laroche-for-Gonzo-for-Melky trade, and came across this:
At the risk of spoiling the New Year’s celebration for many of you, l’m going to cut to the chase and tell you that Chris Reitsma will not be returning to the Braves.
OK, stop the derisive applause.
This according to the beleaguered reliever’s agent, who told me Sunday that Atlanta wasn’t among the dozen teams that expressed interest in Reitsma after the Braves non-tendered him last month.
Agent Mike Paolercio said six teams have made “legitimate offers†for Reitsma, who posted an 8.68 ERA and .362 opponents’ average in 27 appearances before the All-Star break, then went on the DL and had season-ending elbow surgery.
One of those teams is the Reds:
He said he’s well into negotiations with “several teams†including Cincinnati, where Reitsma was a setup man, closer and fan favorite before being traded to Atlanta before the 2004 season.
(Yes, he was a seriously popular pitcher in Cincy, much as Dan Kolb was in Milwaukee and Bob Wickman in Cleveland. Hey, at least one of them didn’t see his career fall to pieces in Atlanta.)
The Reds' new closer?
Though he didn't pitch well in Atlanta, he seems to have made friends there nonetheless:
While most of you never met him, let me go on record as saying Reitsma was about as decent and good a dude as I’ve ever met in 12 years covering baseball. I know that probably doesn’t mean a lot to you, because, as I said, he did stink for most of his final 12 months here.
But next time he visits Turner Field, it really wouldn’t hurt to give him a little polite applause. Or at least quiet indifference. At least don’t roll down your window and yell obscenities at him. If you guys ever got to meet him and talk to him, you’d know what I mean. Good dude.
And in other news, Brendan Harris was dealt to Tampa, for a PTNL or cash. (The PTNL is probably not Josh Hamilton.)
Reitsma seems to fit Krivsky’s preferred profile…but can he catch?
Heck, I wouldn’t mind taking a chance on Reitsma for the right price. Last time I saw him, it looked like he needed to go on The Program, but you were just saying that a little extra weight can be to a pitcher’s benefit, so maybe he’s just right.
He might be worth a shot. His ERA is pretty scary, but that was presumably because of his elbow injury, which he’s had surgery to correct. They expected him to be ready by spring training. Those estimates tend to be optimistic, but if he’s been throwing off a mound since September, it sounds like he’s okay.
And he just turned 29, which is young for a pitcher.
Reitsma was one of my favorite Reds during those crap-tastic teams in the early oughts. It was asinine to trade him, considering he was about the only good pitcher the Reds had at the time.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him back if it’s not too expensive.
According to the [url=http://test.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_4939315]Denver Post[/url], the Rockies are also trying to sign Reitsma:
[quote]Reliever Chris Reitsma’s agent, Mike Paolercio, said Tuesday that the Rockies have made an offer that his client “is seriously considering.”[/quote]
Aw, c’mon, Chris. You don’t want to pitch in the thin air of Colorado. Sinkers don’t sink, curveballs don’t curve.
His possible return is no more. [url=http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/spring/2007/01/reitsma-finds-home.asp]Today Chris Reitsma signed with the Mariners[/url].
I hope he does well and rebounds from his time with the Braves.
Those of you on the Chris Reitsma bandwagon, please see RHM after class so she can give you directions to Seattle.
According to published reports, Reitsma has now agreed to a one-year contract with the Mariners, where he’s expected to be the setup man for closer J.J. Putz. He’ll replace Rafael Soriano in that role after Soriano was dealt to Atlanta for starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez earlier this offseason.
Reitsma gets $1.35 million this year, and can thicken his wallet even more if he pitches well, enabling him to take advantage of additional bonuses based on appearances and games finished. The club has a $2.7 million option for 2008 with a $700,000 buyout.
Arrgghhhh! Zeldink, you beat me to the “submit” button. Again.
LOL! Yeah, I saw this story earlier today. Sigh. I guess the Reds, like the Pirates, don’t win bidding wars.