Re: 2008 Cincinnati Reds
I'm assuming most of y'all saw this but thought I'd post it anyway.
I'm assuming most of y'all saw this but thought I'd post it anyway.
Dear Fans,
Thank you for your loyalty and support of the Cincinnati Reds.
You are extremely vital to the success of the Reds, and it is
important we share with you the thinking behind our recent
personnel decisions.
Since taking ownership of this franchise, we have aggressively
tried to improve our Major League roster for the purpose of
restoring championship baseball to Cincinnati. We have sought
and signed proven players. We have extended the contracts of
select current players. We added Dusty Baker, a proven winning
manager. And, we have capitalized on our burgeoning younger
players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto.
We had high expectations for the 2008 season. Unfortunately the
team has not played up to our expectations and we have sustained
injuries to key players within our starting lineup and rotation.
We opted to trade Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn at this time
because we believe it provided the best outcome for the long-
term success of the organization. By executing these inevitable
changes now, we secured more players as part of our focus
towards building a deeper, stronger inventory of young talent.
We are pleased that the trades allow Griffey and Dunn the
opportunity to play for teams in tight division races. Both Ken
and Adam made significant contributions to the Reds and we are
extremely proud and grateful they wore the Reds uniform.
While the run production generated by these two veterans will
not be quickly replaced, we chose to endure the short-term
ramifications for the sake of building a strong, competitive
team for 2009 and many seasons to come.
The vast majority of our 50 draft picks were signed, culminating
last week with first-rounder Yonder Alonso and a pair of
talented pitchers. Our expanded scouting operations also signed
Juan Duran from the Dominican Republic and Yorman Rodriguez from
Venezuela, who are arguably the best amateur free agent position
players from their respective countries.
As we near September, we will continue to provide valuable
playing time to our young players and new acquisitions who we
feel can become significant contributors at the Major League
level. We ask your continued trust and patience as we build the
roster that will get us back on top. We appreciate your support
and look forward to seeing you at the ballpark.
Sincerely,
Bob Castellini
President & CEO
Walt Jocketty
President of Baseball Operations & GM
Thank you for your loyalty and support of the Cincinnati Reds.
You are extremely vital to the success of the Reds, and it is
important we share with you the thinking behind our recent
personnel decisions.
Since taking ownership of this franchise, we have aggressively
tried to improve our Major League roster for the purpose of
restoring championship baseball to Cincinnati. We have sought
and signed proven players. We have extended the contracts of
select current players. We added Dusty Baker, a proven winning
manager. And, we have capitalized on our burgeoning younger
players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto.
We had high expectations for the 2008 season. Unfortunately the
team has not played up to our expectations and we have sustained
injuries to key players within our starting lineup and rotation.
We opted to trade Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn at this time
because we believe it provided the best outcome for the long-
term success of the organization. By executing these inevitable
changes now, we secured more players as part of our focus
towards building a deeper, stronger inventory of young talent.
We are pleased that the trades allow Griffey and Dunn the
opportunity to play for teams in tight division races. Both Ken
and Adam made significant contributions to the Reds and we are
extremely proud and grateful they wore the Reds uniform.
While the run production generated by these two veterans will
not be quickly replaced, we chose to endure the short-term
ramifications for the sake of building a strong, competitive
team for 2009 and many seasons to come.
The vast majority of our 50 draft picks were signed, culminating
last week with first-rounder Yonder Alonso and a pair of
talented pitchers. Our expanded scouting operations also signed
Juan Duran from the Dominican Republic and Yorman Rodriguez from
Venezuela, who are arguably the best amateur free agent position
players from their respective countries.
As we near September, we will continue to provide valuable
playing time to our young players and new acquisitions who we
feel can become significant contributors at the Major League
level. We ask your continued trust and patience as we build the
roster that will get us back on top. We appreciate your support
and look forward to seeing you at the ballpark.
Sincerely,
Bob Castellini
President & CEO
Walt Jocketty
President of Baseball Operations & GM
I've already stopped watching. I kind of laughed to myself when this letter came out. I'll be happy if the reds make the playoffs by the time I'm a grandfather.
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