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Cincinnati Reds

MLB Winter Meetings: Day 2

By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted December 8, 2009 2:38 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was a little busier day in Indianapolis, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said, but still nothing much was done.

"Met with a couple of different agent groups about free agents, we had some discussions with several clubs, but I wouldn't say we're close to anything," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "But there were some interesting discussions.

One club the team met with was the Texas Rangers.

Jocketty said most of their discussions have centered around "a hitter, shortstop depth and pitching depth."

"I remember growing up as a kid, this was an exciting time because things were happening, it was a big event when baseball had its winter meetings because a lot of trades were made," Jocketty said. "When I was a kid, it was fun to follow it, now it's mostly rumors."

Jocketty said he doesn't remember being disappointed when his team - the Minnesota Twins - didn't make any splash at the Winter Meetings.

"We didn't expect them to do anything," Jocketty said. "I guess that's why we weren't disappointed. Calvin (Griffith) was pretty tight."

Reds fans may be getting used to that feeling.

* As for trading some of the Reds' veteran pitchers, Jocketty said he'd prefer not to do that.

"It's a strength, we'd like to keep it a strength. If we can make it work to keep everybody, we'd be better off. But we'll see. Nobody's really wowed us with anything."

* The Winter Meetings end on Thursday with the Rule V Draft, but to a team must have room on its 40-man roster to participate. The Reds currently have a full 40-man and Jocketty said he doesn't expect them to make a move before Thursday.

"I've looked at the list," he said of the Rule V candidates.

The silence that followed that showed what he thought about the list.

* As for Jonny Gomes, the Jocketty said he talked with Gomes' agent today, but the two sides are "still a ways apart."

* Shortstop seems to be the one position that's being mentioned when it comes ot the Reds.

Former Reds general manager Jim Bowden tweeted that the team is interested in Miguel Tejada and Orlando Cabrera. Both would be larger-ticket items.

"I'd be interested in them," Jocketty said. "I don't think they'd fit into our payroll structure."

As for smaller-ticket items that fit into Walt Jocketty's stated need for a utility player, former Indian Jamey Carroll would fit that bill. Carroll's name has been mentioned several times, but Walt Jocketty said Monday that they hadn't reached out to Carroll, and Carroll's agent, Cincinnati-based Jonathan Maurer confirmed that on Tuesday.

Maurer said his client, an Evansville, Ind., native, would love to play for the Reds.

Maurer said he's met with several teams considering Carroll, who hasn't played shortstop in either of the last two seasons, but has played nearly 500 innings at the position at the big league level.

Carroll made $2.5 million last season and would likely be in line for a raise this season. Tejada made $13 million last season, the last year of a six-year deal he signed with Baltimore, while Cabrera was on a one-year deal with Oakland for $4 million (the A's traded him to Minnesota during the season).

* Another day, very little news concerning the Reds.

There had been talk of the Arizona Diamondbacks having interest in Aaron Harang, but that's pretty much in the past with the three-way deal between the D-Back, Yankees and Tigers, with pitcher Edwin Jackson going to Arizona.

* The worst Reds-related rumor of the day -- Juan Pierre. It doesn't pass the sniff test, because, well, they already have a version of that player who is OK defensively but not as good as his speed and can't hit.

Of course, this is the team that did sign Willy Taveras to a two-year deal, so, you know, anything's possible.

Jocketty said he didn't feel Pierre would be "a fit" for the Reds.

* The Reds aren't the only teams talking about money.

From Tony La Russa: "Everything we do this winter is tied to the funds we have."

And then, of course, that's followed with questions about the biggest free agent on the market, Matt Holliday.

"We're listed as a team with no chance to sign him, but we refuse to believe that," La Russa said. "I believe we have a legitimate shot."

La Russa pointed toward the St. Louis fans as one of the reasons Holliday would elect to stay. It wouldn't be the first time, really. But it would likely be a first with a Scott Boras client.

* The Baseball Writers' Association of America had its Winter Meetings meeting today, and the big news was the expansion of the Cy Young ballot from three spots to five.

This was something that had been talked about before the recent Cy Young voting, but although not a direct result of Javier Vazquez's fourth-place finish with one vote and other possible contract bonuses on Cy Young finishes. It doesn't eliminate that problem, but makes a Top 5 finish clause in the Cy Young more difficult than just one vote. The majority of those bonuses are tied to a Top 5 bonus, even though that could change for the next contract cycle.

Categories: Cincinnati Reds, Featured Stories, News

Tags: Aaron Harang, Arizona Diamondbacks, Juan Pierre, Reds, Walt Jocketty, Willy Taveras, Winter Meetings