Some news items out of the Queen City…
- Dusty Baker is only signed through 2012 and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer isn't sure Baker will be back even if the Reds reach the postseason, noting that the club is high on Triple-A manager David Bell. Fay also addresses several other Reds-related questions from his Twitter followers in this mailbag piece.
- "We'd like a guy that can play more than just left field," GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "We'd like to have a guy that will fit well with the club, have a veteran influence, a veteran leadership type of guy and be a character guy." Sheldon outlines several outfielders still on the market as looking for left field depth has suddenly become the Reds' top remaining offseason priority.
- Rockies outfielder Seth Smith would be a perfect platoon partner with Chris Heisey in left field, argues Fangraphs' Dave Cameron.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News talks to long-time Reds scout Gene Bennett, who was the driving force behind the Reds drafting newly-inducted Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin.
- In case you missed the news from earlier today, the Reds signed Ron Mahay and Clay Zavada to minor league contracts.
