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Reds Tidbits (2006 Season)

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BeaconJournal

2/9/06

Posted on Wed, Feb. 08, 2006
Reds pick Minnesota's Krivsky for GM

JOE KAY

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->CINCINNATI - Minnesota's Wayne Krivsky overwhelmed the Cincinnati Reds' new owner during an interview Wednesday, then got the job as their next general manager.
Krivsky's hiring ended a two-week search that involved eight candidates and ultimately came down to two - him and Reds special adviser Jim Beattie. Krivsky's second interview went so well that owner Bob Castellini didn't need any more time to think it over.
"He was totally prepared," Castellini said. "He blew us away."
Krivsky was a leading candidate for the Reds' job two years ago, but former owner Carl Lindner chose Dan O'Brien, who had worked for the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. O'Brien was fired last month by Castellini, who wanted to bring in his own executive to run the baseball operation.
The two share passionate personalities and similar views on how to run a team - hire good people, develop a strong farm system, make sure to connect with fans.
"We connected," Krivsky said. "Very compatible. Very similar ideas on how you run a quality organization."
In a symbolic gesture, Castellini inscribed a baseball and handed it to the 51-year-old Krivsky, who comes from a small-market team that knows how to win. The Twins won three straight AL Central titles from 2002-04 with comparable payrolls.
"It was a very big consideration - very big," Castellini said.
Krivsky knows a lot about the Reds already. They were one of the teams he scouted for the Twins, watching perhaps 40 games a year.
He also knows a lot about their history as a model franchise in the 1970s, when they won back-to-back World Series championships as the Big Red Machine.
"There's absolutely no reason we can't get back to being regarded in that light by the baseball fraternity," Krivsky said. "There's absolutely no reason."
Krivsky worked for the Rangers before the Twins hired him in 1994 as a special assistant. He has spent the last eight years as assistant general manager, involved in all aspects of running the team.
"Probably the goal of his life was to become a general manager, and it's become reality," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "He's bright. He's organized. He's a relentless worker. He's the type of guy that pays attention to detail. He's good with rules. He's good with contracts. He's a good evaluator.
"He's got a lot of the attributes that you would want to associate with a general manager."
Krivsky got a two-year contract from the Reds that includes mutual options for two additional years.
The Reds are coming off their fifth straight losing season, their longest such streak in 50 years. Krivsky's biggest challenge will be to significantly upgrade the pitching staff, which has been among the league's worst overall for several years.
Cincinnati had the NL's top offense last year, but couldn't overcome the lack of a dependable rotation and bullpen. The Reds let starter Ramon Ortiz leave after the season, and got left-handed starter Dave Williams from Pittsburgh in a trade for Sean Casey.
The Reds failed to develop pitching under general manager Jim Bowden, who was fired in 2003, midway through the first season at Great American Ball Park. During Bowden's tenure, several pitching prospects hurt their arms in the minors.
O'Brien instituted a pitch limit in the minors to try to cut down on the injuries. He also gave left-hander Eric Milton a $25.5 million, three-year deal to upgrade the rotation, a move that immediately backfired. Milton went 8-15 and gave up 40 homers last season, the most in the majors.
O'Brien had a year left on his contract when he was fired Jan. 23. Others interviewed for the job were Philadelphia assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, St. Louis assistant John Mozeliak, Atlanta vice president Frank Wren, and four in-house candidates: special assistant Leland Maddox, international scouting director Johnny Almaraz, Beattie, and Brad Kullman, who served as GM during the search process.
Krivsky won't have much room to make an immediate impact. The Reds plan to keep their payroll around $60 million - same as last season - and the roster is generally set with the start of spring training only one week away.
---
AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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From what I've read of the guy I'm ok with this.

The Reds just might screw around and let me have hope again.

Best thing I have seen is that he was the Twins chief contract negotiator. Adam Dunn and Felipe Lopez come on down.
 
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Jaxbuck said:
From what I've read of the guy I'm ok with this.

The Reds just might screw around and let me have hope again.

Best thing I have seen is that he was the Twins chief contract negotiator. Adam Dunn and Felipe Lopez come on down.
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I wouldnt get on that hope train just yet, they have sucked me in the past few years being in first b4 the allstar break and ending up in 4th.

I think I will wait and see if we have pitching to get us over the hump.

