Reds Pay a Hefty Price for Right-Hander Latos

            Just four offseasons ago, the Cincinnati Reds acquired a young Dominican pitcher, Edinson Volquez, in a major one-for-one trade with the Texas Rangers. The Reds had to send centerfielder Josh Hamilton, who was finally drug-free and putting up promising numbers at the plate, to Texas. In retrospect, the two teams made a blockbuster trade, with Hamilton going on to be a four-time All-Star and the 2010 A.L. MVP while Volquez was an All-Star in 2008 and has been a key pitcher in Cincinnati's rotation.
            Well it is four years later, with Hamilton and Volquez  going in opposite directions, but once again Edinson Volquez is involved in a trade that has shaken up the baseball world. Yesterday morning the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres finalized a trade that sent Volquez and first baseman Yonder Alonso, as well as minor league players catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Brad Boxberger. What did the Reds receive in return? One player--24-year-old pitcher Mat Latos.

Latos will be the Reds #2 starter in their rotation.
Courtesy of http://profantasybaseball.com/fantasy_baseball_news.php/?p=366

            Latos, an intimidating presence on the mound at 6'6" and 225 lbs. as well as a fastball that has been clocked at 97 mph, has played in the majors for three seasons. His career numbers are quite impressive and are optimistic for the future, which is why the Reds were willing to give up so much talent to acquire him. He is 27-29 with a 1.15 WHIP, 3.37 ERA, and a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. His best season came in 2010, when he went 14-10 with a 1.08 WHIP and a miniscule 2.92 ERA. Each of the past two seasons Latos has started 31 games, totalling just under 200 innings pitched for those years. Latos will be expected to fill the #2 spot in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto for the Reds this season.

            San Diego did very well in this trade. Edinson Volquez, a seven year veteran, is 33-29 in his career along with a 1.50 WHIP and 4.65 ERA. Despite his ability to be a dominant pitcher in the MLB, he has had only one good season in his career. In 2008, Volquez went 17-6 with over 200 strikeouts, a 1.33 WHIP and a 3.21 ERA. He has gradually declined every year since, which may explain why the Reds were willing to get rid of him. He has accumulated only 13 wins over the past three seasons and threw almost as many innings in 2008 as he did the past three years. Last season, his ERA was nearly six and surrendered a career-high 19 homeruns. Edinson Volquez's reputation is also tainted by his 50-game suspension in 2010 for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Volquez was 5-7 for the Reds last season.
Courtesy of http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/04/reds-pitcher-edinson-volquez-suspended-for-violating-drug-policy/1

            Yonder Alonso has played for Cincinnati in both of his years playing professional baseball. He had limited playing time in 2010, playing in only 22 games. Last year, Alsonso took the field in nearly fifty games and proved to be a solid utility player. He hit .330 with 5 homeruns and 15 RBI's. Alsonso played predominantly in left field since 2010 N.L. MVP Joey Votto occupies first base, Alsonso's primary position. The Reds also featured him at first base and third base. He only committed one error in his twenty games in the field last season. Even though Yonder Alsonso has only briefly played in the league, he shows a lot of upward potential both at the plate and in the field. 

Yonder Alonso batted .330 for the Reds in 2011.
Courtesy of http://bleacherreport.com/articles/587960-mlb-trade-rumors-power-ranking-all-30-teams-top-prospects-who-may-be-moved

            Yasmani Grandal is a 23-year-old Cuban catcher who stands at 6'2" and 205 lb. Grandal has played for four different teams in his two years in the minor leagues, making it from A+ to AAA in the span of five months last summer. Last season he batter .305 with 14 homeruns and 68 RBI's. Fellow prospect Brad Boxberger is a right-handed pitcher, who has taken the mound both as a starter and in relief in his time in the minors. Boxberger has made it from A+ to AAA in two seasons. He has a career 1.26 WHIP, 2.90 ERA, and averages nearly a dozen strikeouts per game.  

            When analyzing what the Cincinnati Reds sent to the Padres, it looks like a lot. And that's because it is. It's probably even too much. The good part of the deal for the Reds is that they know they acquired an great pitcher who has excelled at the highest level. Volquez's career is on the downisde and may have one or two great, 2008-esque seasons left in him if he's lucky. However, the other three former Reds all have untapped potential. Alsonso played well in Cincinnati last year as a utility player. Grandal and Boxberger have flown through Cincinnati's farm system and all signs point to their success in the future.
            The Cincinnati Reds could not pass up the chance to get an excellent pitcher once they saw the two biggest bats in their division, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, find new teams. The Reds are going for the World Series this year. With Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce all in their prime, the Reds are trying to piece together a playoff team for the 2012 season.
              The best case scenario for the Reds is that they go to the playoffs the next two or three seasons and make it past the first round, unlike 2010. With a weak division and a good offense, they should be the favorites to come out of the N.L. Central. If Latos can start at least thirty games while he's in Cincinnati and win twelve to fifteen games, Reds fans will have nothing to complain about. Plus, prospects are often hit-or-miss and Grandal and Boxberger may turn out to be busts for San Diego. However, in the long run, this trade may come back to haunt Cincinnati for giving up three of their best young players. Right now I would say the Reds got the short end of the deal, but only time will tell if that is an accurate assumption.