Now the Reds got another good pitcher, what will be the upgrade in LF ??

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Originally Posted by Crumbley

I just can't see them giving Beltran enough money and/or years.

Ludwick is coming off of a brutal year, which Petco can take some blame for but it's not like he was any better in Pittsburgh. He'll be 34 next year. I don't see him outproducing Heisey in 2012.

Luke Scott is really interesting to me but like with Ludwick, I'm concerned about his age.

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Havn't seen Cody Ross mentioned here at all. He'd only be 31 for the 2012 season, and is a better defender than either Ludwick or Jason Kubel. Plus he's righty with a little pop and has a rep for timely hitting and has post-season experience with the Giants.

I would inquire as to the Braves asking price for Martin Prado. He played 100+ games in LF for Atlanta last year and would be able to play 3B when Rolen is resting/injured. He had a down 2011 but hit .307 in 2010 and puts the bat on the ball, rarely striking out. Again, not sure what it would take to get him but Atlanta was rumored to make him available.

Don't think we have what it takes anymore the get a guy like Prado. Why is there no mention of Juan Fransisco backing up Rolen at 3rd? The guy can flat out hit......

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Originally Posted by Eric the Red

I would inquire as to the Braves asking price for Martin Prado. He played 100+ games in LF for Atlanta last year and would be able to play 3B when Rolen is resting/injured. He had a down 2011 but hit .307 in 2010 and puts the bat on the ball, rarely striking out. Again, not sure what it would take to get him but Atlanta was rumored to make him available.

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Last I heard, the Orioles were the team closest to acquiring Prado, but trying to trade for a LFer seems like it has potential. Jason Kubel signed with Arizona today, so that's another free agent off the board, and the remaining options are either too expensive (like Beltran) or not particularly appealing.

Like you said, Prado had a down year in 2011, but his BABIP was about 50 points below his career average, so a certain bounce back could be expected. Also, his UZR in the outfield last year was pretty solid (8.2 UZR/150), so he could contribute on both sides of the field.

Now that Arizona has signed Jason Kubel, I wonder if they would trade Gerardo Parra? He's got a good average, won a gold glove, and he's young and cheap.

I brought up Nady's name in another thread. Free agent, righty with some pop, can play 1B if needed, avg. OF defender, but has been injury prone.

The Cardinals are trying to reach a deal with CoCo Crisp, which makes me wonder if the Reds have inquired on Crisp at all. He's got outstanding defensive numbers over his career as a LFer and has enough speed to be very useful on the base paths (49SB to 9CS last year). He wouldn't be your typical power-hitting LF bat, but with a career .327 wOBA, he could certainly hold his own at the plate. Also, his last deal was for 2 year/10.5 million, so he might be within the Reds' price range.

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I would have loved to see this team sign Cuddyer but obviously he was too much, and Beltran is projected at 2 yrs 12 million so hes def. out of the question. I hope we can sign someone that can hit 4th in the lineup so we can split up Votto and Bruce

This may sound crazy but what if we made a trade for Shelley Duncan. he can hit 4th and has some pop. Actually played well for the Indians last year. him and Heisey could platoon. Only problem would be that when Heisey plays the 4th spot would be in the same position it is now. Just an idea tho.

Apparantly some free agents have contacted the Reds expressing their interest in playing at GABP... I really wonder if Beltran was one of them. He is in the twilight of his career and he has had a near Hall of Fame caliber career to this point. He has never been to a World Series either. I have to think that he would believe joining the Reds could help him add around 50 more home runs over the next 2 years as well as possibly finally get to a World Series. That would help his counting stats a great deal, and winning a ring is never a bad thing. He has already made a crazy amount of money (not saying he will give a huge discount by any means) but I feel that if the reds offer somthing fair they may stand a very good chance, especially if St. Louis signs Crisp (let's hope) and Beltran's market continues to thin.

BTW I know Walt said the Reds weren't going to meet the amount of dollars Kubel got, however, Carlos Beltran is not Jason Kubel, and I think Bob just may give the extra few million if it was possible.

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Originally Posted by americanoutlaw1

BTW I know Walt said the Reds weren't going to meet the amount of dollars Kubel got, however, Carlos Beltran is not Jason Kubel, and I think Bob just may give the extra few million if it was possible.

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I also think that if the Cards sign Coco Crisp then there won't be too many teams in the running! I don't know what team gave him the $10M a year but I would like to see them get in on him!

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Originally Posted by dMaus14

I also think that if the Cards sign Coco Crisp then there won't be too many teams in the running! I don't know what team gave him the $10M a year but I would like to see them get in on him!

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The Blue Jays are the only other team I've seen connected to Beltran recently. It's hard to figure out what the Jays' plan is, though: They were in on the Yu Darvish bidding, so they're obviously looking to spend money, but I'm not sure if they're in "win now mode" or not. It seems like they might be better off waiting a year or two to make a big push to let players like Lawrie, Stewart and Drabek mature some, and in that case, signing Beltran wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.

I am hoping for Seth Smith.

I really hope they just let Heisey have his shot, if he fails you go to Sappelt, then Phipps, then Frazier, then Fransisco( i would have him higher but he will end up playing third) as for free agents in no specific order
Fukedome
Ankiel
Bill Hall
Coco Crisp
Scott Hariston
Connor Jackson
Andruw Jones