Renteria to the Reds

[monkeyman343434]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/01/reds-to-sign-edgar-renteria.html

 

The Brewers are paying Betancourt as much as Renteria MIGHT make in 2011. If you're going to go for it, GO FOR IT.

[RockCoCougars]

Blah. Renteria just isn't that good, and he's getting old. I'm just not seeing how Renteria is that much (if at all) better than Betancourt at this point. If Betancourt or a Cruz/Counsell duo isn't getting the job done in June, I think that you have to go after someone who's a sure upgrade. For example, Furcal or Reyes might be available late summer for a fairly high cost. Frankly, once the Orioles fall 10 games back, I think the best option may be to bring J.J. back.

[rluzinski]

Renteria's 2011 ZiPS projection: .265/.318/.362/.670

 

I might expect something like .275/.300/.400 from Betancourt in the NL, which is about a wash. If I had to to pick the better hitter, it would probably be Betancourt by a hair.

 

The huge difference is in defense, where Renteria appears to still be average, whereas it is almost universally agreed that Betencourt is a very bad at playing defense at SS.

 

I would be surprised if Renteria has 150 starts in him for 2011 but had he been signed with the Brewers, he probably would have only ahd to start 100ish games.

 

I won't pretend that Melvin could have gotten Renteria had he wanted to; how would I know? I think he represented a clear upgrade over Betancourt, however. Probably close to 1 win over 100 starts, which is a lot.