Offseason Outlook: Cincinnati Reds

If Owing is really their number 5 pitcher they'll have an above average rotation next year. Another decent outfielder say maybe Kotay or Ibanez and a another set up man (Ohman?) the might actually be a darkhorse contender.

I hope Reds fans don't get all over me for this, but is the fan base sold on going after a young unproven MLB ready catcher, or would they rather go after a Catcher that has shown MLB success (Kelly Shoppach), or a proven vet that could provide stability (Bengie Molina)?

Would Reds fans consider giving up any legitimate prospects for either of those types of players?

hopper and freel are gone. the cincinnati media has already made a big deal about them being absent from the clubhouse during their extended injury rehab vacation. and just because he's the worst hitter in the league, everyone hates patterson. he's gone, or back as dusty's bench coach/son-in-law.

Why did you mention Edmonds? Please oh please Walt, please don't sign any more old veterans to this team, even if they are your pals. We are enjoying the youth movement too much to take a step back. I'll concede that we need another outfielder, but not Edmonds. I'd much rather see someone with more upside signed, like Juan Rivera in LF to complement a LF/CF platoon with Hairston, Dickerson, and Stubbs.
Personally, I'd much rather have the team shed payroll for '09 at the chance to sign Matt Holliday for 2010. Push the talent through the system (Stubbs, Alonso, Valaika, etc.) and determine who is gonna stick in the bigs. Determine if Alex Gonzalez can play SS again, and let go of Freel's contract asap. If Bailey, Ramirez, or Thompson are knocking down the door, WJ should entertain the idea of spinning Arroyo mid-season for some young position talent (SS, CF, C).
We don't need a myopic vision for 2009, but rather a reasonable strategy for 2010 and beyond.

edmonds or kotsay would be better than patterson/hairston. and um...freel should be in that open OF spot instead of the CF spot. you know, since the lack of a better option is nothing before its freel.

Put micah in the pen, and play him in left or at 1st every once in awhile, we need to know if he's a legitimate bat or not, next years not a bad time. we have 5th starter options or you could sign a decent pitcher for it too (probably what i would do). micah rests his shoulder, and gets to hit (he seems to enjoy it enough). Bullpen/pinch hitter/LF/1B sounds like a pretty sweet utility player to me.

I thought the Reds would compete for the playoffs this year. They are stacked with young talent and their pitching looks bright. But man, how the NL Central has improved. Went from the worst division in baseball to the best (arguably) in about a year.

I'll take Hairston over Kotsay and Edmonds. However, I hope it doesn't come down to deciding amongst them three. There are better options available that are still affordable.
A best case scenario: a healthy Gonzalez and Freel are dealt during the season, Janish earns the starting SS position with an improved bat, and Holliday is signed in 2010.

If the Reds really do believe they can contend next season, they will need to add a legit bat to that offense (Edmonds is not a legitimate bat...nor is he someone that belongs in a Red's under ANY circumstances).

I know it's a long shot, but what are the odds the Reds spend some cash and bring in Bobby Abreu. He certainly isn't the hitter he once was, but he still holds his own, to say the least. Bruce played some CF this season and, presumable can hold down that spot next season as well.

Is it worth it to sacrifice defense in CF (assuming some other FA stopgap would be an upgrade)? Does the addition of Abreu improve the offense enough to give the Reds a shot to make the playoffs?

Another problem remains, however, as we still don't have a clear leadoff man for this team... where does he come from? ...Willy Taveras?

I agree that the Reds have a lot of promise. I think 2010 might be their year instead of '09 after some of the kids have matured a little and a few holes have been plugged. My one disagreement is with Homer Bailey. I've watched Bailey and I see nothing there. That 96 m.p.h. fastball that he flashed as a teenager is now 90/91 and it has no movement at all. And with no breaking pitches that come close to finding the plate, he doesn't have much of an arsenal. I'm no scout but I think he has "throw in" value now, at best.

"I hope Reds fans don't get all over me for this, but is the fan base sold on going after a young unproven MLB ready catcher, or would they rather go after a Catcher that has shown MLB success (Kelly Shoppach), or a proven vet that could provide stability (Bengie Molina)?"

I've thought about a Shoppach deal to Cincy. Cleveland wouldn't want prospects though most likely (though maybe). Encarnacion would be nice as they need a 3B. I could also see them throwing a young starter (Aaron Laffey or Scott Lewis) and some prospects of their own at Cincy to try and pry Harang away.

