Full spring training schedule

This weekend will officially mark the start of Spring Training games for Cincinnati. Here's a gander at the full slate of games that await the Reds in the weeks ahead. They all lead up to Opening Day against Jose Reyes and the Miami Marlins on April 5th. Mark your calendars accordingly, folks. All times in MST unless otherwise noted.

2 Reds ready to make the 'leap'

 

Happy Leap Year everyone! In celebration of this momentus day/occasion I have featured two players who I feel are on the brink of a breakout season. While both of them have had some success already throughout their careers, I believe 2012 could be the year for them both to make the "leap".

Marty shares his thoughts on the team

Check out this recent video/audio clip put together by cincinnat.com. In it you'll hear longtime Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman share his expectations and other thoughts regarding the team's upcoming season.

2012 projections: Johnny Cueto

Photo courtesy of Adam Lucas of adamlucasdesigns.com

Despite missing five weeks to start the season, the 2011 campaign was pretty good for Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto. The Dominican native finished with a minuscule 2.31 ERA (1.38 ERA at home), 9-5 record, 1.090 WHIP and three complete games in 156 innings pitched. His showing last season impressed so much that he was quickly labelled as the team's ace by mid-season. And while there's no doubt whether or not Cueto can pitch this well, the real concern is can he do it again in 2012?

So, to help give a better idea of what this upcoming season may hold for him I've dug up projections from four different sources. They are as follows:

Reds extend Marshall through 2015

Sean Marshall Glamour Shot courtesy of Cincinnati.com

Per the Reds' official site, the Reds and Sean Marshall have agreed upon a three year, $16.5 million extension which will keep the left-hander in Cincinnati through 2015.

It seemed crucial that the Reds extend Marshall considering the amount they gave up for him. He came to the Reds in a December trade that sent Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt, and Ronald Torreyes to the Chicago Cubs. He is expected to fill the left-hand setup role in the bullpen this year, as Aroldis Chapman prepares for a move to the starting rotation. Marshall, along with Bill Bray, comprise a formidable left-handed duo for the Reds' bullpen.

Top 10 giveaways of 2012 season

The 2011 version of the
Joey Votto Bobblehead

In case you missed it, single season tickets for all regular season games went on sale beginning this past Saturday at 9:00 AM. I know it's no small task to browse over the home schedule in search of picking a good game or two to go see. So, to assist in your endeavour here are some great giveaways/promotions to consider when picking out your tickets this year. I hope it helps.

Sun, April 7th (7:10 PM) vs. Marlins - Team Calendar Day (Free to first 20,000 fans)

Sat, April 28th (4:10 PM) vs. Astros - Reds Fleece Blanket (Free to first 20,000 fans)

MLB preseason power rankings: 10-1

Continuing on with our power rankings of all 30 MLB teams, here are the clubs who occupy the top one-third of the league (view teams 30-21 here, and 20-11 here).

10 Cincinnati Reds
- The Queen City is buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming season. The Redlegs executed a series of impact acquisitions this offseason in an effort to reclaim the NL Central title. And while Dusty Baker’s crew clearly got better, the rest of the division seems to have weakened. But how far can the Reds advance in the playoffs if they indeed make it in?

9 San Francisco Giants
- One year removed from a world championship, the Giants failed to make it back to the postseason in 2011. However, a healthy Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, in addition to a revitalized Tim Lincecum should turn their fortunes around in 2012.

What they are saying (quotes)

Since there's still not a whole lot to write about games-wise, here are some notable quotes I found around the web from some of the Reds players:

“We’re going to work on it this spring. I’m definitely going to get where I’m more comfortable doing it. But there are going to be a lot of times during the year where teams make a point to take the bunt away. When they’re playing way in on the corners, it’s tough to beat it out even if you lay down a good bunt. I’m definitely going to have it in the arsenal to use at any time. But it’s not what defines my game by any means. I try to be as well-rounded as possible.” -CF Drew Stubbs on bunting

“I’m going to make it pretty simple for just about everybody. You guys are going to get the same answer. I’m going to leave all that to Reds front office, my agent and myself, keep it as private as possible. I don’t think it’s fair to the fans. It’s certainly not fair to the team to let this stuff creep into the season and become a distraction." -1B Joey Votto on a possible contract extension

MLB preseason power rankings: 20-11

Continuing on with our MLB preseason power rankings from yesterday, as promised here are teams 20-11 (teams 10-1 to be unveiled tomorrow):

20 Minnesota Twins
- Only Houston lost more games than Minnesota did last year (99). I don’t foresee them losing that many this time around though. However, I don’t expect Ron Gardenhire’s bunch to contend with the Tigers for a division title either.