Hopefully the new pitching coach helps us out.
 
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crazybuckfan40 said:
I wouldnt get on that hope train just yet, they have sucked me in the past few years being in first b4 the allstar break and ending up in 4th.

I think I will wait and see if we have pitching to get us over the hump.

Hopefully the new pitching coach helps us out.
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I'm not talking about this year on the field, thats just not gonna happen. Don't bother wondering about the pitching, it will be horrific. Paint the endzones.

I'm talking big picture, down the road, 3-5 years kinda hope.
 
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Honestly...a good season for the Reds next year will be 80 wins. If they get any more than that...those are bonuses.

Right now they haven't got the players to do it. If somehow they want to spend more money RIGHT NOW to get a good team out there, then they may do something...but as of now the team they have would be lucky to be a .500 team.

Cincinnati...where pitchers go to die.

Sad but true.
 
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Just read from a very informed reds insider that

- Brad Kullman just got canned

-Naehring is next

-Allen and his boys wont make it to 2007 season.

Castellini appears to be doing what was so very neccessary...a complete house cleaning.

This stuff is whats really important for Reds fans the next couple of years as we have zippo chance of competeing on the field for at least the next 2.
 
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Jaxbuck said:
Just read from a very informed reds insider that

- Brad Kullman just got canned

-Naehring is next

-Allen and his boys wont make it to 2007 season.

Castellini appears to be doing what was so very neccessary...a complete house cleaning.

This stuff is whats really important for Reds fans the next couple of years as we have zippo chance of competeing on the field for at least the next 2.
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Great!!!!!

I like the idea of a house clearing. Hopefully he goes about rebuilding the farm system and builds this team from the ground up and doesnt compile on top of what we already have. At this point, we need to keep Harang, Lopez, Wagner, Encarnacion, Pena, Dunn.

Anyone else is fair game, and Dunn could be if we could get some type of awesom pitching prospect or two for him.
 
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Cincy

2/10/06

Kullman out of Reds' office

General manager Krivsky, on first day of work, fires ex-interim GM

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Wayne Krivsky, following the pattern of owner/chief executive officer Bob Castellini, made a major move Thursday on his first day on the job as Reds general manager.
Krivsky fired Brad Kullman, who served as interim GM from the time Dan O'Brien was fired Jan. 23 until Krivsky was hired Wednesday.
Castellini fired O'Brien the Monday following the Friday his group took control of the club.
The move with Kullman was something of a surprise, because Castellini said Wednesday at a press conference introducing Krivsky that Kullman was still employed by the club.
Kullman wasn't told he was being fired until Thursday.
"Wayne said he wanted to bring his own people in," Kullman said. "I respect that. He could have moved me down the hall and made my life miserable."
Kullman was with the Reds 11 years.
He served as assistant GM under Jim Bowden in 2002 and '03. Under O'Brien, his title changed to director of baseball operations. His duties were similar, but he was under assistant GM Dean Taylor on the front-office food chain.
Kullman had been a candidate for the Reds' GM job.
"We decided to go in a different direction," Krivsky said. "I'm not going to go into specifics. That's not fair to Brad. We appreciate his service to the Reds and wish him and his family well."
Kullman was surprised by the move. Castellini had said good things about him after taking over.
"It's always surprising," Kullman said. "You work so hard for an organization. People say nice things about you, and then this happens."
Krivsky was vague when asked whether he had a person in mind to replace Kullman.
"I'll let my actions speak," Krivsky said. "I'm not at liberty to talk about it right now."
Krivsky on Thursday met with nearly everyone in the baseball operation who is based in Cincinnati (most scouts aren't). Everyone other than Kullman remains in the same position today, but more changes could be coming.
"We won't announce one Monday and another Tuesday," Krivsky said. "We'll make a blanket statement."
Taylor, an O'Brien hire, appears safe. Krivsky said in his press conference that he planned "to lean heavily" on Taylor.
Krivsky is much more familiar with the staff after a day on the job.
"It was a very productive day," he said. "I really enjoyed meeting all our people. Some of them I knew very well; others I got to know.
"I was impressed with our people."
Among those Krivsky met with was scouting director Terry Reynolds.
"It went well," Reynolds said. "He's very focused, very passionate. We're moving forward."
Reynolds, player development director Tim Naehring and director of international scouting and player development Johnny Almaraz are at a level just below Taylor and Kullman.
Krivsky and Naehring did not meet Thursday because Naehring was home recovering from major dental work.
Krivsky made one player move Thursday, signing outfielder Timo Perez to a minor-league contract. Perez, 29, has a .263 batting average in six seasons in the big leagues. He hit .218 with two home runs and 15 RBI in 76 games with the Chicago White Sox last year.
Perez wasn't invited to the Reds' major-league camp, but there's a reason for that.
"He has some visa problems," Krivsky said. "Because of that, he can't play in games that admission is charged."
Perez will be limited to minor-league and "B" games. If the problems are solved, he'll be brought to big-league camp to compete for a job.
Krivsky said other player moves are possible.
"There are some free agents out there," he said.
But don't look for the Reds to go after right-hander Jeff Weaver, the top free-agent pitcher left. Signing Weaver would mean the Reds would have to give up a second-round pick, and his salary - at least $8 million a year - doesn't fit their budget.
E-mail [email protected]
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crazybuckfan40 said:
Great!!!!!

