More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Ramon Hernandez will be back next year, but could that affect the contract status of guys like Jonny Gomes and Jared Burton?

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• Hall o' Famer Hal weighs in with his opinion on the Hernandez signing
  and he does little to convince me. "Hernandez hit only .258 last year with five homers and 37 RBIs, but...(he) is the kind of guy I want around when I want to have fun and a guy I want to have around when I need somebody to watch my back." Sorry Hal, but this team needs a catcher, not Danny Glover. Hal also tries his hand at a bit o' statistical analysis. He discusses Jay Bruce's LD% and Aaron Harang's DER. It's actually pretty impressive for an old-timer.

• Mark Sheldon wonders if the re-signing of Ramon Hernandez will prohibit the team from signing a LF
  He says Jonny Gomes is the better choice over Laynce Nix (duh), but "you have to wonder if catcher Ramon Hernandez's re-signing on Monday for one year at $3 million takes away some of the dollars for left field." He says there are other in-house options, but gives the impression that Gomes would be the superior choice.

• Matthew Pouliot likes the Hernandez signing as well
  "He's 33 now and clearly on the decline, but if the Reds give him a fair amount of rest, he should be good for a dozen homers and his typical .330-.340 OBP."

• The Fay has the Boss Man's word on the signing:
  "It was an offseason priority. When you look at the alternatives, they’re not great. I think he and (Ryan) Hanigan are a good combination. Corky (Miller) is going to go to Triple-A that that gives us some depth."

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Thank a few veterans today.

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• The Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game can be seen here
  If you are like me and dont get MLB Network, this is your chance to catch Chris Heisey, Yonder Alonso, and Mike Leake tear it up against their elite prospect peers. Thanks to Sharks for the heads-up in the FanShots.

• The Crawfish Boxes takes a look at the GMs of the NL Central
  Here's what they say about our own Walt Jocketty:
  
  "The interesting thing about Jocketty is he went from a winning team to one that is continually frustrated by not being able to get over the hump. He also went to a team that walked away from a more progressive-thinking GM in former Twins assistant Wayne Krivsky for the more traditional Jocketty. Of course, Jocketty also followed Tony LaRussa from Oakland to St. Louis, so it's unclear how much of his philosophy is tied to LaRussa's.
  
  The Reds haven't exactly been dramatic in making over the club, but Jocketty has shown a willingness to be aggressive with the team's prospects and not trade off valuable assets for overhyped players (I'm looking at you, Jim Bowden). Still, Jocketty hasn't shown the same level of success as at his previous two stops. It will take a little more time to see whether his player evaluation method transfers to the Reds scouting department. If Jocketty can hit a few home runs in the draft, the rest of his record in the Queen City will be moot."
  
  Check out the full article to see how Jocko compares to the other GMs in the NL Central.

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More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Ramon Hernandez poses with World Series Champion New York Yankee Melky Cabrera. Congratulations BubbaFan!

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• THT is doing a series of player profiles for their fantasy department
  and here they take a look at Jay Bruce. It does a terrific job of breaking down his '09 season, and says the future is very, very bright for him. To wit:
  
  "While at first glance, Jay Bruce's 2009 season seems like a step back in his development, he actually made a number of significant improvements that will progress his career. He improved quite significantly in his strike zone judgment and selectivity, while also improving his fly ball tendencies. While wrist issues are always problematic for a hitter, he seems to have put these concerns to rest with a strong September. For 2010, expect a very different Jay Bruce, one who finally lives up to his No. 1 prospect billing. A .275-.285 average with 30 home runs doesn't seem out of the question. If he is able to maintain his plate discipline gains, he could post an OPS in the .900s as well, with the high .900s a possibility and 1.000—while a reach—not out of the question."

• The Fay says the Reds are talking to Ramon Hernandez about his contract
  They hold an $8.5 mil option for next season, which should be declined. They are talking to him about possibly re-working the deal so that he can come back at a reduced rate. I would be ok with him coming back under the right conditions, like if they are paying him $2 mil and he doesnt play more than Ryan Hanigan does. I doubt either of those conditions would be met though.  Let us know what you think in the poll below.

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by Keith Srakocic - AP

Brandon Phillips has been one of the best defenders in the league over the past 3 seasons, and he's looked mighty handsome doing it.

