Well, that was fun yesterday. I think I've got the HOF out of my system for another 10 months. On to the news, which is obviously sparse for the Reds:
- As JinAZ and nycreds posted, the Reds signed OF Josh Anderson to a minor league deal. This season's Darnell McDonald, or just another Jacque Jones? We'll see. But I don't like the potential interference with playing time that should go to Dickerson or Balentein.
- Peter Gammons: like Buffalo Springfield, Bronson Arroyo's got soul
Try as he might, Bronson can't escape his glory days with the Sox. This Saturday he's co-hosting the "Hot Stove Cool Music" event with Peter Gammons at Boston's House of Blues. Apparently he's playing wiht the HSCM All-Stars, with Theo Epstein, Gammons, and others. - omgreds.com: What If? White Helmets
Inspired by the Sugar Bowl, omgreds.com takes a look at how the Reds would look in white batting helmets. I agree that this is an idea best left on the drawing board. - 2009 Season in Review: Matt Klinker
Doug takes a look at Matt Klinker's productive 2009 season, which saw him start in Sarasota but end up in Louisville even though he missed a month early in the season with shoulder problems. Sounds like he should be a viable back-of-the-rotation candidate soon. Redlegs Baseball also recently took a look at Klinker. - Holliday agrees to mega-deal with Cards
Matt Holliday is staying in St. Louis with a seven-year, $120 million contract that has a full no-trade clause. This is the largest deal in club history, though I'm sure Pujols' next deal will trump it (and I can't imagine that St. Louis would make this deal without considering whether there will be enough to pay Albert). Even though Holliday objectively seems like he'll age well given his broad set of skills, he's a pretty big guy who looks more lumbering than graceful to me. The contract takes him to his age-36 season, and I can see this not ending well. For the short-term, however, St. Louis solidifies its core and looks very hard to beat next year. - Tribe signs Austin Kearns to a minor league deal
The Indians, looking for right-handed bats in the outfield and at first, have signed Austin Kearns and Shelley Duncan to minor league deals. I didn't really follow Kearns the past couple of seasons, but man has he stunk. In the past two years he's put up a 69 OPS+ in 568 PAs and 0.6 WAR. He is still only 29. Fangraphs makes a good point - both Kearns and Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro have long been admired for their potential but have come up short in delivering results. - Big Unit officially ends 22-year career
Five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson, who was virtually unmatched in his ability to intimidate and dominate hitters, announced his retirement from baseball on Tuesday night. Perpetual Post salutes Johnson for a great nickname and lists its own sexual innuendo all-star team, which features a certain ex-pitching coach (HT to BBTF). - MLBTradeRumors.com: Aroldis Chapman Decision Coming Soon?
The Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes may be coming to an end. The big Cuban lefty, who throws in the mid to upper-90s, auditioned before 15 teams in December (including the Reds). The Red Sox have already offered 15.5M and the Marlins reportedly raised their 13M offer. According to the latest rumor, the Angels and Blue Jays are the favorites. Kevin Goldstein of BPro has tweeted that Chapman may sign for up to 30M (!). - U.S.-Japan championship series in the works?
Bud Selig recently met with the Commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball to discuss a November series between the WS winner and the NPB champion. Sound great, but I'm a little concerned about the extra stress this will place on the arms of Cueto, Volquez and Bailey. (HT to BBTF). - ESPN unveils 3-D television network in 2010
ESPN has unveiled the first 3-D network for sports. Baseball is not included for now. Meh.