19 Cleveland Indians
- The Tribe overachieved in 2011 by posting an 80-82 record and placing second in the AL Central. With basically the same roster as last year they look on course to be the second-best team in a weak division yet again.

MLB preseason power rankings: 30-21

Let’s face it. Preseason rankings are pretty much useless. Okay, so the fans love ‘em and they stir up some striking conversation, but accurately projecting the outcome for all 30 MLB teams is like trying to play ping-pong in the dark….with your hands tied behind your back. They rely too heavily on last year’s results and the expected impact of offseason transactions. But to be fair, what else does one really have to go on? The answer is not much, unless of course you’re the proud owner of a crystal ball (which I am most definitely not).

With that said, it’s still fun to try and make sense of it all beforehand. It is tough to predict how the 2012 season will go for some teams, yet others are a little more predictable. The Astros are in a massive state of rebuilding and more than likely will lose 100+ games this year, while you know clubs like the Yankees, Phillies and Rangers will be in postseason contention come September. However, you’ll soon find that trying to rank all 30 teams from best-to-worst is like trying to trying to pencil in the perfect March Madness bracket.

Luckily, I’m not one who goes down without a fight, so after soaking up a handful of projected standings and such, here’s how I ranked them. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the bottom-third of my preseason power rankings (20-11 & 10-1 to be published over the following days):

Happy birthday to Paul O'Neill

The Reds drafted O'Neill in the 4th round
of the 1981 Amateur Draft

Former Red and key member of the 1990 World Championship team Paul O'Neill is celebrating his birthday today. The retired right fielder is turning 48.

O'Neil spent parts of eight seasons in Cincinnati spanning from 1985-92 before he went on to flourish with the Yankees in New York. The Columbus, Ohio native batted .259 with 96 homers and 411 RBIs in his Reds career. He was named an All-Star during the 1991 season and finished 19th in the MVP voting in 1990.

In spite of his accolades Reds fans might remember O'Neill for one play in particular. It occurred during a game in 1989 against the Phillies. After being unable to field a base hit cleanly, the frustrated O'Neill literally kicked the baseball back toward the infield to prevent baserunner Steve Jeltz from scoring. It turned out to be one heck of a footer as the cowhide spiraled right into the cutoff man's awaiting glove. Jeltz ended up scoring anyway, on a wild pitch of all things, but the play is remembered as one of baseball's greatest bloopers of all-time.

All told, the left-hander won five World Series titles in his playing days (1 with CIN & 4 with NYY). He also holds the distinction of being the only player in MLB history to have played on the winning team in three perfect games. He was on the diamond for Tom Browning's in 1988, David Wells' in 1998, and David Cone's in 1999.

2012 projections: Brandon Phillips

Picture courtesy of Adam Lucas of adamlucasdesigns.com

The 2011 season proved to be a good one for Brandon Phillips. He recorded career highs in average (.300), OBP (.353) and doubles (38) while picking up his third Gold Glove Award, first career Silver Slugger, and second consecutive trip to the All-Star Game. Yet in spite of his stellar individual campaign the team was unable to defend their division title and finished with a 79-83 tally. One may then wonder what's in the works for Phillips and the Reds in 2012?

So, to help give a better idea of what this upcoming season may hold for him I've dug up projections from four different sources. They are as follows:

Bronson Arroyo turns 35

A happy birthday goes to Reds right-hander and 12-year veteran Bronson Arroyo today. The native of Key West, Florida is celebrating his 35th year of existence.

One thing Arroyo may be wishing for as he blows out his candles today is a better individual season than last. He surrendered a club record 46 homers and a league-leading 112 earned runs in '11 -- all equaling his highest single-season ERA total since 2001 (5.07).

Top 5 kids giveaways of 2012 season

In case you missed it, the Reds announced that single season tickets for all regular season games are to go on sale beginning this Saturday at 9:00 AM. I know it's no small task to scour over the home schedule in search of picking a good game or two to go see. So, to assist in your endeavour - and especially for those of you planning on taking some kiddos to the game - here are some great giveaways/promotions to consider when picking out your tickets.

Sun, April 29th (1:10 PM) vs. Astros - Team Baseball Card Set (Free to first 8,000 kids 14 & younger)

Interview with CEO Bob Castellini (video)

Reds CEO and majority owner Bob Castellini speaks out on baseball, business and the challenges of running a franchise in the video clip below.