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• The Fay has more Q's and A's
  "Q, from CSA: If the Reds are so poor, why did they spend $10 million on a new scoreboard and another $10 million on the worst available manager? Not to mention all that money on Scot Rolen (that was a good deal BTW). Not to mention Willy Tavaras.
  
  A: The hope is that the new scoreboard will pay for itself through increased advertising at the stadium. Which is a nice theory, but you’ve got to draw fans to keep rates up. Only 26 managers in the history of the game have won more games that Dusty Baker. Given the injuries and payroll, 78-84 was pretty good this year. Rolen’s salary was paid by Toronto this year. And they made a huge mistake with Taveras. But he only made $2 million this year."
  
  I have no idea how this injury excuse has gotten any traction as a plausible reason why this team failed this past season. I would like someone, anyone, to make a good argument that this team lost because of injuries. Please.

• RedsFest tickets went on sale yesterday
  $15 for adults and $7 for the kiddos. "Over 50 current and former Reds players are expected to attend including Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Bronson Arroyo, Dusty Baker and 2010 Reds Hall of Fame inductees Chris Sabo and Pedro Borbon.  In honor of the recent RR Monday Morning Quiz, a special 20th anniversary tribute to the 1990 World Series Champions will include Sabo, Joe Oliver, Eric Davis, Ron Oester, Hal Morris, skipper Lou Piniella and many more."

• Hall o' Famer Hal says Dick Pole was a victim of soap opera-level revenge and acrimony
  "One problem with the Reds is that CEO Bob Castellini listens to too many people and some of them have axes to grind or let personalities sway their opinions. One of them got Castellini’s ear about Pole and Pole was axed (pole-axed?). A manager and a coach is only as good as his players/pitchers and I saw improvement from the Reds pitching staff under Pole."

• Project Prospect is ranking the best prospects by position in the minors
  and Todd Frazier is the top 2B. They say he lacks the range to be a great defender, but his bat could more than carry him. I think his bat is about average as a LF, but if he can hold his own as a 2B he could be something special. If only our incumbent 2B could play SS...

  Mike Leake and Zach Stewart (cough) make the pitcher's list, Yonder Alonso is 2nd on the 1B list, and Juan Francisco is 13th on the 3B list.  Hat tip to RML.

• The Pirates traded for displaced Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura
  or as Tim McCarver knows him, "Aka...Akamura". Iwamura was hurt most of this season and lost his job to Ben Zobrist. This deal reminds me a lot of the Reds' deal for Scott Rolen, accept that I like this for the Buccos. Neither team is close to playoff contention, both of the players are in the last year of their contract, and both players are still valuable relative to their contracts.
  
  The key differences are that the Pirates only gave up Jesse Chavez, a 26-year-old relief prospect (Josh Roenicke?), and they have plenty of payroll space left after adding his contract (his option, which the Pirates still have to pick up, is worth $4.85 mil, which will make him the highest-paid Pirate!!). Iwamura isnt going to make the difference for the Pirates, but he'll help them take the next step to respectability.
  
  And when you consider that Iwamura is basically the same player as Freddy Sanchez, whom they traded for a good pitching prospect in Tim Alderson, and is signed for 1/3 the money that Sanchez is, then this is really quite a move for the Pirates.  I cant believe I'm saying this, but I'm kinda jealous.

• FanGraphs is working on putting together 3-year UZR leaderboards and loserboards
  and Brandon Phillips narrowly misses making the "best" list, falling just outside the top 5. We'll see the top and bottom 5's over the next few days.

• It’s the Hardball Times 2010 Annual
  I've never bought the THT Annual, but I'm thinking about it this year. It's $21.95, so it's pretty reasonably priced. Has anyone picked up one of these? Is it a good investment?

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

There seems to be a high number of pictures in SBNation's AP photos bank of Dusty defending Willy T. Here is one of them.

