Red Reposter - But is there really such a thing as a "free" agent?

"In the whole history of the world, only one person got to be Bob Hope, and you are that lucky man." --  Dick Cavett

That celebrated Fayblog series, "The _____ question," rolls on
with an examination of the Reds' 2011 outlook at catcher. I'll say this one last time, and it give me no pleasure in doing so: Ramon Hernandez is a free agent. And I can tell you John Fay is with me on this one. Start saying he's got team options through 2014 and I might be forced to go nuclear: passive-aggressively tagging these posts. See how you like being recommended Mixed Martial Arts fight previews.

We don't have a sense of the market yet for Hernandez, but I think it's possible he may be worth more as a starter to another club than the Reds are willing to pay him as a part-timer. I hope I'm wrong.

This was in the Huffington Post: "Josh Hamilton, Pete Rose and the Power of Redemption"
I would have been fine without the "Amazing Grace" epigraph for this article. And I don't think the Hamilton-Rose comparison runs very deep, but both certainly have done battle with personal demons and Don McNay expresses a measured outlook that I consider to be fairly de rigeur for thoughtful baseball fans in the Tristate area. Hamilton's struggles are the kind of story we like, even some of the homer-est among us have grown a little weary with Rose. I feel ill-equipped to say what redemption they've both earned, but I'll certainly be saluting Hamilton's World Series efforts. The Hamilton-Volquez continues to write its plot twists, with both players playing central roles - though wildly contrasting in terms of success - on playoff teams. Advantage: Hamilton. For now.

Rare, Never Before Seen B&Ws from the '55 Series (a double dose of HuP)
This was one of the great ones, though in fairness to other "ones," nearly everything holds an air of greatness in black and white. 

Fay asks (a question): "This year’s Leake?"
Another for the Tenuous Comparisons file. Fay looks Reds farmhands that could rocket to the majors in April 2011 if Dusty likes what he sees (and hears, presumably). It would be extremely surprising if a Sappelt were to break camp in the Spring, but leftfield could be as wide open as the 5th starter spot was last season. Not a soul here had Leake down as starting 2010 in the majors before Spring started.

Baseball America Prospects Chat excerpts were posted over at Fake Teams
In the wilderness of the late October Reposter, we'll take any scraps you've got. Of interest here is a question Jim Callis took about Billy Hamilton, SS prospect:

Hamilton has a huge ceiling—he's a potential all-star leadoff type who could lead the majors in stolen bases. He has a ways to go to get there, though, but he's off to a fine start. I don't know if you'll see a top prospect steal 100 bases in the minors, just because of all the pounding his body will take. The Reds will give him a long look at shortstop. He has the range and his arm may be strong enough.

Reports have been very encouraging on Hamilton, but he's still playing baseball in stadiums where fans are subsidized by ARRA funding to attend games. He has a ways to go before he's mentioned in the same sentence as that other great Billy Hamilton, who I believe is famous for being the greatest base-ball practitioner during the Jackson Administration and naming a county after himself.

The soon-to-be 48-year-old Jamie Moyer is heading to the Dominican Winter League
Can't help but like the guy and his Philly accent too. I just hope the Hispaniola supply line of Tasty Kakes holds.

Regardless who wins the World Series, Molina to get his
In a curious piece of trivia that might interest your Audrey Hepburn-style baseball fan, Bengie Molina gets a WS ring even if his Rangers lose to the Giants. Molina was traded from SF to Texas after the arrival of Buster Posey, and, as a result of voting by the Giants and Rangers, is entitled to ring and a share of the post-season bounty from both teams.