3 Reds named top 100 prospects



Folks around Cincinnati are
excited about no. 2

Baseball America released its list of the Top 100 Prospects for 2012 earlier this week. The 23rd annual publication is headlined by Nationals phenom Bryce Harper, but three Cincinnati Reds also made the cut. Here are the names of those players followed by the description BA gave them:

#16 Devin Mesoraco C
The Punxsutawney, Pa., native expects to deliver at least six more years of slugging in Cincinnati.

#48 Billy Hamilton SS
Posted the first 100-steal year in the minors in a decade; can he continue to do it at higher levels?

Some spring training tidbits & notes

Can you believe March is a mere one week away? Leap year or not, February has flown by and it's almost time for the Reds to delve into their slate of Spring Training games. Here are some tidbits and notes from the past week to help you get caught up on things:

* Outfielder Jay Bruce reported to camp weighing about 16 pounds less than he did last season. The All-Star hopes his slimmer physique will make him a bit faster and also help him get through the season better. "I thought that 15 or 16 fewer pounds on my body would help me get through the season. I have never been a speed guy but this might make me a little faster," said Bruce.

Updated odds to win pennant, series

It's that time of year again -- Spring Training. Mitts are popping, bats are cracking, and teams are filled with hope and excitement that only a new season could bring. Fans have endured a long, wintry offseason just to get back to this point. And for the moment, every fan has visions of their team going on a magicial run to take both the pennant and the World Series in 2012.

While nobody can fault a person for dreaming big, the reality is some teams are simply more likely to win-it-all than others. And you better believe the oddsmakers in Las Vegas know this, and they know this very well.

With that in mind, here are the most up-to-date odds for each MLB team to win the World Series, courtesy of betvega.com:

Happy birthday to Carlos Fisher

A Redlegs Review happy birthday goes to Reds reliever Charles "Carlos" Edward Fisher. The right-hander is celebrating his 29th birthday today.

Drafted in the 11th round of the 2005 Draft by Cincinnati, Fisher has spent his entire career in the organization. He logged 24 innings pitched in 17 games for the big club last year, including 5 2/3 of those in the epic 19-inning affair against the Phillies in Philadelphia.

He spent majority of 2011 with Triple-A Louisville where he posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 32 relief appearances.

After being waived by the club to make room on the roster for OF Ryan Ludwick, the Reds re-signed him to a minor league deal after he cleared waivers. Fisher will look to work his way into a bullpen spot once again in 2012.

Former Reds minor leaguer named "player poised to erupt" in 2012

On Tuesday, ESPN Insider Jim Bowden published the names of seven players who he thinks are "poised to erupt" this season. One former member of the Cincinnati organization made the list. He was included in the trade that brought right-hander Mat Latos to the Queen City in exchange for three others. Who is it? It's none other than RHP Brad Boxberger.

Here's what Bowden had to say regarding Boxberger:

2012 projections: Joey Votto

Votto is eyeing another MVP-type season in 2012

Fantasy team owners are salivating at the prospects of Joey Votto's 2012 campaign. Many sites have projected him to be among the most valuable fantasy players in baseball this year. The 2010 NL MVP has already cemented his name among the superstars of today, but another solid season in '12 would solidify his position even more.

So, to help give a better idea of what this upcoming season may hold for him I've dug up projections from four different sources. They are as follows:

Breakdown of Ryan Madson deal

A lot has been made by the team's signing of closer Ryan Madson this winter. In fact, many are calling the move by the Reds as the "steal" of the offseason and perhaps even the best signing overall. Cincinnati was able to lure the right-hander away from Philadelphia at a bargain price of $8.5M this season, and hold an additional $11M team option for the Long Beach, California native in 2013. The surprising pick-up by the Reds has everyone around baseball wondering the same question: "how did they do it?"

Luckily, we have ESPN.com's Buster Olney to offer some insight on how Madson's contract is structured. He provided the breakdown of the one-year deal in his latest piece from Monday. Here's the gist on how the deal works out:

2012 NL Central projected standings

The following are two different projected standings for the National League Central Division in 2012:

Courtesy of claydavenport.com (generated on 2/14/12)

Brandon Phillips 2011 highlight reel

Check out some of the second baseman's best plays from last season in the video clip below.