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• The Fay answers some reader questions
  Question from Steve: My question is about the Reds’ current view of Willy Taveras. Do you think they will let him come to spring training and try to win the job from Drew Stubbs and Chris Dickerson, or do you think the Reds will try to move him in the offseason? Do you perceive a split between the way Dusty Baker and Walt Jocketty view Taveras? My sense, from afar, is that as long as WT is around, Baker will play him too much. I’m not naive in thinking the Reds could get anything back for Taveras. They would have to trade him, along with paying part of his salary to interest any team. But my feeling (hope) is that is what they will do, just to take the controversy and temptation away.
  Answer: I think Taveras was Jocketty’s guy. But Baker loves the idea of speed at the top of lineup. I don’t think anyone thought Taveras would hit as little as he did or be as rough defensively. I think they would trade in a second if they could. But his $4 million salary makes that difficult. The center field job is Drew Stubbs’ to lose. The problem with Taveras is he doesn’t fit as a bench player. He has no power. He only plays center. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him designated for assignment.
  
  So Fay thinks the T-Virus could be DFA'd.  While that is the logical course of action, and most of us have hopefully forgotten all about him already because of Drew Stubbs and Chris Dickerson, he is still on the roster and is being paid $4 mil next season.  I'm not sayin' anything, I'm just sayin'...

• MLBTradeRumors has been doing a "Trades Of The Decade" series
  and they reviewed the Griffey Trade a few days ago. I'm not going to go back into it because we all know everything about it, but Nick Masset is mentioned as a possible silver lining, described as a "closer of the future". It's not as thrilling as a few World Series', but I suppose I'll take it.

• Doug Gray has been running down his top-40 prospects list this week
  I dont think anyone will be surprised to know that Yonder Alonso headlines the list. Check out 11-20, 21-30, and 31-40.  We here at RR will be doing our own top prospects list again this winter, so stay tuned.

• Bill at RLN asks if Hal McRae, the recently ousted hitting coach for the Cards, would be an upgrade over Brook Jacoby
  I think the real problem with the offense is lack-of-talent, but it certainly couldnt hurt to have a hitting coach who preaches patience. I dont think McRae or Jacoby are that guy.

• The Stadium Journey Blog visited GABP
  And he had a good time. "Great American Ball Park is a fabulous place to watch a baseball game. There are comfortable seats angled toward home plate, various standing areas with a perfect view of the field and plenty of attractions that will catch your eye. If you get the chance, be sure to visit home of the Cincinnati Reds. You won’t be disappointed."  There is a full breakdown and write-up of the whole stadium experience, so be sure to check it out.

• Spring Training tickets are available for the Reds' inaugural season in Goodyear, AZ
  Single game tickets are not available, but you can order 15 or 30-game packages. You can even get a mixed package of Reds and Indians games, which is pretty neat.

• Rob Neyer says Ryan Howard is basically an equal player to...Shin-Soo Choo?
  I know all abouts Choo, who was the MVP of my fantasy team this year. But Howard won an NL MVP!! He's led the NL in RBIs 3 of the past 4 seasons!! Neyer is ever the cantankerous curmudgeon, no?

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Bryan Price is your new pitching coach. I dont have any wiener jokes.

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• Hall o' Famer Hal doesnt seem tremendously excited that the Reds hired Bryan Price to be the new pitching coach
  He says he would have preferred Ted Power, who could jump ship for a better job in another organization, Mario Soto, who likely didnt want the job anyway, or former Reds pitching coach Don Gullett. Price seems like a solid pick to me though.

• The Reds held the grand opening of their new spring training complex in Goodyear, AZ on Saturday
•  and Jim Misudek as the pictures to prove it

• Jim also tells us Mike Lincoln pitched in the final game of the instructional league
  No matter what you think about how overpaid he is, we all should tip our caps to this guy. After all the parts of his body he's had replaced over the years he's practically a Terminator.

• Here's a sample from this week's "Ask Hal"
  Q If the Reds really are cash-strapped, as you wrote, do you think they could trade Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo or Francisco Cordero? A team in the Reds’ situation can’t afford that kind of cash outlay for a closer, can they? — Paul, Dayton
  A I’d trade Cordero in an eye flick and help him pack. Saves are the most overrated statistic in baseball. Most mean nothing. Get three outs in mostly easy situations and, wham, another save. Can the Reds afford to pay Cordero $25 million over the next two years while they try to build a competitive team? Don’t think so. Coco needs to go-go.
  
