Insanity in The Nati

Please someone stop the madness. Tell me what I am reading is a joke. In my next life, I need to come back as an average baseball free agent. In the latest headscratcher in a market which will never correct itself, Cincinnati Reds and closer Francisco Cordero have reached a preliminary agreement on a four year $46 million deal. Almost $12 million a year for Francisco Cordero? This is a guy who is coming off a career year with the Brewers with 44 saves and a 2.98 ERA. A solid year definitely. Did you know that his road ERA was 6.55 and he blew six saves chances? Opposing hitters swung the sticks to the tune of a .337 batting average in those road games. The previous year, he was ousted as closer in Texas and traded to the Brewers where he resurrected himself.

That is all fine and dandy, he is a major league closer. Keep in mind he Reds play in the notorious band-box Great American Ballpark, where homers fly out like no other stadium in baseball. To give a guy who a volatile track record close to $12 million dollars a year at age 32 (33 in May) is ludicrous. Are the Reds nuts? What was wrong with David Weathers last year? For just $2.25 million, he saved 33 games and compiled a 3.59 ERA. His road ERA was actually 2.87, better than his over four and a half home ERA. Weathers will most likely move to the setup role, a spot the Reds could never seem to fill last year.

Deals like this are why Tribe GM Mark Shapiro seems to be a step ahead. You think in this market (similar to Cincinnati) he would ever take a chance on that kind of jack for a guy like Cordero? No way. Next year, the Reds have $13 million tied up in Adam Dunn, $9 more in Ken Griffey Jr, and now almost $12 in Cordero. Nobody else makes any serious jack worth speaking of, and this team still has a long way to go. Cordero did the right thing for himself, but this is a straight up cash grab and a stupid move by the Reds.