Manager: Dusty Baker
Arrivals: RP Jeremy Affeldt, C Paul Bako, RP Fransico Cordero, SP Josh Fogg, 1B Andy Phillips, P Edison Volquez
Departures: IF Jorge Cantu, RP Eddie Guardado, OF Josh Hamilton, SP Eric Milton
Offseason grade: C+
Starting rotation
Aaron Harang has quietly developed into one of the National League's best starting pitchers at the top of Cincinnati's rotation. An absolute horse, Harang threw 231.2 innings last year, striking out 218 batters en route to a 16-6, 3.73 campaign.
In 2007, Bronson Arroyo lost some of the mojo he had in 2006, a year in which he went 14-11 with a 3.29 ERA. Arroyo's ERA was still respectable last year at 4.23, but he went just 9-15. Arroyo's numbers may be best suited for a mid-rotation starter, but for Cincinnati's sake, he's a good enough No. 2.
Behind Harang and Arroyo, the Reds have five or six guys who are competing for spots in the rotation: Jeremy Affeldt, Josh Fogg, Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Edison Volquez, and Johnny Cueto.
Affeldt hasn't started a game since 2006 and had a lot of success coming out of the bullpen with Colorado last year, yet he will be given all the opportunity in the world to make Cincinnati's starting rotation.
While he may find success as a starter, he's best suited to pitch in the Reds' bullpen, which is not very deep.
Fogg, if he makes the rotation, will provide the Reds with about 10-13 wins and and ERA around 5.00. Not great numbers, but he should serve as a decent stopgap if Bailey, Volquez, or Cueto aren't ready yet.
Belisle went 8-9 with a 5.32 ERA in his first full season in the majors last year. He's just 27 and still has room to improve, but likely is nothing more than a back-end starter for the Reds.
The last three pitchers are all very young but highly touted.
Bailey, regarded as one of baseball's best pitching prospects, started nine games for the Reds last year. Like most rookies, he was erratic, walking 28 while striking out the same number.
If Bailey can get his command under control, he could start to fulfill the great potential he has as early as this year.
Volquez was brought over from Texas for Josh Hamilton and is another very good talent. He was mismanaged with the pitching-starved Rangers and would have been best served to stay in the minors instead of getting called up to be shelled by hitters he wasn't ready to face.
More than likely, Volquez will start the year at AAA unless he blows away Dusty Baker in Spring Training. With some work, Volquez could be part II of a three-headed monster that Cincinnati could be building down the road.
The third part of that monster would be Cueto, a 22-year-old righty who is starting to hear his name mentioned alongside Bailey as a top pitching prospect in the Reds' organization. While he hasn't sniffed the majors yet and is a longshot to make Cincinnati's rotation out of Spring Training, keep an eye on him as the season progresses.
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