THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

As the Reds prepare to go for the sweep of the Reds alumni association, otherwise known as the Washington Nationals, who among this current group is marketable? We’re 25 days from the unofficial trading deadline. And realistically, who can the reds trade to get any value in return.

And we’ve got to be realistic here. Junior, his salary and his age and the season he’s having isn’t going to bring back all that much. The best strategy with Junior, I think, is to ride out this season, market the home run total and let him walk after this season. I still think there’s a place for him on this team past this season. But that’s in a perfect world, with no 16 million dollar option. Reality tells you that the team isn’t going to pay anything close to that, if they want him back and Junior isn’t going to take a pay cut to continue to play here. Less money in Tampa or Miami, maybe Atlanta or Seattle but not here.

We had Ken Rosenthal on this show last Sunday…Rosenthal, one of the better informed national guys in the biz. His take on Adam Dunn would be better to trade him and get some players with a professional track record than to let him walk at the end of the season. But he also said this…and it plays into what I’ve been preaching for all of this season. Better to sign Dunn, or at least attempt to. The theory? You’ll chase his stats with the money you save by not signing him. There is a dearth of power hitters in baseball to begin with, guys who can deliver in excess of 30 home runs and 100 rbi a year. There are damn few that get to free agency. Dunn is a consistent 40-100 guy who plays an average of 155-games a season.

I’ve heard it said that Adam Dunn is a luxury this team can’t afford. That the four years 60-million he’ll ask for this off season is too much. If it is too much of a luxury….and I doubt seriously that it is, then sell the team. You want to run with the big dogs, pay like the big dogs. The Reds have no one in their organization, who isn’t already at the major league level, who can pick up the slack with power numbers if Dunn leaves. My take, Rosenthal’s take.

But let’s say you want to let Dunn take a hike after this season, or trade him in the next three weeks. Who do you replace him with? What is your starting outfield in 2009? Because right now, if Dunn and Junior are gone here it is: Jay Bruce, Ryan Freel and….Norris Hopper? Lucky to be back in time for spring training. He’s due for Tommy John’s surgery Tuesday. Chris Dickerson? Appears to be the next 4-A player in the Reds system. You want to trade for a starting outfielder or a major league ready minor leaguer? Who would you trade? It would appear to me, the asking price is Ednison Volquez, since that’s what it took to get him away from Texas.

So if you want Adam Dunn off this team in 2009, then what is your solution to who plays outfield for the Reds in 2009?

Here’s who I think has trade value on this current Reds roster and it’s a short list: David Weathers, Jeremy Affeldt, Josh Fogg. What do they all have in common? Bull pen guys, even Fogg who pitched well starting last night.
Maybe David Ross, if you’re the Florida Marlins.

That’s it. You can put anyone else on this roster on the open market, and with the exception of Bruce, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Aaron Harang and Volquez and the interest will be somewhere between mild to ice cold.

And why would you place any of the above on the block to begin with?

Any baseball general manager will tell you that trades are the sexy part of their business, they get the biggest headlines and the most scrutiny. But the real work, the stuff that separates contenders from pretenders is good home grown talent, players who grow up in your system, They cost less, your searching is done the day you sign them all you have to do, as an organization is help them get better. Make an occasional deal to fill in the blanks and, if you know what you’re doing, you’ve got a contender.

So the trade deadline is coming. I think the best course of action will be to hang onto Dunn and try to sign him. I think if you want to trade Fogg or Weathers or Ross, go ahead.

But I also think the best course for the Reds to take toward a potential world championship is for Bob Castellini to bring some stability to his front office. Walt Jocketty your guy, Bob? Good, give him at least five years. Because all that firing Dan O’Brien and Wayne Krivsky and Jim Bowden for that matter, all that did was create instability at all levels, from the GM’s chair right down to the lowest bird dog scout in the system.

Stability in the front office is how you find the kind of players who help you win. It creates stability on the field. You might want to consult the Atlanta Braves about that. They’ve done reasonably well since, oh the mid-90’s.

Create that kind of atmosphere…and hang onto Dunn. I think you’ll be all right if you do that.