There are times when Major League Baseball’s propensity for showcasing all things Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Phillies and Cardinals make sense.
There are also times when it becomes painfully clear that some teams just don’t get the same recognition they deserve.
If the New York Yankees had traded a top hitting prospect as part of a package for a very talented potential No. 1 or 2 starter this afternoon, there would be news bulletins everywhere.
Instead there was just moderate attention given to a fairly significant five-player deal completed between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres Saturday.
The Reds acquired one of the better pitchers in the National League, Mat Latos, in exchange for a very nice set of young players who will likely play major roles in San Diego both this season and the future.
The Reds had to part with Edinson Volquez, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Brad Boxberger.
The trade signals that the Reds are going to try and take full advantage of the total chaos their division’s hierarchy has plunged into since the 2011 season ended.
The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals have lost both their future Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa and their future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols.
The Milwaukee Brewers, the defending division champs, are highly likely to lose their prolific power-hitting first baseman Prince Fielder in free agency, and there is very legitimate concern that they could lose the reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of the 2012 season due to a positive initial test for a performance enhancing drug.
That leaves a real power vacuum at the top of the NL Central standings. The Cubs are in a rebuilding mode, the Pirates will be a tough team but seem somewhat unlikely to compete at the top of the division, and the Astros may lose over 100 games.
That gives the Reds a big opening and this trade is a strong signal that they intend to try and take full advantage of it.
Latos will pair with Johnny Cueto at the top of an increasingly solid rotation. Starting pitching was a major problem for the Reds last season, but with those two anchoring the rotation it looks much stronger. Now, the Reds don’t have to worry as much about the performances of Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, Travis Wood or Homer Bailey.
Having strong starters also takes pressure of the bullpen. Being able to count on a couple of back-to-back starts in which the starter can go seven innings and keep the team in the game means less appearances for the middle relievers and shorter appearances for the late-inning guys as well.
What this deal really signals though is that the Reds fully intend to sign the 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto to a contract extension.
The inclusion of highly touted first base prospect Yonder Alonso means that the guy who would have been faced with the daunting task of replacing Votto is now in San Diego. If the Reds were intending to shop Votto in lieu of his free agency in 2014 then one would think they’d have held on to a player of Alonso’s caliber.
The rest of the package the Reds dealt is solid as well. Edinson Volquez has struggled with injuries the past few seasons but it was only two seasons ago when he put together an impressive 17-win season with a 3.21 ERA and 206 strikeouts.
The other two minor leaguers are both well regarded too. Yasmani Gradal was the Reds’ first-round pick in 2010 and could be a solid major league catcher. Brad Boxberger was one of the Reds’ first-round picks in the 2009 draft and may end up as a solid starting pitcher.
The Reds were willing to part with all of that potential talent in exchange for some that has already been realized at the major league level.
Mat Latos is already on the cusp of bona fide “ace” status and he’s not even 24 years old yet. He’s not a free agent until 2016 and last season, playing for a Padres team with an absolutely awful offense, he managed to finish with a flourish.
Latos started the season off with a few bouts of inconsistency but in the second half of the season he really seemed to find his groove when he had an ERA of 2.87 and a whip ratio of 1.000; as well as 92 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched.
The Reds clearly see a pitcher on the verge of really coming into his own and it appears that mirrors their view of the team as a whole. Is “The Big Red Machine” back? Not yet but it’s heading in a very positive direction.
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