I don't see the Reds contending next year. Even 2010 seems a bit soon...but you never know, with some good moves this year and next they could.

if im walt im throwing whatever it takes to sign derek lowe .... im also calling detroit to see what they want for mags

cf - dickerson / stubbs
ss - gonzalez / keppinger
1st - votto
lf - maggs
rf - bruce
2b - phillips
3b - ee
c - hanigan

rotation

volquez
harang
lowe
arroyo
cueto

pen

micah
bray
burton
coco
resign affledt
ramirez
roenicke or resign weathers

Yeah, what's with the hate on Edmonds? He hasn't been a bad player. He's played really solid defense throughout his career, and he can hit. He's much better than anyone the Reds are employing on their outfield right now, Jay Bruce notwithstanding.

He started off the year bad, but you can point out that he was playing in a BIG field at Petco, and his age was catching up to him, but ever since he was signed by Chicago, he's done a mighty fine job. Ask any Cubs fan, and I'm sure they'll tell you they'd re-sign him to a one-year deal in a second.

He's always been solid, and he'd be a good mentor to their young players. Plus, he won't cost at all too much, and he's more likely to stay on the field longer than Kotsay would.

I am not sold on the Beltre idea. Beltre and Edwin have put up nearly identical offensive numbers this year(25 homeruns each, .266 BA to .255 BA, .327 OBP to .342 OBP, and .457 to .464 SLG). In fact, you can make a strong case that Edwin is having a better year considering he is on base more and has a higher slugging percentage. Not to mention, Beltre is making 13.4 million to Edwin's 450,000. I say the Reds pass on Beltre, save that money to throw at an outfielder or hold the money until 2010 to sign a top flight free agent.

Haven't seen any mention of Dusty Baker yet. Has everyone forgotten about him? He pushes to get his favorite players signed and then plays them when they shouldn't even be on the team. Reds fans, you can thank Baker for the $3 million dollars you gave to CPat this year. And you can thank Baker for the way he used Harang and likely costing him a descent season. Now Reds fans are seeing great things in '09 and '10 because they've got young kids on the way? Are you aware of the way Dusty uses young players, or should I say doesn't use young players?

The man could screw up a well run franchise, which is why well run franchises don't hire the guy. When Krivsky hired Dusty it made me laugh because I knew that he'd set the Reds back years. Wait for it Reds fans..... By the time you get rid of Dusty the bloom will be off the roses of all those young players you've got, the pitchers careers will be a shambles and the hitters will have their confidence destroyed because they think they've got to swing at everything to get playing time. Just wait for it Reds fans....

What about a trade with the Yanks?

Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Chad Moeller for:

Harang or Arroyo plus a mid-level prospect like Adam Rosales (AAA 1b). Or maybe a deal for Homer Bailey and another mid-level prospect?

Johnny "noodle arm" Damon? Chad "been there, done that" Moeller? Melky "4th OF" Cabrera? Are you kidding?

Johnny Damon gives you a starting left fielder. His arm isn't good enough to start in CF but can hold his own at LF and give you great offense from the lead off spot with 30 sb potential and is a good short term option. Cabrera, who by the way is only 23 yrs old, gives you a great defensive CF w/ upside. He showed he can be an adequate hitter and can only get better if you work with him. Chad could be your back up C. Harang was an expensive 6-16 this year. He's going to make 11 mil in 09, 12.5 mil in '10 and a team option for 12.5 in 11 or a 2 mil buy out. So they are committed to paying him $25 mill over the next 2 years.

I think the Reds woulnd't mind getting from under a 25 mil commitment to a pitcher who's going to be 31 yrs old in May 09 w/ a 6-16.

It's almost addition by subtraction. You pay Damon's last yr for about 12 mil and you lose Haraang's contract for 25 mil.

The Reds have a lot of holes to fill this year. They need another OF...perhaps two unless you feel Dickerson is worthy of starting. I would be alot more comfortable with that if he had been called up to replace Griffey or as a replacement for Patterson.

I'm running with that he can at least be around league average.

With that they have holes at C, SS, LF, and 3B that they have to fill

C I would be fine with Shoppach or either of Teagarden or Salty. I don't think Liard is better then the Reds in house options.

3B, Beltre would be acceptable, but I rather have someone that has more of a long term future with the team. Would depend on how much of the contract Seattle would pick up.

