I posted this in the Dave Ross acquisition thread, but some felt it would be a good discussion seperately.
When looking at all of the off-season acquisitions and the recent trades, it appears that all of these players have one thing in common: they are all on the 40 man roster, or they are all signed to 1 yr contracts without cost certainty for future years. Tony Womack, Scott Hatteberg, Rick White, Rich Aurilia, Ross, Gosling, Wily Mo, and Basham, among others. All signed to 1 yr deals and / or on the 40 man roster.
What does this mean? I'm guessing it means that the Reds are going to be very active this coming off season. All of these players will be off the 40 man roster and their salaries will be off the book. Most of those that remain on the 40 man roster are signed to contracts with cost certainty. So, Wayne will have a lot of open roster spots to work with, and will know exactly how much he'll have to spend this offseason, and what positions he needs to fill.
I'd also look to see what other players are on the 40 man and signed to 1 yr contracts, or are facing arbitration. I'd be willing to bet that those players will either be traded prior to this coming offseason, or signed through at least next year.
What do you think?