  I would love to see Coco moved this winter, but I cant envision a situation where it could happen.  It would take a good team needing an upgrade at closer and the money and penchant to overpay for it.  The Phillies will probably look around after the year that Brad Lidge had, but Lidge will make just as much as Coco the next two years, and they also have significant monies tied into JC Romero and Ryan Madsen.  So if they look for an upgrade, it will probably be a cheap one. 
  
  The Cubs and Angels could both be looking for new closers this winter as well.  But even in the unlikely event that a partner is found, I wouldnt expect anything of intrigue to be coming back.  The Reds need to free up the money and shouldnt kill a deal over a few middling prospects.

• In minor trade matters
  the Reds finalized the David Weathers trade last week. They got an undisclosed amount of cash. Thus unceremoniously ends an era in Cincinnati.  Godspeed Stormy!

• Red Reposter NEWS FROM HELL
  As of Friday morning, the Yankees had yet to sell all of the tickets available for Game 1 against the Angels. I couldnt track down whether they eventually did or not, but it is really a black eye on the face of The Greatest Franchise in the World.  The House That Caligula Built isnt looking too good, is it?

• Speaking of the Yankees
  Matt Carruth at FanGraphs says A-Rod is every bit the clutch performer that Mr. November is, and all his computer friends can prove it.

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

Hutch Award Nominee and Red Reporter Idol, Jonny Lee Gomes.

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• Hall o' Famer Hal thinks the LaRussa and Duncan rumors are crazy
  In short, he says St Louis is too good and Cincinnati too bad a situation for it to happen. No way LaRussa (and by extension, Duncan) jumps from a division-winner to the Reds.  He then casts his vote for Bats' pitching coach Ted Power. He says guys love him and unless he's promoted, he'll go somewhere else. So I guess my vote goes to Power as well.  He's been getting terrific high praise, and if it's true that he will bolt unless he gets the job then I dont think it's much of a choice.

• Walt Jocketty is in Goodyear, AZ at the new Spring Training complex
  and is set to do interviews for the vacant pitching coach position. Sheldon lists all the usual suspects (Dave Duncan Sheik (because "Donuts" was too obvious), Ted "I Have the" Power, Mario "I Dont Like Sunny D, Pass Me a Grape" Soto), but he also throws out a few new names like former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson and minor league pitching coordinator Mack Jenkins. 

• Jim Misudek at the Reds Internal Affairs blog says Jonny Gomes has been nominated for the Hutch Award
  "The Hutch Award is given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of renowned baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson ("Hutch"). Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center -- which was named in Hutch's honor by his brother Dr. Bill Hutchinson, a surgeon, after Fred succumbed to cancer at age 45 -- is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases."  I know this sounds weird, but beating cancer sounds just like something Jonny Gomes would do.

• Reds Assistant Media Director Jamie Ramsey has a blog
  "The goal of this blog is to give you an entertaining look into what goes on with the Cincinnati Reds, from an "insider's perspective." As an assistant director of media relations, I'm around every level of Reds employee here at the ballpark, from the front office to the players to the ticket takers and ushers. In my opinion, each is as interesting as the next and I plan on proving it by introducing these people to you." Welcome to the blogosphere Jamie!

• MLBTradeRumors continued their Offseason Outlook series with a look at our Reds
  Tim thinks Jonny Gomes makes too much sense to non-tender, Francisco Cordero is the most logical trade candidate, and Willy Taveras and Mike Lincoln were mistakes. Nothing new really, but still a nice overview.

• Marc Hulet at FanGraphs has a quick review of the Reds minor league system
  and he thinks Matt Maloney is on the up-swing, Devin Mesoraco could be a bust, and Juan Carlos Sulbaran could turn some heads next year.

• OMGreds offers up a YouTube video of one of the last games at Crosley Field
  The old Kodak 8mm film is always really cool-looking, even if I cant help but anticipate the president getting shot.

• Diamond Hoggers asks, "When was the last time you enjoyed Cracker Jacks at the ballpark?"
  I got some Cracker Jack at a Clippers/Bats game this summer and it was childhood-destroyingly disappointing. It was far too expensive, which wasnt surprising, but then there were no peanuts in the bag. None. Just a few stale puffs of tasteless popcorn. And the free prize was so exciting I forgot it in my seat after the game.