Welcome Back Milton; Good Luck Williams
By
Amanda
Posted at 6:15 pm
Thanks to the intrepid reporting of my Crack Catching What I Let Slip By Staff, HMZ, you already know that Dave Williams was designated for assignment today to make room for the newly reactivated Eric Milton:
I don't know why it seems that something always happens with the Reds as soon as RHM slips away, but…while she's going through airport security, I guess it falls to me to interrupt this thread so that I can inform everyone that the Reds have activated Eric Milton from the DL, as expected.
However - and here's the kicker - instead of sending Elizardo Ramirez back to Louisville as expected, the Reds DFA'ed Dave Williams.
Marc also has a few words:
You already know by now that Dave Williams was designated for assignment today. Every list I've seen this year said he had an option remaining, so perhaps the Reds just want to get rid of him. If so, I give them credit for deciding he's just not a guy that can help them and moving on, rather than wasting time sending him to Louisville.
Full props to Daedalus, who totally called it.
Can't say as I'm surprised, though; this management seems to have very little patience with the most recent transactions of the previous regime. Mysterious that the Reds didn't use his option, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens next. And cross our fingers that Milton is an upgrade.
I don’t think you let it slip by, it’s just that when it happened you were probably joining the Mile High Club somewhere between Indiana and DC. Or maybe not. But it would have been difficult to learn the news and post about it while onboard an aircraft flying at altitude, or while standing in line waiting to be strip-searched by drooling TSA agents at the airport. Even you can’t be everywhere at once.
Mark’s comments coincide with what I’ve read – by all previous accounts, Williams was not out of options. Nevertheless, he’s DFA’ed, which means the Reds now have ten days to either send him to the minors, trade him, or feed him to the carp that live under the historic John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge (by which I mean, release him). So, I would guess that if he still has an option left they can still elect to use it. Maybe this is just an alternative method that dangles him as bait for a possible trade.
Certainly, Krivsky does not seem to be terribly shy about getting rid of the previous regime’s mistakes. For that matter, his signing of guys like Joe Mays and Alex Sanchez demonstrates he’s also not shy about taking a gamble on making a few mistakes of his own.
Either way, it’s now very hard to see the Casey-Williams deal as anything more than a blatant salary dump by the previous regime.
John, HMZ
[quote]Either way, it’s now very hard to see the Casey-Williams deal as anything more than a blatant salary dump by the previous regime.[/quote]See, I disagree on this. Yes, it saved the team more money, but I don’t believe that O’Brien viewed it in any way as a salary dump. He really thought he was getting a good pitcher and greatly improving the team.
I’m pretty happy with his drafting skills, but his ability to evaluate Major League pitchers was laughable, at best.