Regular
Season Record:
73-89
Fifth in the NL Central – 27.0 games back
Home Park: Great American Ballpark
New
Faces:
Bronson Arroyo (SP) – Traded from Red Sox
Tony Womack (2B) – Traded from Yankees
Chris Hammond (RP) – Signed as free agent
Grant Balfour (RP) – Signed as free agent
Rick White RP) – Signed as free agent
Frank Menechino (IF) – Signed as free agent
Ryan Hanigan (C) – Signed minor league contract
Steve Torrealba (C) – Signed minor league contract
Michael Gosling (RP) – Claimed off waivers from Arizona
Quinten McCracken OF) – Signed as free agent
Tuffy Rhodes (OF) – Signed as free agent
Matt Kata (IF) – Claimed off waivers from Philadelphia
Dave Williams (SP) – Traded from Pittsburgh
Looking
for Greener Pastures Elsewhere:
Sean Casey (1B) – Traded to Pittsburgh
Wily Mo Pena (OF) – Traded to Red Sox
Josh Hancock (RP) – Released
Jimmy Journell (RP) – Released
Ty Howington (RP) – Released
Kevin Howard (IF) – Traded to Yankees
Ben Himes (OF) – Traded to Yankees
Bubba Nelson (RP) – Released
Dan O’Brien (GM) – Fired
The Skinny: It appears that Ken Griffey, Jr. is healthy, given his outstanding performance during the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps that’s the best news Reds fans could have received during a hectic offseason that brought about the firing of a GM and a number of moves. The Reds dealt clubhouse leader Sean Casey to the Pirates in a rare inter-divisional deal. The Reds have gotten slightly older (or ‘more veteran’ if you prefer) with the tandem of Tony Womack and Rich Aurilia at second base. Another fan favorite, Wily Mo Pena, known for his monster moon shots and his piles of strikeouts, was dealt for Boston’s Bronson Arroyo. At the expense of their offense, the Reds have gotten slightly better on the pitching side of the coin – but in a division stacked with four solid teams at the top, even a healthy Griffey won’t be able to save the day. The baseball tradition in Cincinnati is great; it’s a shame that Reds fans haven’t had a winning season to cheer about in over five years.
Strengths: The Reds can hit, period. Griffey and Adam Dunn provide awesome lefthanded power, even to a lineup that misses Casey. Shortstop Felipe Lopez had a career year in 2005, smashing 23 HR and driving in 85. Austin Kearns has been up and down, but when he’s right, he’s a 30-HR potential player. Even Aurilia and Jason LaRue banged out 14 dingers apiece – the Reds will be relying on the long ball almost exclusively. Edwin Encarnacion looks like he’s developing into a solid player with a little bit of pop. They can hit for average, they can hit for power, they have good balance from each side of the plate. But they will surely need a healthy Griffey and a few career years (has Lopez arrived?) if they want to compete in the division.
Weaknesses: If Aurilia beats Womack to the punch, one of the Reds' problems will be that they have no speed in the lineup after Ryan Freel. Freel stole 36 bases last season in only 103 games, and it’s a head-scratcher that the Reds didn’t consider him a starter until the 2005 campaign wore on. Lopez stole 15 bases, a nice total – but the remainder of the returning roster had 17 steals combined a season ago. Another problem for the Reds will of course be pitching. The addition of Arroyo still doesn’t make them deep enough to compete against the Houstons and St. Louises of the world. Aaran Harang and Brandon Claussen weren’t bad, but Paul Wilson, Ramon Ortiz and Eric Milton were completely awful last season. Arroyo does not give the rotation instant credibility. While the bullpen has some nice arms – guys like Ryan Wagner and Matt Belisle have promise, even a sturdy bullpen won’t be able to bail this group of starters out.
Potential
Lineup
Ryan Freel – LF
Felipe Lopez – SS
Ken Griffey Jr – CF
Adam Dunn – 1B
Austin Kearns – RF
Rich Aurilia – 2B
Edwin Encarnacion – 3B
Jason LaRue – C
Keys to Success: We know the Reds are going to hit. But even then, are they going to lose games 6-4 or 7-6? The biggest key to success is their biggest glaring weakness: starting pitching. If the Reds actually got some nice seasons from a few starters, their bullpen would be enough to hold the offense’s leads. Unfortunately for the Reds, they play St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee and Chicago 72 times – if they want to climb back into the thick of things, they need to start playing better within the division, and it starts with the guys on the mound.
Prediction: If all the chips fall right, and the Reds get a couple career years out of some players, they could be in contention for a .500 finish, but their greatest weakness will be enough to hold them down at the bottom of the pack once again. Sorry Reds fans, it looks like another fifth place finish unless the Brewers or Cubs completely fall apart.