SS really nothing out there this year. I think the Reds should go with hoping Gonzalez is ok but I would send Janish to a fall league and even go so far as having him work with a hitting coach for a decent chunk of the off-season. His glove is very good, as is his strike zone judgement, but he has minimal power. Again a very small sample size, the Reds should be running him out there daily over guys that don't have a future with the club.

OF I really like the idea of trading for Mags. He'd be a short term option which is a plus with Alsono being likedly to be fast tracked and would probably cost nothing major since the Tigers would look to move him for salary relief.

I would also look into moving Encaracion some of my dream trades involve him and Bailey

would love to deal both and get Alex Gordon, or Zimmerman or go in a completely different direction and snatch Cain from the Giants. Doesn't fix a hole but would give the Reds a exceptionally good pitching staff. Any time you can run out four guys with number 1 or 2 stuff you are doing great.

Reds deal Bailey for Salty.

Neither has achieved what was thought for them and a fresh start wouldn't hurt either.

While Teagarden would be my first choice because of defense I think the Rangers keep him because of the same.

Reds move a couple of second teir prospects, say Darryl Thompson and Sean Cumberland for Mags and pick up all the salary.

Tigers get a couple of solid prospects and reduce payroll. Reds get a big RH bat to slap between Bruce/Votto

Trade EE to the Mariners for Beltre and Wladimir Blantien

These actions would fix three of the four holes and give the Reds a upper level prospect if Maggs goes down.

LF-Maggs
CF-Dickerson
RF-Bruce
1B-Votto
2B-BP
3B-Beltre
SS-Janish/A-Gon
C-Salty/Hannigan

SP-Harang
SP-Volquez
SP-Cueto
SP-Arroyo
SP-Ownings

1. The Reds are not cash strapped. Castillini may even increase the payroll.

2. Bailey's garbage and could not replace a healthy Harang.

3. Your Yank-me package is trash. If the Reds did decide to move Harand it sure as hell wouldn't be for that pathetic collection of "has-beens" and "vever were's".

Again Harang pitched hurt for over a month and got shelled for it. I bet if you remove that time you can almost shave a full run off his ERA.

But since he's so horrible why would the Yankees want him?

When healthy Harang is a legitimate ace that you can count on for around 230 innings a year, and up till this year Harang has been very healthy.

His contract isn't bloated, its a bargin. Pitchers with his skills are bringing in anywhere from 5-7 million more per year.

I am a yankee fan and have to say it is silly to think that the Reds would trade Harang and Aroyo for Damon and Cabrrara.

As a Yankee fan I would like nothing better then to get rid of Damon but he has little value at his salary and with his poor arm in the outfeild. He is at best a poor left feilder at this point. Cabbrara is a minor league outfeilder and has shown almost nothing in the majors except that he may be a fourth outfeilder.

While I would love pitching from the Reds the Yankees would have to give something of real value. Again to get something you must give up something.

The one guy I would really want from the Reds is Voto at first. This would be a great guy for the Yankees to get but would probably need to move Hughes and another top prospect to even keep the Reds on the phone.

I know it might cost a bunch (I figure a payroll of 90M - Bob C would do it if he could get a championship), but I would love to see the Reds go out and sign Mark Teixeira and Orlando Hudson to long term contracts. Both are switch hitters, great gloves and hitters. Move Votto to left. Move Phillips to SS. Bring up Stubbs to play CF. He’s hit at every level and is good defensively. He really should be up right now. I’d love to sign or trade for a catcher, but I don’t think any of the options out there are much better than Hanigan. Keppinger and Hairston can’t be our SS next year. They would make great bench players or possibly a 3B if we can get something nice for EE.
Pitching wise, I don’t ever remember the Reds being this well off from a starting pitching standpoint (see my rotation below). I think they should try Bailey in the bullpen if he has a rough spring (that or plan on trading him). I’d give Cordero away if someone would take his contract. So my 2009 Reds have all the bases covered…very good, flexible (switch hitters) lineup with speed, very good up the middle defense, very good rotation, good bullpen, good flexible bench, young (if Hudson and Teixeira are signed to long term – there is hardly anyone on the roster that can go free agent in next few years) and relatively cheap. There is no doubt in my mind that this roster goes to the playoffs.