Five Reds to watch in spring training

Yes, even the mighty Phillies have their
eyes trained on the Reds this preseason

We're now just days away from the official start of Spring Training in Goodyear, Arizona. And while you can expect to see the likes of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto there, the real competition will lie within the relatively unknown players. A good spring training performance can land a given player a roster spot on the big league roster, but a bad one can land them in the minors -- or worse, no team at all. It's a chance for top minor league prospects to impress the coaches and a chance for veterans to prove they still have what it takes to play in the majors.

With that said, here are five players to keep a good eye on this spring as they look to turn heads:

2012 projections: Jay Bruce

Chances are if you love baseball, you love numbers and statistics just as much. No sport relies more heavily on the use of numbers to measure the performance of its players than baseball. So, to help give a better outlook of what the 2012 season may hold for several Reds players I've dug up some projections from four different sources. They are as follows:

BG: baseballguru.com
RC: rotochamp.com
ZiPS: baseballthinkfactory.org
ESPN: espn.com

Bowden gives Reds offseason grade

Former Reds GM and current ESPN.com columnist Jim Bowden took the time to hand out offseason grades for all 30 MLB teams on Friday (click here to read more). And despite criticizing the team for giving up a lot in exchange for Mat Latos back in December, the boisterous Bowden seems to be singing a different tune now. Only one team in the National League received a higher grade from him than Cincinnati did (Miami Marlins/A).

The following is an excerpt taken from that piece regarding the Redlegs:

Reds get some love from Stark

ESPN's Jayson Stark had high praises for the Reds

ESPN.com columnist Jayson Stark provided a rather large and interesting piece on Friday afternoon. In it he takes a look at major headlines, the best/worst signings, the most/least improved teams, and players to watch heading into Spring Training. And he had several good things to say about the Redlegs. Here they are:

* Cincinnati was listed as the third-most improved team in the National League, trailing only the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.

Preseason preview by position (SP)

Can Cueto repeat the success he had in '11?

Today we take aim at analyzing the Reds' starting rotation for the 2012 season.

This time last year we were talking about how many capable arms the Reds had at their disposal in respect to their starting rotation. It's amazing how fast things can change, isn't it? For what Cincy held in quantity back then they lacked in quality. You can flip the script for this upcoming season -- quality is in and quantity is out. The Reds traded away that aforementioned depth by sending 2011 Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez (and 3 others) to San Diego, shipping southpaw Travis Wood to Chicago, and lost 2-time All-Star Dontrelle Willis to Philadelphia via free agency. However, they did do well in landing promising, right-hander Mat Latos to help anchor down the top of the rotation. Here's a more detailed preview of what you can expect out of the Reds' starting rotation this year:

Reds to sign Brett Tomko

Tomko is back with the team
who originally drafted him

Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLBtraderumors.com has the scoop:

"The Reds have agreed to sign right-hander Brett Tomko to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. The 14-year veteran split the 2011 season between the Rangers and their Triple-A affiliate.

Huge edition of links & notes

There's certainly no shortage of Reds-related reading material this week as Spring Training begins in just a matter of days. So, I've rounded up the best-of-the-best from around the web and combined them into one giant post for your viewing pleasure. Dig in and enjoy.

* Jonah Keri of Grantland.com offers up a season preview for the Reds, which includes a projected lineup and starting rotation, a breakout player prediction, and a best case/worst case scenario for 2012.

* Would the team be better off by having Chris Heisey roam center field over Drew Stubbs? Cliff Eastham of BleacherReport.com seems to think so. You can read his reasoning by following this link.

Preseason preview by position (RP)

Newcomer Ryan Madson
headlines a talented bullpen

Today we take a closer look at the Cincinnati bullpen entering the 2012 season.

Going into the offseason after the 2011 season, one of the biggest voids the Reds needed to fill was closer. With the way things were shaping up late in the game on the closer market, it seemed the Reds would eventually re-sign Francisco Cordero to a team friendly contract. Instead, and to the surprise of every baseball mind and fan alike, Walt Jocketty was able to lock down Ryan Madson to a very un-Boras-like one year deal, while improving at closer with a younger player. This move, which came on the heels of trading for one of the games dominant left-handed relievers in Sean Marshall, all but shored up the bullpen. Adding those two players to a bullpen which remained completely in tact, aside from Cordero, suddenly made it look like one of the best on paper in the National League going into 2012.

