Reds fandom (and baseball fandom beyond) is abuzz with the prospect of trading Adam Dunn. Makes sense, I suppose: there isn't much else to be abuzz about in Redsland these days.
In some cases it's just speculation based on a feeling that Dunn's time is up, such as at Diamod Hoggers:
As I get older I am starting to realize that baseball is just a business. There was a time when an organization would be happy with a guy showing up, playing every day, and hitting 40+ home runs every season. That time is apparently not now.
In other cases it's based on apparent conjecture presented as uncited fact, such as Joe Sheehan's article at Baseball Prospectus:
Of course, we were here just a year ago, with disastrous results. Wayne Krivsky blew up what was a fringe wild-card contender by overpaying badly for relievers Bill Bray and Gary Majewski. Sending away Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez killed the team’s strength, its offense, while providing absolutely no gains anywhere else. To his discredit, Krivsky is again largely focused on adding a reliever, in particularly a closer, in a Dunn deal.
In the case of Ken Rosenthal, his sources seem to say the talks are there, but the options aren't many:
The Dodgers are interested in Dunn, sources say, but seemingly have no place to put him; Dunn is below-average in left field, and neither he nor the Dodgers' current left fielder, Luis Gonzalez, would be adequate in right.
The Padres like Dunn, but have had no recent discussions with the Reds. The Twins are looking for a designated hitter, but Dunn, earning $10.5 million, is beyond their price range. The Angels have shown past interest in Dunn, but manager Mike Scioscia generally prefers more well-rounded players.
FWIW, I'm stunned that Wayne Krivsky hasn't done any more to help this foundering team than twiddle with the bullpenners in Cincinnati and Louisville, and his lack of activity makes it feel like something big just has to go down soon. At the same time, if a year of Kriv-dawg has taught us anything, it's that he never does what you expect.
I imagine that Dunn, like everyone all the time, is available. With the Reds so far out of it, I think that Krivsky is less likely to make a hasty move ala The Trade, so unless something really compelling comes along, I think we'll be seeing Dunn in Red next year.
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But it's sort of fun to speculate. At least it gives us something else to talk about.
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