Lineup

Hudson 2B

Phillips SS

Votto LF

Teixeira 1B

Bruce RF

EE 3B

Stubbs CF

Hanigan C

Rotation

Harrang

Volquez

Cueto

Arroyo

One of Bailey/Owings/Ramirez/Maloney/Livingston/Pelland/Pettyjohn/Thompson

Relievers

Two of the rotation losers

Affeldt (if we can resign him)/Herrera

Roenicke/Masset/Majewski/Lincoln

Bray

Burton

Closer

Cordero

Bench

Castillo

Valentin

Keppinger

Hairston

Dickerson

a change of scenery trade with a pitcher for a hitter has worked out pretty well before with the rangers and reds... and i wouldnt mind trading for mags if he doesnt cost us much.

Schellis:

I never said he was horrible but he's obviously a player who had a "disturbing" year and is a question mark who is OWED $25 MILLION over the next 2 years.

Damon is washed up?

93runs-167hits-27 dbls-16hrs-70rbi-29sb-.305 batavg

He has almost as many rbis (70) as a leadoff hitter as does Votto and Phillips your middle of the line up hitters, plus he hit .305 which is higher than any other full time player in your line up. He has one year remaining on his contract (13 mill).

The Yanks are not DESPERATE to get rid of Damon but if we decide to keep Nady and Abreu then we need to free up some space because Matsui/Posada would probably need to DH.

The Yanks would probably be the only team willing to carry Haraang's salary considering his injuries/bad performance. Just a thought. No big deal. it's not like you and I are the GM's right?

I personally like Cabrera and think the Yanks should shut up and let him play in CF but I don't think that will happen. He had a "bad" year offensively but not a horrible one. he's only 24 yrs old and last year he hit:

.273 with 149 hits, 24 dbls, 8 hrs and drove in 73 rbis as a # 9 hitter. Played exceptional defesnse. Since when are those horrible #'s from a young CF in his 2nd year in the majors? And he doesn't strike out much which means he may not be hitting .300 but he's at least making contact.

Aaron Harang had a BAD middle part of the season and was injured because Dust for Brains decided to use him (on short rest) for four Innings in an 18 Inning Game in San Diego. Dust for Brains then decided to use him in his regular start (again on short rest). So, within a one week time period, Harang appeared in three Games and threw over 200 Pitches.

As far as additions to the team go, I would like to have Matt Holiday but he would be too expensive to trade for and the too expensive to sign.

Maglio would also be expensive to trade for and pay plus he is older than Holliday.

I would LOVE to see the Reds trade for Carl Crawford or Alex Rios and would definitly include Homer Bailey in a deal but that is not likely to happen.

So, my reasonable solution would be for the Reds to trade for Josh Willingham and use him in Left Field.

The Marlins are going to HAVE to get rid of some players so as to keep their (already low) payroll in check and I think retaining Willingham would be lower on the list of priorities.

Willingham plays half his Games in a Pitchers park and going to a hitters park would increase his Offense.

In both 2006 and 2007, Willingham hit over .260, had 20 or more Home Runs and 74 or more RBI's. Also, in both of those years, his Slugging Percentage was .50 or higher on the Road as compared to Home. So, with him, the Reds would get 80% of Adam Dunn's RBI's, 80% of Adam Dunn's Strike Outs at less than 1/3 Adam Dunn's cost.

The $10 million saved could and should be used to fill the Bull Pen with studs (since Volquez and Cueto have had a hard time going more then six Innings in their starts this year).

The final piece to the puzzle would be trading for Bengie Molina. Some people are saying the Reds should trade for Kelly Shoppach or Saltalamachia but they are NOT proven. Plus, they are NOT Latin players.

With the Reds having Volquez, Cueto, Ramon Ramirez and Francisco Cordero, I think it would be helpful if they had an experienced, Spanish speaking Catcher to help them out.

The Giants look like they need a Short Stop and also have some other holes to fill and probably DON'T want to trade any of their young Pitching away to fill those needs.

Reds fans might not like it but I would trade Homer Bailey and Alex Gonzalez to the Giants for Molina and ???.

In 2007, Bailey had two of his best starts in LARGE ball parks (San Francisco, Oakland). So, with his decreased velocity and VERY hitter friendly ball park (GASP), plus all the HYPE that has followed The Saviour since the Reds drafted him, I think going to a West Coast team, where he can just throw his Fast Ball the majority of the time and let hitters hit it and get themselves out, would be the best thing for Bailey.

Again if Harang is this bad why would you want him.

He has pitched hurt for a decent chunk of time, got no run support, he's getting around 3 runs a game so I would say he's alot closer to a .500 pitcher this year then he is to what his true record shows. Not great, but with a pitcher like him you go with recent past and what he has done this year when healthy. Which of course is ace level. This is why teams would want him, but they want him based on this years numbers thinking that they could get him for next to nothing.

