November 12, 200322 yr I can see I'm in the minority here but frankly a Pokey Reese or a JT Snow are in my mind exactly the kinds of players the Marlins don't need and signing either of them would be a surrender to mediocrity that none of us wants to return to. And suggesting (Rotoworld and others) we should settle for crumbs is insulting. Names. Names. Names. Hero-worship. Hogwash! There have to be five major league ready AAA or second string 2ndbasemen I'd rather take a look at than Pokey. Why p*ss away millions on this has-been? Makes no sense. I disagree on Pokey. Pokey is just the kind of hitter that would succeed at Pro Player. a Castillo/Pierre type hitter. He's also got speed and defense, the two attributes this franchise has been built upon. Please, not Pokey Reese. He is not a "Pierre type" Pierre doesn't strike out, as a result he makes hits happen. He is not a "Castillo type" Castillo draws walks. We would be better off having Mike Mordecai play every day (and that is NOT a good option) than him. He sometimes can't even find a .300 OBP. This is a guy that wishes he could match Alex Gonzalez' offense.
November 12, 200322 yr Pirates Decline to Exercise Reese Option By Associated Press Posted November 10 2003, 3:44 PM EST PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates declined to exercise their option on second baseman Pokey Reese, deciding not to pay him $5,125,000 next year after he missed all but five weeks of last season. Reese gets a $750,000 buyout. Pittsburgh had until midnight Sunday to exercise the option. Reese signed a $5 million, two-year deal with the Pirates in 2002 after rejecting a $21 million, four-year offer from Cincinnati the year before. His average jumped from .224 with Cincinnati in 2001 to .264 with the Pirates in 2002 and had four homers and 50 RBIs. He hit .215 in 37 games last season before tearing a thumb ligament. Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said in September that the 30-year-old Reese would not return to Pittsburgh. "We'll look around baseball and look internally to see what our options are," Littlefield said. The two most likely candidates are rookies Freddy Sanchez and Bobby Hill, both acquired during the Pirates' flurry of deals around the trading deadline. Hill, the only player left from the trade that sent third baseman Aramis Ramirez and center fielder Kenny Lofton to the Cubs, has a .254 average in 64 major league games. Sanchez was considered the Red Sox's top middle infield prospect before going to Pittsburgh in the Jeff Suppan trade. Sanchez hit .341 in 211 at-bats with Triple-A Pawtucket last season, but played only one game in the Pirates' system before missing the rest of the season with tendinitis in his right ankle. He has a .220 average in 32 major league games.? ? ? Copyright ? 2003, The Associated Press Maybe $2 million or $3 million for Pokey Reese? WHy would you spend that kind of money on an injury risk 2nd baseman with no pop and a low batting avg? NO WAY. Now maybe an Eric Young. Or somebody new.
November 12, 200322 yr Forget Hooper and Reese. If Castillo is not re-signed it looks as if Grudzielanek will come. If it's Castillo or Grudz, we should beg Castillo to come back for any amount he desires. Seriously. People think Grudz will be an 'adequate replacement' or put up 'Castillo-like numbers'? What? A .300 batting average, half-century mark of walks and a half-dozen home runs and steals? If that's what Castillo did this year, I've been drunk out of mind for months. With a healthy hip next year Castillo could challenge for the batting crown, steal 40 bases and win another gold glove. Grudzielanek? :lol
November 12, 200322 yr I agree - Grudz would be terrible. I would rather take a flyer on Reese, for the right price about 1-2MM, or bring in Medrano/Hooper and see what they can do. Eric Young is, of course, a short term answer. It looks like Castillo may be around though...
November 12, 200322 yr I would rather take a flyer on Reese, for the right price about 1-2MM why would you offer him so much?
November 12, 200322 yr I would rather take a flyer on Reese, for the right price about 1-2MM why would you offer him so much? I'd offer Reese $500,000.
November 12, 200322 yr i rather take the risk on yobal due?as than going after grudz, reese or young. you can get due?as for $500k easily and this guy was a proven high average hitter in the cuban league and plays solid defense. even if he doesn't play to the same standards he'll still be a .270 - .290 hitter with some pop and VERY cheap.
November 12, 200322 yr how do you know he would see so cheap? no major league experience and no big resume to fall back on. he wasn't even a starter on cuba's national team. he's case is not like the pitcher's which all had high profiles and their stuff can easily be scouted on a few work-out sessions. due?as will get jorge toca's kind of money, and he's a MUCH better hitter.
November 12, 200322 yr is this guy a free agent? he's working on getting his free agency. they are staying at an undisclosed third country to get their residency there (him and maels rodriguez) and once they do they become free agents.
November 12, 200322 yr I would rather take a flyer on Reese, for the right price about 1-2MM why would you offer him so much? I'd offer Reese $500,000. I'm not saying its going to happen, but he might be had for a minor league contract. Reese is definitely a fine option if we decide to sign everyone else (UU, Pudge, Lee, Lowell) as he provides great D at a cheap price. Anything much over the league min I say pass.
