Not a whole lot of class in this move

Three months after agreeing to sign a three year contract for a home town discount of $11.5-12.5 million Bronson Arroyo was traded to the Reds for outfielder Wily Mo Pena. At the time Arroyo signed the contract his agents were telling him not to because it only made him more tradeable. Arroyo, so badly wanted to stay with the Red Sox, that he didn't listen and signed the contract anyway, without a no trade clause. I'm sure that comments of hatred are soon to be coming from Arroyo. On to the trade. Wily Mo has as much power as anyone in baseball. But where does he play? He's a poor outfielder whose power stats were inflated from playing in Cincinnati. He has no patience at the plate and bad work habits. But the potential is there. Pena was signed to a huge contract with the Yankees originally, that didn't allow him to go to the minors. So all the learning he did had to do at the major league level. In battling for at-bats with Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns Pena has never really gotten the opportunity to be an everyday player. Without those consistent at-bats Pena hasn't been able to develop as a player. And he's complained loudly about that fact. Now that he's essentially in a platoon situation with Trot Nixon in rightfield I doubt is going to make him happy. On the bright side Nixon is a free agent after this season so maybe the Red Sox are getting his successor early. Pena does have a cannon of an arm.

For the Reds Arroyo is a cost effective innings eater. He's not the power pitcher who could be effective at Great American Park but rather a pitcher who can keep the ball in the park but who tests his defense a great deal. Last time I checked the Reds defense wasn't that great. What will be bigger problem for the Reds is that Arroyo seemed to be a pitcher who thrived off the center stage of pitching in Boston in important games. It gave him emotion and pushed him to new heights. This season I don't know how many important games the Reds are going to play this season. With the loss of movation and a decline in strikeouts despite pitching more innings last season the Reds are getting a pitcher who who is on the downside. He was never going to be a great pitcher in Boston but at least he was decent. I don't expect him to be in Cincinnati.