Key Losses: RHP Francisco Cordero (signed as a free agent with TOR on 1/25)

Other losses: RHP Jared Burton (signed as a free agent with MIN on 11/11), LHP Jeremy Horst (traded to PHI on 1/25)

Reds rank 16th in future power rankings

The ESPN Insider crew consisting of Keith Law, Buster Olney and Jim Bowden have put together a rather interesting series of posts projecting the pecking order of all 30 MLB franchises come 2017. After burning through 30-21 on Tuesday, they took a stab at 20-11 on Wednesday. Cincinnati came nestled in the middle-of-the-pack at no. 16.

Here's the excerpt on what they had to say about the Redlegs:

Preseason preview by position (C)

The future looks bright for Devin Mesoraco

In today's post we preview the toughest and most underrated position in all of sports -- catcher. But more specifically, the 2012 Reds catchers.

by: Will Hicks
Staff writer

Key Losses: Ramon Hernandez (Signed with the Colorado Rockies as a free agent in early-December) Yasmani Grandal (Traded to San Diego Padres as part of the Mat Latos deal in mid-December)

Key Additions:  Brian Esposito (Signed as a free agent in mid-December), Dioner Navarro (Signed as a free agent in mid-January)

Cueto turns 26 today

Today marks the 26th birthday for SP Johnny Ortiz Cueto. And while I'm sure he'll receive plenty of birthday wishes from Reds country, I wouldn't expect the folks in St. Louis to be so thoughtful.

After missing nearly a month to begin the 2011 season, the Dominican native turned in a fine effort over the remainder of the year. He stifled opposing hitters with a league-leading .220 BAA, while posting a 1.09 WHIP and a tidy 2.31 ERA (24 starts).

Mesoraco named top 20 impact prospect

Could "Mez" become the first ROY the Reds have had since '99?

Keith Law of ESPN Insider recently published a list of the "Top 20 impact prospects for 2012" (click here to read the piece in its entirety). To no surprise catcher Devin Mesoraco, who's rated by many as the top prospect in the Reds organization, made the cut coming in at no. 2. Here's what Law had to say about the team's promising backstop:

Preseason preview by position (INF)

Votto headlines one of the best infield groups in the league

Today we take our best shot at breaking down the Cincinnati infield entering the 2012 season.

by: AJ Jaggers
Staff writer

The Reds defense on the infield grass is stellar. There are few teams that can boast the kind of hardware that this team can, with 12 Gold Gloves between the projected starters (even with a rookie at SS). One thing Reds fans have come to expect is a great product defensively. You expect to be amazed at least once a week by some play, whether a diving stop, sliding catch, or the occasional flip throw over the shoulder to get a speeding runner.

As with most teams the question is can a group of relatively young guys (excluding Rolen here) live up to their potential at the plate? Can the Reds return to the 2010 Reds, meeting or exceeding that potential? The question will not be with the defense of this team, but their ability to manufacture runs and score runners from scoring position, which they had some trouble with in 2011. Can this team win the one run games like they did in 2010?

Votto on cover of Athlon Sports

What's not to like about this? Seen here is the Reds' very own Joey Votto posing for the cover of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Athlon Sports' Baseball Preview Magainze. To buy your copy of this collectible item please click here.

Preseason preview by position (OF)

Today begins a 5-day series of posts breaking down the 2012 version of the Reds position-by-position. Similar to last year's preseason preview, we'll do our best in breaking down each player at that position while providing an overall group grade and analysis at the end.

Here is a preliminary schedule of what days each position will be featured/published:

Day 1: Outfielders
Day 2: Infielders
Day 3: Catchers
Day 4: Relief Pitchers
Day 5: Starting Pitchers

Now that we have that out of the way, let's turn our attentions to the men who patrol the vast greenery of the diamond known as the outfield. Not only are these players expected to display good arms and good range defensively, but they're relied on heavily for offensive production too. However, due to the departures of several players this offseason the depth at the position looks to be a bit thin right now. Luckily, Cincinnati appears to still have a few guys left who seem capable of shouldering the load.

Happy birthday to Logan Ondrusek

A happy 27th birthday goes to RHP Logan Ondrusek today. And what better way to celebrate than by counting down the last few days before reporting to Spring Training?

The tall right-hander out of Shiner, Texas is coming off a fine individual season in 2011. In 66 appearances he posted a 5-5 record, 3.23 ERA, and a 1.353 WHIP.

Dusty Baker will undoubtedly look toward Ondrusek to help in the middle innings of games once again in 2012.