November 12, 200322 yr AAAAHHHH whats up with all this pokey reese talk. He sucks the big ones. His last good year was 1999 since then he hasnt done s***. He has a terrible OBP (career .310) and doesnt steal anymore. All he brings to the table is defense and thats it. Plus hes injury prone. Hasnt played more than 130 games since 2001.
November 13, 200322 yr from mlb.com By Chris Haft / MLB.com CINCINNATI -- The sight of second baseman Pokey Reese making impossible plays for the Reds could be more than just a fond memory. Reese, cast adrift in the sea of more than 200 free agents, would consider returning to the Reds, with whom he spent his first 11 professional seasons after they selected him in the first round of the 1991 First-Year Player Draft. Reese became available after the Pittsburgh Pirates declined the $5.125 million option on his 2004 contract and paid him a $750,000 buyout instead. Mike Nicotera, Reese's agent, declined to name the teams that have inquired about his sure-handed client. "We've already been contacted by a number of clubs. We're happy with the response in just the first couple of days [of free agency]," Nicotera said Wednesday. Though Nicotera wouldn't say if the Reds were among those teams, he confirmed Reese's interest in them: "He definitely would be open to listening to the Reds. Absolutely." Cincinnati's middle-infield situation is in a state of flux, thus creating potential openings for Reese. D'Angelo Jimenez entrenched himself at second base by hitting .290 while starting 72 of the team's final 75 games. Jimenez also displayed barely adequate defensive range and could move to third base, especially if interim manager Dave Miley returns. At shortstop, the Reds have plenty of candidates but lack a true regular. Barry Larkin, entering his final season, will turn 40 on April 28. Ray Olmedo, Juan Castro and perhaps Felipe Lopez also can be expected to compete for playing time. Though Reese established himself by winning the Gold Glove award as a second baseman with the Reds in 1999, shortstop is his natural position. "If you put Pokey on the sandlot, I think he would run over to shortstop -- his intuition is to play there," Nicotera said. "But he's had so much success at second base that it doesn't matter to him where he plays." Reese was limited to 37 games and a .215 batting average in 2003 because of a torn ligament in his left thumb, which he suffered while sliding head-first. However, this type of injury wouldn't hamper Reese's fabled range. The .251 lifetime hitter remains one of the most efficient basestealers in the Major Leagues, having stolen 138 bases in 162 tries in seven seasons. Moreover, Reese, 30, seems driven to regain his status as an elite infielder. "He's hired a personal trainer and he's working out like a madman," Nicotera said. "In Pokey, what you have is an All-Star-caliber player, coming off a year in which he missed basically five months of the season, who's looking to establish himself once again at the level he knows he can play at." Reese is unlikely to find a new team before early December. He's a Type B free agent who's eligible for salary arbitration, meaning that any team signing him before Dec. 7 would have to give the Pirates a compensatory selection in the 2004 draft. After that date, any team signing Reese would owe nothing to the Pirates, who are certain not to offer Reese arbitration anyway. "You can't name five better middle infielders than him in baseball defensively," Nicotera said. "I think it's just a matter of finding a good spot for him." Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs. just an article on the pokemeister
November 13, 200322 yr How about Carlos Baerga? Don't know how much money he will be asking for but I like his game.
November 13, 200322 yr How about Carlos Baerga? Don't know how much money he will be asking for but I like his game. 8-9mil no doubt
November 13, 200322 yr How about Carlos Baerga? Don't know how much money he will be asking for but I like his game. 8-9mil no doubt Really? That seems like alot....
November 13, 200322 yr How about Carlos Baerga?? Don't know how much money he will be asking for but I like his game. 8-9mil no doubt Really? That seems like alot.... He won't command that amount. He was offered a minor league shot by the Red Sox a couple of years ago and has been playing decently. But he is WAY past his prime.
November 13, 200322 yr are you kidding me? he's a bargain at $7mil but no way he goes for that Bargain? He hasn't had more than 207 at-bats since '98, has little power and speed, and is old. Where's the bargain?
November 14, 200322 yr ramp this is BAERGA not bret boone or somghing. he would be lucky to even get 500 K.. and i think hes g@y. he shaves his arms and does his eybrows. at least from what i saw
November 14, 200322 yr are you kidding me? he's a bargain at $7mil but no way he goes for that Bargain? He hasn't had more than 207 at-bats since '98, has little power and speed, and is old. Where's the bargain? lol no speed.. he gained waight like lenny harris. hes just like a lenny but better avg. he plays 1st and all the positions now lol i dont know where ramp gets the 7-9 mill from lol maybe from baseball prospectus?? lol ool
November 14, 200322 yr ramp this is BAERGA not bret boone or somghing. he would be lucky to even get 500 K.. and i think hes g@y. he shaves his arms and does his eybrows. at least from what i saw Apparently that does not matter much as Mike Piazza still makes alot of money. And I know guys that shave their arms. I don't necessarily agree with it, but different people have their reasons.
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