My take on the free agents.

[dfs]

Just lookin over the leftovers...
Chris Gomez could fill the Aurilia role. Do the utility thing.
David Riske is a nice little pickup.
You have to wonder if Dotel will ever get healthy and right again. Same with Meche.

Mark DeRosa? That's an interesting line. Guy can play shortstop, but is playing in right field? Wonder what he's gonna go for? That would be buying high, but...can he really play shortstop? He's played more at second and his range factor there is decent.

lil sarge...he may be the best free agent centerfielder out there, but I doubt Junior willingly moves over for him. Career year last year. Gonna be 32. Pass.

Speier and Lilly.. nothing to add to that discussion. Could be nice additions.

Joe Borowski...what an odd career path. He was paid 300K last year. Property of the reds years ago.

Julio Lugo - You can't shop for value on the free agent market and this guy just isn't talented enough to justify 4+ million a year. You can shake the glove tree and 6 year minor leage free agents will fall out who can play with this guy.

Jeff Cirillo...boy, talk about odd career patterns. He should be payin the Brewers to play there. While we're on odd career patterns Do you think Jose Valentin would come here to play with his brother? He's known for his range.

hmmm Todd Walker looks like there's a fork in him, but how many guys are on this list that you could have said that about in the past?

I assume Jason Schmidt and Soriano are just out of our price ranges.

Looking over that list...
I can't see them signing a centerfielder to move junior.
I can't see them improving the rotation with any real impact, although they could add some depth.
If they are going to solve middle infield woes, there are a ton of second basemen out there, but really only the one true shortstop. You don't want top overpay, but you don't want crap either. I think there may be some values to be had at second base. That means moving Phillips.

[icehole3]

What about Dave Roberts, David Dellucci, Ray Durham and Pedro Feliz?

[redsfan4445]

i say Chad Bradford for the bullpen.. he would help alot more than Majic man!!.. and Greg Maddux as a stop gap and a mentor for Homer...

[Team Clark]

I'll second the motion on Bradford, Durham and Delluci.

[Highlifeman21]

Originally Posted by Team Clark

I'll second the motion on Bradford, Durham and Delluci.

Pass on Durham due to age.

Bradford and Delluci would definitely be welcomed additions. I saw plenty of Delluci in Philly this year and I think he'd be a great everyday RF for us.

As for Bradford, as a rubber arm setup guy, I don't think he's a closing option, but I'd give him the ball as much as he wanted it in the 7th and or 8th innings.

[Will M]

1. Rich Aurillia or Wes Helms. sign one of these as a right handed hitting 1b partner for Hatteberg/Votto.

2. Luis Castillo, Mark Lorretta, Ray Durham, Craig Counsell, Jose Valentin.
sign one of these as a 2b.
OR
Kenny Lofton, Jay Payton, Aaron Rowand (Player + Team Options)(arb.)
Dave Roberts. sign one of these as CF/4th OF and use Freel at 2b.

3. BC's big splash. Sign Zito. Git er dun Bob!

Other SP options are weaker: Tomo Ohka, Tony Armas Jr, Jason Schmidt
( older and more injury prone than Zito ), Woody Williams, Vicente Padilla,
Adam Eaton, Ted Lilly, Tom Glavine ( will likely only sign with Mets or Braves ), Andy Pettitte, Randy Wolf

4. Sign Mark Mulder to an incentive laden contract ( Mulder will be rehabbing with an eye for 2008 )

5. Get one more above average reliever:

Justin Speier, Trever Miller, Solomon Torres, David Riske
Chad Bradford, David Weathers, Eric Gagne ( incentive laden deal only )

[Mario-Rijo]

I gotta say I would seriously go after Vicente Padilla. He has pitched in both small parks in Philly and Texas with solid success and he is a horse if healthy. Find that special LH (Zito preferably but Lilly is more likely) and you have a very solid 1-5. Harang, Arroyo, Lilly, Padilla, Lohse/Milton (my gut is Milty won't be leaving).

