Reds outfield -- 2010

[Falls City Beer]

I would invest our resources in J.J. Hardy. I think the OF will be fine.

I know I'm beating a dead horse, but seriously... Willy Taveras can't even serve a bench role for this team in 2010. "Stubbs can do anything he can do better!"

So, to summarize:

-trade whatever it takes to get J.J. Hardy

-sign another catcher to support Hannigan (Brian Schneider?)

-sign Octavio Dotel to shore up the bullpen

C - Hannigan
1B - Votto
2B - Phillips
SS - Hardy
3B - Rolen
LF - Nix/Balentien/Gomes
CF - Dickerson/Stubbs
RF - Bruce

BN - Schneider
BN - Janish
BN - Nix/Gomes/Balentien
BN - Nix/Gomes/Balentien
BN - Dickerson/Stubbs

SP - Harang
SP - Cueto
SP - Arroyo
SP - Bailey
SP - Maloney

CL - Cordero
SU - Dotel
SU - Masset
LS - Rhodes
MR - Herrera
MR - Fisher
LR - Owings

All of a sudden I don't feel so pessimistic about next year.

I think good health (500 PAs from Rolen and a full season of Votto) and smart managing (proper use of platoons, knowing when to bench the inferior player, productive batting order, etc.) could give us an above average offense.

That leaves us with the other side of the coin--run prevention. On paper the defense is excellent. Adding a veteran live arm to the bullpen further reinforces a strength of 2009. All that remains is the starting pitching (the toughest part of the equation). Given that Harang and Arroyo will combine for 400 innings of league average-ness, all we need is one of Cueto/Bailey to break through in a big way. That happens and something is cooking IMO...

That starting staff listed above is dogfood and would have the Reds 5-10 games out by the AS break. Add Roy Halladay to the front of it and the equation changes utterly. All of sudden, like magic, the Reds leap to the front of the Central. Without, they futz around in 3rd, 4th, who-cares-what place.