Jon Heyman (on Twitter) says he's hearing that Dontrelle Willis is "drawing lots of interest" on the free agent market. I always look at "I'm hearing" rumors a little cockeyed because - while they avoid the passive voice - they're rarely attributed to more than general chatter. It shouldn't be surprising, though, that Willis is getting looks from multiple teams who may or may not be offering at least one major league contract year. He pitched well in Lousville. He had a widely-discussed series of starts capped by a 10 K performance in Colorado on August 9 (before possibly no more than fatigue overtook him). And he was handy with the bat. He's also proven himself lethal against lefties, which could be the clincher for any number of teams deciding to guarantee money to Willis.
If Willis is being pursued in earnest by teams who are willing to hand out more than a split contract, what offer - if any - should the Reds give him? As Heyman acknowledges, he's an easy player to root for and a fun presence on the team, given his positive mental 'tude and his extracurricular offense. But beyond his pitching ability and lefty splits, how much of that could be accounted for with the limited resources of the Reds' payroll?
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