Scott Rolen Trade Roundup

Let’s round up the analysis of Walt Jocketty’s big deadline trade…. –Baseball Prospectus, in a post they titled “The Worst Deadline Deal”: [T]his was not good business for the Cincinnati ballclub. Rolen’s having a good year, but … a) Rolen has averaged just 106 games the past 4 seasons. b) Rolen’s once-intimidating power has been largely extinguished by his injuries (27 HR in 07-09, just over 300 games). c) Rolen’s BABIP this year is .347, against a career mark of .314, helping him get a career-high .320 AVG. d) The Reds are no longer competing (realistically) for the playoffs in 2009. e) Rolen will be 35 in 2010. f) Rolen is due $15mil in 2010, plus the remainder of the 2009 $11mil salary. The Reds aren’t on the hook for all this money. St. Louis is reportedly still responsible for the $4mil bonus in 2010, and “undisclosed” cash went from Toronto to Cincy in the trade. — We’ve all seen herds of pitching prospects fail. There’s a real chance...