Reds sign Jason Isringhausen
By
Amanda
Posted at 2:00 pm
The closer who caused no end of stress for our friends down in St. Louis is now a member of the Cincinnati Reds minor league system:
CINCINNATI — Two days after they watched free-agent right-hander Jason Isringhausen throw in a bullpen session at Great American Ball Park, the Reds agreed to terms with the reliever on a Minor League contract Thursday.
Isringhausen will meet Triple-A Louisville at Gwinnett and officially sign his contract. It will likely take him at least a couple of weeks for him to get big league-ready. The 37-year-old hasn’t pitched in the Majors since June 2009 for the Rays before his right elbow blew out and required Tommy John surgery.
After the last couple games, it looks to me like he’d be an improvement over some of the people we’re sending out there. Of course, if the reason Bill Bray can’t get an out is because he goes so long between outings, the adding another pitcher to the mix isn’t going to help.
I’m sorry.
I think Fernando Vina is available. How about Eli Marerro?
The Cards always seem to be able to make gold out of crappy ex-Red pitchers…maybe this is the year it’ll work in reverse.
OR
Maybe he’ll suck with the Reds, they’ll release him, then St. Louis will pick him back up, and the circle of life will begin again.
I’m still surprised Khalil Greene’s not in Louisville. But I guess Walt’s looking for bullpen help. With that in mind, I was thinking more along the lines of (drum roll, please) John Smoltz! 🙂
We already had Kip Wells last year, and Ryan Franklin, Kyle Lohse, and Ron Villone a few years ago. But as far as I know Smoltz, like Izzy, hasn’t pitched anywhere this year. Neither had Russ Springer until after the Reds signed him and he pitched for the Bats.
If the Reds want fresher blood now that they’ve already plucked Springer and Izzy off baseball’s scrap heap, then Jason Marquis (Nationals), Todd Wellemeyer (Giants), Brad Thompson (Royals), and Joel Piniero (Angels) are all still actually playing, either in the majors or minors.
Come to think of it, so is Rick Ankiel (Royals), and the Reds need him, because with Mike Lincoln on the DL and Edwin Encarnacion in Toronto, one thing the Reds don’t have right now at the major league level is a guy who can’t throw.
Unfortunately, Ricky Stone is no longer with the Reds organization. So much for any chance of trading him to the Royals for Ankiel and Thompson and getting two birds (or at least two former Redbirds) for one Stone.
JK