Spring training preview from MLB.com

MLB.com is putting together a little spring training preview for all 30 clubs this month. On Saturday they released one on the Redlegs. Here's that video:

The battle of left field

Heisey has his sights set on a big season

CBSSports.com has been a running a series called "Spring position battles" over the last few days. On Friday they posted one specifically on the National League Central. Here's an excerpt from that piece regarding the Reds:

Cincinnati Reds
Left field: Chris Heisey vs. Ryan Ludwick

The Top 12 Home Games You Won't Want to Miss in 2012

At first glance the Reds' 2012 home slate may not seem as attractive as years past. However, after careful review I've pinpointed 12 games on the schedule that you'll definitely want to be at Great American Ball Park to see. Here they are in chronological order:

Audio: Jeff Brantley on Ryan Madson

Newcomer Ryan Madson and the Reds
have their sights set on a deep playoff
run in 2012

Often times in sports you will see and/or hear former players give their opinions regarding current players. This was precisely the case when former Red and current Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley broke down the team's signing of Ryan Madson with MLB.com on Monday.

As you can tell from the two and a half minute clip below Brantley seems pleased with the acquisition, as is the majority of Reds fans.

Law ranks Reds farm system 19th

Keith Law of ESPN Insider recently ranked all 30 MLB teams' farm systems based on players currently in their organization. Due to the attrition from various trades this offseason, Cincinnati's system took a bit of a slide from prior years. However, the Redlegs still came in at a modest 19th on the list. Here's the excerpt taken from the article about the Reds:

19. Cincinnati Reds
I would have ranked the Reds several spots higher before the Mat Latos trade, probably top 10. Outside of Devin Mesoraco, every guy with high ceiling in this system played in low Class A or below in 2011, and they're all quite high risk to go with the high reward.

And in case you missed it yesterday, here's a post about the Reds' top 20 prospects from MLB.com.

Law ranks 3 Reds in top 100 prospects

One of the things I've come to love leading into the new season is prospect rankings. There are numerous sites/experts who release their rankings, and the latest is Keith Law. His 2012 Top 100 Prospects list can be found on ESPN Insider. You must be a subscriber in order to read the full analysis on each player, but you are certainly free to view the list from 1-100. All you care about though is that the Reds had three players listed: C Devin Mesoraco at #8, RHP Daniel Corcino at #54, and SS Billy Hamilton at #64. The Reds farm system was somewhat top loaded prior to the Mat Latos and Sean Marshall trades, meaning there were a lot of great prospects at the higher levels of the minor leagues. Law even says they would be in the top 10 for prospects among organizations if the trades have never occurred. Post-trades, however, most of the Reds depth of very good prospects now lies at the lower levels with guys who won't be MLB-ready for a couple years, like 2014 and beyond.

Here are some highlights from Law's analysis of the three Reds' prospects in his Top 100.

Fantasy baseball anyone?

All this talk about fantasy baseball rankings this past week, coupled with a request from @RedlegsWriter has me kicking around the idea of a Redlegs Review fantasy baseball league.

But before I commit to creating one I thought I'd gauge the interest level, among other things, first.

The response I received on Twitter about a possible league was quite encouraging, but I need to get a more precise head count before setting the whole thing up.

Reds birthdays: Josh Judy, Dioner Navarro

A warm, Redlegs Review happy birthday goes to newcomers Josh Judy and Dioner Navarro.

Judy, a product of Morgantown, West Virginia, turns 26 today.

Cincinnati swiped the right-handed reliever off waivers from the Indians back in December. He appeared in 12 games for the Tribe last season, including two innings of relief against the Reds at GABP in July. He currently resides on the team's 40-man active roster.

Navarro celebrates his 28th birthday today as he prepares for a shot at making the Reds big league roster.

Signed by the club in January to help bolster depth at the catching position, the Venezuelan native posted a .193 average in 176 at-bats for the Dodgers in 2011. He is among 12 other non-roster players with an invitation to the team's Spring Training camp.

Carlos Fisher is DFA'd

Fisher took the loss in last year's epic 19-inning
affair against the Phillies

The Reds and OF Ryan Ludwick finalized a one-year agreement (with a '13 option) earlier today, meaning someone on the 40-man roster had to go in order to make room for him. That unfortunate soul was none other than RP Carlos Fisher -- who seems to be a regular when it comes to roster moves.

The team now has 10 days to either: 1) return Fisher to the 40-man roster, or 2) trade, release, or place him on waivers.

Fisher, 28, spent parts of the last three seasons with Cincinnati in which he compiled a 4.74 ERA and appeared in 74 games over that span. Drafted by the club in the 11th round of the 2005 Amateur Draft, the Reds are the only organization he is has played for in his professional career.