A over paid Damon, a 4th OF and a guy that shouldn't be in the majors is a laughable offer.

The Reds have a potentially better version of Damon (one that can play CF) in Dickerson. He's cheap and doesn't cost the Reds Harang. OFs like Cabrera are a dime a dozen...just bringing back Freel or Hairston would fill that role well enough. Any AAA catcher would be as good as Moeller.

Honestly this wouldn't even be a good fantasy trade.

I already said I would give the job to Dickerson and hope for the best.

He's got a solid OBP, power, and steals bases and places a acceptable CF for the league minimum. But since you asked I would take Burrell, Bradley, Rivera and maybe Ibanez on a 2 year deal over Damon and all could probably be had for around the same 13 million. Heck I'd happily bring back Dunn for that as well.

Smart small market teams don't pay big contracts for league average at best production.

Trading Harang for Yankee castoffs makes absolutely no sense for the Reds.

Payroll isn't a problem, they didn't trade Griffey/Dunn to shave off payroll they did it because they weren't winning with them and weren't going to resign them.

The Reds have OFs that are close to big league ready it wouldn't surprise me at all if the 09 OF was Dickerson, Stubbs, Bruce...it would be one of if not the best defensive OF in the majors and I don't think it would be disappointing offensively either.

Damon cost alot and really brings nothing to the table that the Reds don't already have. He's not a high average hitter, he doesn't have major power, he's not great defensively though in LF thats not a big deal.

Dickerson can be a poor man's Johnny Damon for a fraction of the price and allow the Reds to bring in someone that does fill those needs for LF. The more I think about it the more Magglio looks right for the team. High average, right handed, good power middle of the order hitter that will take pressure off Bruce and Votto.

Dickerson starts in CF and if he falls back to Earth you turn it over to Stubbs.

Harang is in the upper teir of starting pitchers. It would take a legitimate offer to get him, not players that will have Reds fans wishing that they would go away so the youth can take their spots and post better numbers.

Yanksfansince78 is probably not even aware that the Reds have already kicked Chad Moeller to the curb once. Why in the world would they want him back?

Honestly speaking. If the Reds were to use Haraang to fill in some of their holes then what do you really think you would get for a:

31 yr old pitcher coming off of a 6-16 season with an era of 4.70, coming off an arm related injury this year, who's guaranteed to make $25 million over the next 2 years? And the fact that Carlos Silva signed a ridiculous deal last year and proceeded to have a 4-15 season with a 6.00 era helps make a case for Haraang?

And Chad Moeller was offered to become your starting C. The deal could be fine tuned but Damon and Cabrera I think would help a young team with eyes on becoming contenders.

I think the Yanks should re-sign Pudge as I'm not sure Posada will be the same kind of catcher he was defesively. If they did would a package that included Jose Molina be an upgrade to what you already have?

Ok AlphaZero:

I'll let it go. I just felt that the Reds had a need for:

a) base stealing (Phillips led with 23 in 33 sttmpts whereas Damon was 29 of 37).

b) a short term solution (FA after 09) until the youngsters were ready.

c) a true lead off hitter (Hairston in unproven and a FA and Patterson MUST be dating Baker's daughter if he's back playing for you next year) who would bat behind phillips, votto and bruce.

d) a proven bat (great offesive #'s over his career as a lead off guy). His current stats would lead the Reds in almost every category)

e) good club house veteran leadership.

Guess not.

No disrespect inteneded to the Reds fans.

They Should Keep Hariston, Patterson, release Freel, Hopper, Weathers trade Bailey to the Rangers for Gerald Laird, and Nelson Cruz, Sign Juan Cruz, Mark Kotsay

I hear what you're saying. I just took exception to rating Damon an avg major league player when his stats surpassed every player on your roster in all categories except HRs.

If the Yanks were to trade for Harang and gave up someone like a Hughes, Kennedy, Jackson, etc I would be upset. However we have a need to free up space for other aging of/dh types and we can afford to cover Harangs 25 mill over the next 2 years. If Harang were traded to any other team for AA prospects would that make you feel better? With the emergence of Volquez and Cueto that's probably going to happen becuz I doubt they'll trade Arroyo. So if you're dealing from an area of strentgh Harang is going to be the one to go. I'm calling my shot right now.

