Red Reposter - Batter's Boxxx/The Glove Below

It looks like all the money the Reds saved by restructuring Bronson Arroyo's deal has already been spent
The $6.5 mil saved this season is apparently going to Ramon Hernandez and Miguel Cairo, with the other $2.5 mil tagged for Arthur Rhodes. But...Hernandez was signed last month, right? So did Walt spend money on Ramon that he didn't actually have yet? Something stinks here. I don't know if Walt is trying to stash a few million just in case and is covering that by saying it's already spent, or if the reports we've gotten on the actual payroll are a bit overstated, but either way I'm not sure they are being totally straight with us.

Oh yeah, and they aren't talking with the Mets about "The Outlaw" Jose Reyes. We need to do something about this. Our interns at RRHQ have been sitting around all morning playing Magic and that "Things the Reds Aren't Doing" file is in serious need of some maintenance.

John Fay had a chat this morning
Here are a few of the more interesting highlights: When asked about Chris Heisey's future, he replied - "Some scouts really like him. But becasue he doesn't have an overwhelming tool -- he's not super fast, doesn't a great arm, or great power -- he's going to have to prove himself to be an everyday player. I thought last year was a very good first step."

When asked about the chances of the Reds increasing payroll to Phillies territory - "The Reds payroll will be $80 million in ;10. That's based on 2 million and change in attendance. Say the Reds get to 3 million. You could project a $120 million payroll. That's still short of the Phillies."

On Yonder Alonso - "I thnk he'll start this year at Louisville. If he's really good, he'll have a shot for a callup. I don't think the Reds are in a rush to trade him. But thy would in the right deal. His OPS was .820 at Louisville last year, so it's not like he's knocking down the down to get into the bigs."

Doug Gray tallies up the contributions of graduated prospects last season
Mike Leake, Travis Wood, Logan Ondrusek, Jordan Smith, Matt Maloney, and Chris Heisey all earned their wings in 2010, and they performed pretty darn well in doing so. Smith and Ondrusek were both considered long shots going into the season but ended up anchoring the back end of the bullpen admirably. Guys like Juan Francisco, Yonder Alonso, and Aroldis Chapman are all expected to spend considerable time in Cincy in 2011, but which long shots do you see making an impact?

Paul Janish is ready to be your starting shortstop
but this ain't his first rodeo. He was the starting SS all winter last year before the Reds signed Orlando Cabrera right before Spring Training. "I will handle it the same in terms of how I answer questions or what I say," Janish said. "The truth of the matter is there is a little offseason left. But it's different this time. Going into this year [2011], I made a better case for myself than the past year." There are still a number of junky shortstops out there looking for work, like Christian Guzman, Edgar Renteria, and of course Lando, so the Reds could still decide to Janish him again this year (Get it? It's like getting Pipp'd, but before the season even starts. You like?).

The Reds have signed a 21-year-old Dominican catcher named Fray Sosa
He doesn't seem to be a highly-touted prospect, as most of those guys are signed well before their 21st birthday. The story is more about his relationship with his "buscone" Jose Jorge, who has been a mentor to the kid since he came to the US 5 years ago. I'm pretty excited about this deal, mostly because of the potential for a Fray-Bray battery.

Hang onto your butts
JOOOOEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY VOOOOOTTTTTTOOOOOOO BOBBLE HEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDSSSSSS!!!!!