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We Don't Have to Worry About the Reds

Check this out.  At first I thought it was a mistake: the Reds are sending Edwin Encarnacion back to Triple-A.  Sure, he's struggling: he's hitting .218 with an OBP just over .300.  But...come on now.  First off, it isn't like the Reds have any better options.  Second, Encarnacion is a big part of their future.  This is eerily similar to what the team did with Austin Kearns not too long ago...and now he's in Washington, traded for a banged up reliever.

To put this is perspective, it's a lot like demoting J.J. Hardy if he got off to a bad start...this year.  Encarnacion has proven he's a major-league caliber hitter (his OPS+ was 105 last  year as a 23 year old) and deserves better.  As Rotoworld points out, teams ought to be calling to see what washed-up middle relievers it would take to pry him away.  Hell, if I were Doug Melvin, I'd be calling--Craig Counsell might be right up Wayne Krivsky's alley.  We'd have to flip Encarnacion later, but I'd certainly take him as a stopgap solution for now.