The point is that I'd prefer not to deal Harang at all. He is a workhorse (200+ IP pretty much every year) and he won 16 games in 2006 and in 2007 despite the fact that his supporting cast was god awful. Volquez and Cueto are great young flamethrowers, but a guy like Harang goes deep into games and brings stability to the rotation. I personally don't think that Harang is going anywhere (especially not for a package like that), and if you think that a little over $10 million a year for 2 years is too much to pay for an ace like Harang, then you're living in a fantasy land. I know the Reds are a small market team, but that doesn't mean that they can't handle their share of $10 million contracts (as long as they're good contracts).

And really, even if you're dealing from a strength, that doesn't mean that you can just afford to give guys away for almost nothing. Quite frankly, I'd have a tough time giving Harang up for Hughes AND Kennedy. Harang is (or at least has been) an ace. Hughes apparently can't stay healthy, and Kennedy has shown next to nothing at the major league level. They have both decreased their value over the past year. I think that you may be over-valuing the Yankees' prospects a bit.

Finally, I'm not really sure why you believe that Harang would be the first guy out the door, but personally, I would imagine that Arroyo would be more of a candidate for a trade than Harang. Their contracts are similar and Harang is clearly the superior hurler. Why wouldn't the Reds hang onto him?

screw moneyball, the problem isnt phillips on the team, its phillips in the middle of the order. get better players slide him down to 6th, I'm not trading a guy who is your only good defender, a gold glove defender at that. Also if we wanted to slide him to SS its an option, not too many 2B you can say that about, especially with his unmoneyball numbers, which are still pretty damn good

I like the idea of moving B. Phillips if Valaika is ripping the cover off the ball next year. I think a mid-season trade of Phillips and Arroyo could land some huge prospect talent, while shedding some payroll, so long as it's used to sign Holliday in 2010. If Walt Jocketty can entice a healthy Cordero to waive his no-trade clause, I think he could easily be traded to a contender mid-season for a steal. I would love to see the contracts of Cordero and Arroyo shed.
I'm indifferent to Phillips, but am beginning to believe that his highest trade value might be within the next year or so. I'm very worried that he doesn't have the attitude to improve on his fantastic 2007. His 2008 was a flop comparatively, and I don't think his approach at the plate is sustainable long-term. He may have already peaked. Not to mention his show-boating style on even routine defensive plays irks me to no end.
I hate to concede a year, but I am willing to concede 2009 if it increases our chances for 2010 and beyond.
I'm ready to go young and not look back. I think the only veteran contract worth keeping is Harang's, as he is the anchor of the pitching staff.

P.S. Look at Mark Teixeira career stats in GABP -- projected over a year he would hit 75 HR's and 187 RBI's. Yeah, I know he's only had 49 plate appearances there, but still. WOW! Well worth $24M/year.

Hairston and Dickerson were both impressive this year but both have histories of being injury prone. I would like to see the Reds acquire a legit leadoff hitter and a solid right handed bat. Not necessarily someone who will hit 40 home runs but someone who will hit for average and drive in clutch runs. Encarnacion is horrible in the field and his hitting is not consistent. Bailey has great stuff but still does not know how to pitch. I believe that both have trade value though and could be part of a package to bring in a big bat as the free agent market this year is pretty lean.

Would you want Walt to trade for Maglio, or Willingam or sign a big bat, and do you want him to get a starting catcher or backup for Hanigan

Like it or not, Jocketty likes to make a splash on the trade market if he has the talent available. When he joined the Cardinals, it didn't take long for him to acquire Mark McGwire, and that was after he'd put together a quality team in '96 that St. Louis hadn't had in a while. Jocketty builds teams with veteran leadership and young talent, the youth lending energy and enthusiasm to the vets, the vets providing leadership and know-how to the youth.

Jocketty can't get by selling off insignificant parts anymore, but I can see him going for that big name trade once again. A right-handed OF bat, Matt Holliday of course. The pieces are there: Bailey, Thompson, Valaika/Janish, Frazier/Stubbs, and Burton/Bray for a ML piece. It might be hard to swallow, but he'll lock Holliday up with a backloaded contract and the GAB will help ease the home/road split issue.

I really don't think Jim Edmonds is a bad idea. He's still decent in CF(way better than Griffey or Bruce) and his bat would play well in GAB for $4-5 million tops for one year. Then there's the Jocketty connection and some of his best moments came in Cincy.

All of a sudden the Reds look as good a team as any, if you ask me.