We're sad you're leaving too, dude.

It may seem that all I blog about is catchers, but at the moment – that’s where the news is. Multiple sources are now reporting that Ramon Hernandez is signing a two year,  $6.5 million deal with the Colorado Rockies, who are simultaneously trading Chris Iannetta to the Angels for Tyler Chatwood, a very nice rookie starter. That means that in one fell swoop, the Rockies eliminated the market for Ryan Hanigan, and signed the guy we would have wanted to use instead, picking up a nice piece in the process.

Of course, Iannetta is a better for the Angels – Hanigan would never have merited Chatwood. On the other hand, this hardly leaves us with a problem. Hanny’s not a bad option at all, especially hoping he’ll be backing up a younger, more powerful catcher – and he’ll be making a little less. It’s good for Ramon to get a two-year deal. It’s not a real overpay at that rate either, for Colorado – Hernandez has done a great job of raising his trade value in his time with the Reds. I can’t imagine that many 35 year old catchers sign a better deal than their last.

And it’s paid off for the Reds. I’ll never forget the part Ramon played in getting the Reds to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But now that era is over, I guess we’ll just have to get used to the most valuable sacrifice bunt attempts in baseball.