In fact I am going to post my thoughts on the offseason while I am thinking about it.

Well maybe after I do some more research.

[dfs]

What about Dave Roberts, David Dellucci, Ray Durham and Pedro Feliz?

I was looking down the list of guys who had already declared that JD has up on reds reporter http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/b...it-market.html
and Roberts is the only one of those guys declared. I'm not anticipating most of the other guys, but I will address those four.

I think Roberts is pretty much covered in the lil sarge comment. Junior isn't going to move for lil sarge he sure isn't gonna shift for Dave Roberts. (Why would anybody think Dave Roberts would sign a contract anticipating he would be a fourth outfielder for a team that he doesn't percieve as a playoff contenter?)

Dellucci ....It's been a long time that the guys at BP have been pounding his drum. How odd that after they've given up he "breaks out" at 31. I think the message of Dellucci's career (or Ryan Freel's for that matter...or heck Rich Aurilia's career path) is that there really is free talent out there. The trick is to find it while it's free, not to pay for it on the free agent market after it's put up a 125 Ops+ two years in a row. So you sign Dellucci, what do you do with him? Do you believe enough in him to pencil him in as a starter? Do you think he's going to be happy as a fourth of? If he is, you now have a corner outfielder who you can't really platoon with Junior or with Dunn. How many lefthanded bats do you need? I don't see the need he addresses on this team and I don't think you can pick him up as a value.

Durham just adds to the crowd of second basemen who might be picked up for value. There are a lot of guys who can play a little second and hit a bit. Count them up..Gomez, Valentin, Walker, Durham, DeRosa and all of them are in some way competing with Soriano as well. That market is deep enough that you might be able to pick up something decent.

I have no clue why anybody would put somebody like Pedro Feliz into a list of desired free agent pickup's? What's your thinking there? What does he do that Dino doesn't do?

[blumj]

Dotel had TJ surgery. I wouldn't assume he'll never be right again just because his supposedly way ahead of schedule, miraculous recovery, looks more like the usual, full year to regain command, recovery. Unless there was something else?

I'm guessing that Bradford and Speier will both be offered arbitration and therefore would cost a draft pick, as well as really good multi-year contracts for set-up guys. As closing options, it might make it more worth it.

[Z-Fly]

Originally Posted by dfs

I have no clue why anybody would put somebody like Pedro Feliz into a list of desired free agent pickup's? What's your thinking there? What does he do that Dino doesn't do?

Hit for power and Drives in runs. :fineprint

[SultanOfSwing]

Originally Posted by blumj

Dotel had TJ surgery. I wouldn't assume he'll never be right again just because his supposedly way ahead of schedule, miraculous recovery, looks more like the usual, full year to regain command, recovery. Unless there was something else?

I'm guessing that Bradford and Speier will both be offered arbitration and therefore would cost a draft pick, as well as really good multi-year contracts for set-up guys. As closing options, it might make it more worth it.

Remember, the new CBA states that FA will no longer cost draft picks.

[SultanOfSwing]

Originally Posted by Z-Fly

Hit for power and Drives in runs. :fineprint

And strike-out, and not get on-base, and defend poorly, and not steal bases.

[blumj]

Originally Posted by isaiahbarney

Remember, the new CBA states that FA will no longer cost draft picks.

No, compensation for type A free agents wasn't changed, just type B and C.

[redsupport]

nice you would compare denorfia to feliz, thats amazing

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by isaiahbarney

Remember, the new CBA states that FA will no longer cost draft picks.

From an ESPN report:

Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation
• Draft-pick compensation for losing Type C free agents is eliminated. Compensation for Type B free agents is changed from direct (losing draft picks) to indirect (sandwich picks). Starting in 2007, Type A free agent redefined to top 20 percent at position (from top 30 percent) and Type B to 21-40 percent (from top 31-50 percent).