The Front Row

Reds need to be a buyer and get True 4 hitter behind Votto. I love BP be he is no. 4 Hitter. The thing is where do you find a NO. 4 hitter?

I love the Tribe, but don't see them being legitimate. Having said that, the Central Division is the worst in baseball and this may keep them in the race all year long. The starting pitching is not good and the offense is below average. I would stand pat and let the cards fall where they may. They traded some good prospects last year and are a team that needs to rely on their farm system to stay competitive. The farm system doesn't seem to be the deepest right now, but they have some young kids with potential to develop.

The Reds are legitimate. The starting pitching is actually underperforming so far, and the bullpen is the best in the league. The hitting does need some help though. The untouchable prospects, to me, are: RHP Daniel Corcino, RHP Robert Stephenson, SS Billy Hamilton. Hamilton probably profiles better as a LF, but he gets on base, and he steals bases better than anyone since perhaps Vince Coleman. Corcino compares to Cueto. I hope he strikes out more batters, but he has really good stuff. Stephenson is definitely the best arm in the farm right now. He has ace potential, I just hope that he has the mental makeup to survive, because many High school arms fail in the minors.

Expendable prospects, in my opinion, are: RHP Kyle Lotzkar, LHP Tony Cingriani, C Tucker Barnhardt, 2B Henry Rodriguez, OF Yorman Rodriguez, SS Didi Gregorius, 1B Neftali Soto, OF Ryan LaMarre, and LHP Donnie Joseph. Which is actually a pretty good list of prospects. A combination of Lotzkar, Cingriani, Henry and Yorman Rodriguez, and perhaps if necessary, depending on who the Reds trade for, 3B Todd Frazier or CF Drew Stubbs.

Possible options that I see come from all over. From the NL East, if the Braves or Mets fall out of contention, the Reds need to go hard after 3B David Wright or OF Michael Bourn. One of those guys would help a ton. A more realistic option would be Padres 3B Chase Headley. He would see a rise in power numbers at GABP, coming out of PETCO, but the key is that he's younger than Wright, entering his arbitration years, and he's also one of the best defensive 3B, unlike David Wright. Denard Span is also a possibility in left. He plays good defense, and his offense is good enough to man that position, given that Johnny Gomes, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Ludwick have manned that spot in recent memory. Ultimately, I think I'd rather have Headley and Span, which the Reds should be able to get.

The Reds absolutely should not look into: Mark Reynolds. Horrible defender, and his offense is not good enough to make up for that. Mark Trumbo. He does not draw walks, his defense isn't that good, and all of his statistics indicate that he's having a flukey year. No thanks. Bryan LaHair. Pretty much the exact same thing as Trumbo, the difference being that Theo Epstein is 10 times more likely to rip whoever he is trading with off. Jeff Francoeur is another to stay away from. Decent defense, great arm, horrible bat. No thank you. No pitchers either, they have enough good arms in the minors if one goes down, both for the rotation and the bullpen.

So, I think my dream scenario would be to trade Todd Frazier, Henry Rodriguez, and Kyle Lotzkar for Chase Headley, and Tony Cingriani, Neftali Soto, and Ryan LaMarre for Denard Span. I think both of those offers could get it done. That way, the infield is loaded, especially defensively where all of them are above average to elite defenders. The outfield is loaded with three great defenders. The offense gets a serious boost (Rolen and Ludwick are the worst hitters, they would be replaced), and the Reds would win the division. Yay.

I was hoping the Reds would sign Willingham this past offseason but was deemed too expensive. Not a great defensive OF, but a very underrated bat. Lee would be nice but everytime we play against the Stros he gets hurt...probably not a good sign.

How about Chone Figgins?? As long as we eat some salary, the Mariners would love to get rid of him.

Agreed...not sure how much of Figgins problems is the stadium or him. I'd take a chance with a low return prospect. I'd much rather have Victorino if that was possible. I know he's hoping to resign with Philly but contract talk has stalled.

Willingham would be great too but I think he just signed a multi year with the Twins. Not sure they would deal so soon?

The Central Division is the worst in baseball, and for that fact alone, the Indians have to be buyers. This division is there for the taking. I'm hoping the recent call ups of Chisenhall and Laporta, who I pray will finally live up to there potential, will provide the Tribe with more offensive fire power. They need to trade for pitching. Masterson and Ubaldo have been way to inconsistent, and there's no way D. Lowe will maintain this level of performance all year. A guy like Ryan Dempster from the Cubs would be perfect. The Cubs are horrible and are in rebuilding mode, and Dempster wouldn't cost too much in terms having to give up top tier prospects.