Fastball Fans

The Cincinnati Reds have fired general manager Wayne Krivsky and replaced him with former St. Louis Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty thanks to their worst start in nearly half a decade.

Krivsky’s best move may have been acquiring second baseman Brandon Phillips from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later, who turned out to be minor-leaguer Jeff Stevens. Phillips hit 30 home runs and 26 doubles for the Reds last season and has become one of the NL’s best second basemen. He also obtained starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo from the Boston Red Sox for Willy Mo Pena before the 2006 season.

But Krivsky showed a fondness for signing older pitchers and making a flurry of trades. One of his most expensive decisions was giving left-handed reliever Mike Stanton a two-year, $5.5 million deal, far more than anyone else was offering. The tight-budget Reds got rid of him during spring training even though he was still owed $3.5 million.

Krivsky also pulled off an eight-player deal with Washington in 2006 that sent outfielder Austin Kearns and shortstop Felipe Lopez to the Nationals for relievers Gary Majewski and Bill Bray.

The deal, made with the hopes of bolstering the Reds’ bullpen in the midst of a pennant race, hasn’t made much of an impact for either team. Both Majewski and Bray are currently in the minors, Harris was dealt after the 2006 season to the Tampa Bay Rays for future considerations and Clayton left after 2006 as a free agent.

“We paid a steep price,” Krivsky said at the time of the trade. “I’m sure this will be a controversial trade. I know a lot of people will be leaving nasty messages on my voicemail, and I’ll have some who think it’s great.”

Jocketty will have a couple of major decisions in the coming months. Griffey is in the final year of his contract — there’s a club option for next year at $16.5 million — and Adam Dunn is making $13 million in the last year of his deal.

The Reds went 161-184 under Kvirsky, finishing 80-82 in 2006 and 72-90 in 2007.