The economy has forced a reduction in staff for the Reds front office.
"We did lose a couple of jobs," said Karen Forgus, the senior vice-president for business operations. "We were expanding. We held off on those jobs. A few people left and weren't replaced, and we did eliminate a few jobs."
Forgus didn't have the exact number but said the layoffs were in single digits.
"It's a reduction in force across the board," she said. "We're looking for efficiency."
Baseball operations were not affected.
"We would never do that," she said. "Most of people are under contract, and we're trying to keep the team competitive."
The economy has hurt ticket sales -- so far, at least.
"Fans are telling us they still plan to come to games during the season," Forgus said. "They just aren't buying tickets in February. They might buy them in June."
UPDATE: I talked to Walt Jocketty today. It's sound like the Reds will open spring with the roster as it currently stands.
“I think we’re done,” Jocketty said. “But quite honestly, I thought before. If we do something else, it will probably be with bench, or if someone’s price drops dramatically.”
With so many free agents still available, the Reds could add a player during spring training.
“I think that’s true,” he said. “But we have a lot of new guys. I want to get spring training and see what we’ve got. We might not need to add anyone.”
