"What Would the Outsider Do": Cincinnati Reds

With a handful of promising Major League ready youngsters, the Reds are poised to build their roster into a contender in the near future. However, 2009 will not be that season and the Reds should simply be content with development and health.

The Reds are stocked with a lot of very nice prospects. However, many of the prospects are getting old for their level of competition which could lead to some misleading numbers.

Even with that in mind, the Reds have had some solid drafts in the last couple of seasons. Thus, despite being 'old', the club has a fine minor league system with a lot of major league ready depth. Not only that, but they also have a surplus of players that could be utilized in trades.

Interestingly, this is one of the first seasons in recent memory where the Reds are looking as if pitching may be their strength. With the era of Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. in the clubs rear view mirror, the Reds have more financial flexibility then they may know what to do with. Hopefully that doesn't send them off on an unfounded spending spree as it did during the 2004-05 off season en route to signing Eric Milton.

What the Reds don't need:

Surprisingly, starting pitching. The Reds have a capable core of Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Micah Owings. Let us also not forget that Homer Bailey is still too young to be labelled a 'bust'. Additionally, the club has Ramon Ramirez, Daryl Thompson, and Matt Maloney who are all Major League ready and are fine options for the #5 slot in the pitching rotation.

In fact, because of this pitching depth, the Reds should find themselves testing the trade market with Harang and/or Arroyo. I'll get to that in a moment.

Relief pitching is another area the Reds can afford to hold off on. Not because I buy into the fact that the team's relievers had one of the 10 best ERA's in all of baseball, rather, because the Reds shouldn't have too many meaningful games that they need to win. It would also be beneficial of the club to use the 2009 season as an open tryout for 2010 and beyond.

Any big contracts. There really isn't a player available that the Reds

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