Reds Avoid Arbitration, Ink Bailey to a 1 Year Deal for $5.35 Million

Ol' Hoss got paid today, as he and the Reds more or less split the difference on their submitted arbitration figures.

With Bailey locked in, the roster is set and the Opening Day payroll will be over the $100 million mark for the first time in Reds history. I honestly thought it would take a few years for the payroll to get that high, as it sat at only $88 million at the start of last season. I guess there's more money in the banana stand than I thought.

The Fayman says that Jocketty and Bailey will revisit a potential long-term deal in the future, but as of now Walt is just happy to have the arbitration process over and done with.