Boxscore

The Bats phoned one in on Thursday. I imagine it’s hard to continue to be motivated when you clinched not just a playoff spot, but your division, so many weeks ago. Matt Maloney got pounded, allowing 7 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Not exactly the best audition for a September call-up.

How many McCutchen’s do the Indians need? Apparently as many as the Bats have Drews.

Hey, look. Matt Kata plays for the Indians, now.

The Bats threatened to score shortly before we had to call it a night. Out of 4 games in 4 nights, we saw the entirety of one game. This was not that game.

Apparently Adam Dunn cleared waivers.

The Reds traded Dunn to the Arizona Diamonbacks today for minor league right-hand pitcher Dallas Buck and two players to be named later. Based entirely on the fact that “Dallas Buck” sounds like an apt description for Dunn, I’m liking this deal so far.

You might wonder how, without their OPS machine, the Reds are going to score any runs at all, and you’d have a valid point (and an opinion that many others are likely to share). However, Dunn’s offensive production has failed to translate into wins thus far in his career; maybe taking it away will put the pressure on the rest of the team to step it up. Plus, Dunn will get a chance to play on a non-sucking team for a change.

It *is* weird, though, to have the final piece of the Kearns, Griffey, and Dunn outfield dismantled.

In the other blockbuster trade yesterday, the Pirates had some fun in a ménage à trois with the Red Sox and the Dodgers. For the first time in a very long time, I don’t even think they’ll be sore and regretful in the morning.

Manny Ramirez went to the Dodgers, Jason Bay went to the Red Sox, while Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Brandon Moss, and Craig Hansen went to the Pirates. LaRoche gives the Pirates the complete set of LaRoche brothers in the Majors, so that’s worth something. I mean, look at how well the Reds did when they had both Boone brothers.

Andy LaRoche was one of the Dodgers best prospects, and every other player obtained is young and more talented than about anyone else in the entire Pirates farm system. So it looks like a competent move to secure the team’s future. Painful? Sure. Bay was good. But I think it’s something that’s been long overdue from the Pirates. Neal Huntington has earned a gold star for his work leading up to the deadline.

Pirates bloggers have mixed opinions.

• Pat at WHYGAS? likes the trade quite a bit and goes so far as to Fire Joe Morgan a Post-Gazette reporter’s opinion on the matter.
• Bucco Blog has the most negative reaction to the trade that I’ve seen, feeling it’s more of the same and that nothing has changed.
• Finally, the Pittsburgh Lumber Company rates the trade as very good, finding it much better than expected. When you’re a Pirates fan, better than expected is a huge win.

Wow. That was an eventful non-waiver trading deadline yesterday, wasn’t it?

Two of the biggest names in baseball changed teams, and both trades involved the NL Central. Of course, big-name, established talent was leaving the NLC, but that’s come to be expected.

As reported here yesterday, Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the White Sox. Basically this saves the Reds some money and it gives them a couple players who might be useful. That’s more than I expected they could get out of Griffey.

The trade is bittersweet, though. Everyone had high hopes for the Reds when Griffey arrived in 2000, but he never seemed to be the player that people expected. Injuries and getting older were a part of that, as was the incalculable incompetency of the Reds organization. (This trade notwithstanding, the incompetency continues even now. See Dusty Baker.)

The blogger reaction is mixed. Some like it, some don’t. All seem to realize how special of a player he was, though.

• John Fay was stunned but seems to have come around.
• Justin at On Baseball and the Reds thinks the Reds won the trade and offers his usual level-headed analysis.
• And Shawn wishes Griffey well with his new team and offers the frightening Reds future: one with more playing time for Corey Patterson.

Ah, what could have been.

UPDATE Griffey has given the OK; he’s going to Chicago. This is so exciting! I hope the White Sox go far.

According to the story on Reds.com:

The Reds will receive right-handed pitcher Nick Masset and second baseman Danny Richar, a source said.

Griffey, 38, is a likely free agent after the season. In the final year of a nine-year deal, the Reds held a $16.5 million club option for 2009, with a $4 million buyout.

The trade that’s been in the works since 2005 but seemed like it would never come may finally be here: FOX Sports (and even the MLB.com pages concur) reports that the Reds and White Sox have come to an agreement to send Ken Griffey Jr. to the windy city, if the slugger agrees to go.

Ken Rosenthal says:

The White Sox, leading the American League Central by a game and a half, would use Griffey mostly in the outfield, the source said. However, they do not have an obvious spot for him unless they make another deal.

The Sox are set at the corners with Carlos Quentin in left and Jermaine Dye in right. They could play Nick Swisher at first to open center for Griffey, a move that would reduce the playing time of first baseman Paul Konerko and designated hitter Jim Thome. But Griffey has not played center regularly since 2006.

Griffey, earning $12.5 million this season in the final year of his contract, is owed more than $4 million in salary. The Reds could pay a portion of that sum to acquire better players in the deal. The White Sox also could be seeking to acquire one of the Reds’ available relievers, right-hander David Weathers or lefty Jeremy Affeldt.

No word yet on what the Reds would get in return.