MLB Trade Rumors: Juan Pierre to the Reds?

Here is a big question for you. Should the Reds trade or buy a player or two, or stand pat and work with what they have?

Sounds like an easy question to answer, doesn't it?

You can hear the rumors bouncing off the walls. Trade for Carlos Quentin. Trade for Josh Willingham. Get Juan Pierre. How a bout Shane Victorino? Trade for Denard Span.

Those are all good players and they are all outfielders. Three of the five could be an excellent choice for a leadoff hitter which the Reds badly need.

The other two are power hitters who have already moved multiple times. Quentin is on his third team in seven years, while Willingham is on his fourth team in nine years.

Are we as Reds' fans ready to just pack it in and start over? Not me.

Quentin is a .252 career hitter while Willingham is playing over his head right now.

If you bring in either of the two, it would facilitate taking Ryan Ludwick and Chris Heisey out of the mix. Heisey's average is up considerably while Ludwick is without question the third best power hitter on the entire team.

I could envision bringing Pierre or Span in and putting them at the top of the batting order. In Pierre's situation he would probably be best suited as a left fielder, which would mean moving Jay Bruce back to center field and moving Ludwick to right. With his rag-arm Pierre is only suited for left field now.

Span could start in center right now meaning Drew Stubbs would be the odd man out, and why shouldn't he be? A leadoff hitter with an OBP of less than .300? Give me a break. He strikes out way too much and is as streaky as Jay Bruce.

Ludwick has come on strong and shown that he can be a run producer in the middle of the lineup. In his last 15 games he has a line of .286/.340/.653 with 5 HR and 8 RBI.

An addition of Willingham or Quentin at the expense of Ludwick does not pan out, I don't care who you are. They are both right handed batters and the Reds are top heavy in that area. Span and Pierre both bat from the left side. Victorino is a switch hitter.

When your problem is getting on base you do not load up on power hitters. You look for someone who can get on base. Enter Pierre!

He has collected 200+ hits in four different seasons, leading the league in two of them. He is a career .297 hitter and has led the league in stolen bases three times. Not to mention, he is a first-class bunter.

That is my suggestion. A lineup that would look like this - before the return of Votto.

LF - Pierre,  2B - Phillips, CF - Bruce, RF- Ludwick, 1B- Frazier, 3B - Rolen, SS - Cozart, Catcher, Pitcher

They could probably pick up Pierre for a decent prospect.

Joey Votto's Injury Leaves Cincinnati Reds Without a .300 Hitter

It is difficult to imagine a team winning a pennant, or even a division without having an active .300 hitter who is not a pitcher.

That is the hand the Reds were dealt when former MVP Joey Votto was scheduled for surgery. It is conservatively estimated that he will miss three or four weeks.

Rookie Todd Frazier played the first game of Votto's hiatus on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds lost their first game sans Votto, 5-3.

Not only are the Reds without a .300 hitter, they now have one left-handed bat (Jay Bruce) on the active roster.

We shall see what kind of mettle the Reds are made of. Many teams have lost their star player and had to scramble to fill a hole that was left.

At least now there is no debate on whether Frazier or Scott Rolen should occupy the "hot" corner.

Now there is a serious need for a good leadoff hitter with a left-handed bat. Enter Juan Pierre?

Pierre is a solid slap-hitter. He gets on base, and when he is there something usually happens. He is currently sixth in the National League in stolen bases with 21. His current line is .316/.354/.385.

Where would he play? In my strategy he would play center-field and Drew Stubbs would go somewhere and learn how to hit.

I realize Pierre isn't what he use to be, but who is? His throwing arm is just about one hair above Scott Podsednik's but he still moves around gracefully.

Without a potent bat in the lineup the Reds are sure to be dead in the water. I don't believe they have the wherewithal to wait until the trade deadline of July 31.

Can Dontrelle Willis play first base?