December 27, 2008
Getting the Willys
The Reds sign Willy Taveras to lead off. Taveras is a pretty poor offensive players, never posting as OPS+ over 89. He's not even much of an improvement over combined players used by the Reds in the leadoff slot in 2008. They combined for a .266/.326/.423 line. Willy's career line is .283/.331/.337. So he gets on base a tiny bit more, but provides no power.
Did Walt Jocketty forget what a leadoff man does? This is the person who gets the most plate appearances for your team in a season, and he's giving it to someone who provides a minimum of offense. With signings like this, don't expect Cincinnati to rise to prominence any time soon.