D-Train Departs for Cincinnati

I know this is a little late on the uptake, but the Reds signed Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract.

The left hander was a former starter that once won 22 games for the Florida Marlins, as well as a Rookie of the Year award. He was a power pitcher with a funky delivery that made him one of the more feared pitchers in the game at the time. But like many pitchers with strange deliveries, Dontrelle went into a slump towards the end of his run in Florida. They sent him to Detroit while he still had value. The Tigers thought they could fix his delivery, and failed. So last year, he went on to Arizona, and continued to struggle. The strikeouts went down, and the walks went up. That isn't a formula for success. And with the delivery messed up, his velocity has disappeared. It's a perfect storm of disaster for the former All Star.

However, it's a gamble worth taking, and I love it. You can never have enough pitching, especially left handed pitching. If Dontrelle Willis ever corrects that delivery, he could be very effective again. The Reds have nothing to lose here. He will only be competing for a spot in the bullpen, not in the rotation. They would only look at him for the rotation if there were injuries, or Willis becomes highly effective again. He did hold lefties to a .216 batting average, with just three extra base hits in 75 at bats. So, as a left handed specialist, he could be extremely effective.

At the same time, signing Willis worries me somewhat. I continue to wonder if the Reds will re-sign Arthur Rhodes. Obviously, this move is insurance for that situation. They wouldn't want to go into spring training with just Bill Bray and Daniel Herrera. Especially since Herrera was so ineffective in both the majors and triple A. But Rhodes was a key piece to that bullpen. He held the bullpen together while Nick Masset was ineffective. I understand sports is about "next man up," but I like having the insurance of that sure thing in Rhodes. Maybe the Reds think Arthur has become too old, I mean, he is 41. He became ineffective at the end of the year. But for that first half? No one in baseball was better than him. Control his innings next year, and he could still be effective.

Speaking of Arthur, the Reds declined to offer he or Orlando Cabrera arbitration, which means teams are free to negotiate their signings without having to give up draft picks to the Reds. I understand not offering it to Cabrera, because he would have taken it, and the Reds would have owed him what they did last year, which is not feasible for a small market team and an aging shortstop. But Rhodes? I doubt he would have accepted, seeking instead a two year deal. Now, this opens the window for a team needing a good lefty to get him without consequence. A team like St. Louis immediately comes to mind.