I like the idea of a house clearing. Hopefully he goes about rebuilding the farm system and builds this team from the ground up and doesnt compile on top of what we already have. At this point, we need to keep Harang, Lopez, Wagner, Encarnacion, Pena, Dunn.

Anyone else is fair game, and Dunn could be if we could get some type of awesom pitching prospect or two for him.
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I'd like to keep that group, although I'm not 100% sold on Wagner, but I don't know how realistic it is.


If I'm Krivisky I might just trade any or all of them and focus 100% on restocking the minors, they are completely barren.

We simply can't continue the half measures and try to win and rebuild at the same time. All you do is push back the inevitible total rebuild phase while struggeling to play .500 ball.
 
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I remember going to the last game at Riverfront Stadium...vs. the Pirates...we lost...I refuse to call it by it's other name cuz that's not how I grew up. I miss that Stadium, how about you?
 
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Cincy

2/11/06

All quiet in front office

Team's only Day 2 move is adding LHP Gosling

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->The Reds signed left-hander Michael Gosling Friday and declared him a competitor for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
But what's more significant is what they didn't do: fire anyone.
That means - apart from Brad Kullman, who was fired Thursday - all of the top lieutenants in the baseball department will keep their jobs, or at least have a job. We haven't finalized where everyone will be," Krivsky said. "(CEO Bob Castellini) wants an organizational chart with all the boxes filled out. We're still trying to figure out what's the best fit for everyone."
Krivsky met Friday with Tim Naehring, the director of player development.
"I was very impressed," Krivsky said. "It went great."
Assistant GM Dean Taylor, Naehring, scouting director Terry Reynolds and director of international scouting and player development Johnny Almaraz are all safe.
To get Gosling on the 40-man roster, the Reds designated right-hander Luke Hudson for assignment.
Gosling, 25, split last year between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Triple-A Tucson. He was 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA for the D'backs.
"He'll be in competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation," Krivsky said.
Gosling's best year was 2002 when he went 14-5 with a 3.13 ERA at Double-A El Paso. He had shoulder surgery in 2003.
Hudson, 28, might have had the best stuff in the Reds' organization, but he's had trouble harnessing it. He slipped to 6-9 with a 6.38 ERA last year after going 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA in '04.
The Reds have 10 days to trade, release or outright Hudson to the minors. Krivsky said they'd be open to re-signing him to a minor-league deal if he clears waivers.
E-mail [email protected]
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Reds sign Hatteberg and make more FO moves from Redszone:

# First baseman Scott Hatteberg has agreed to a one-year major league contract. A corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow. Don't imagine that bodes too well for Jacob Cruz's chances of making the team out of camp.

# Johnny Almaraz, formerly the director of international scouting, is the Reds' new director of player development and international scouting.

# Tim Naehring, who had held the farm director's job for more than five years, replaces the fired Bob Miscik as minor league field coordinator.

# Bob Miller has been named director of baseball administration. He spent the past seven seasons with the Diamondbacks as director of major league operations and later assistant GM. Sounds like he'll be filling Brad Kullman's shoes.

# Scott Nethery has been named special assistant to the GM for player personnel. He was with the Mets last year and the Braves for 13 years prior to that, most of it in scouting.
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