The Reds: Still Great, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

The Cincinnati Reds have always been a great team. Laugh if you want, but they always have been. They just have their flaws like most great teams do.

The Reds this season have one of the best teams that they have had in a while. Some say they lack a power hitter while others say they still aren't any good. If you look at the roster as a whole they may seem a bit strange if you have not kept up on them this season.

You have a bunch of young players and several veterans and a bullpen who just continues to impress. You have players like Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Ryan Hannigan, Adam Rosales, and Micah Owings. Then you have your veterans like David (stormy) Weathers, Arthur Rhodes, Francisco Cordero, Ramon Hernandez and Alex Gonzalez with a few others. It seems as though everyone wanted to criticize the Reds as soon as they went back to the .500 mark.

They're back to two games over .500 now and their playing without Joey Votto, Edison Volquez, and Edwin Encarnocion—three players who can also help make a run at the Wild Card, or even the division. There are so many options to do with a team like this.

There are quite a few people saying the Reds need to trade and get a power hitter. Why would they want to do a thing like that? You have a nice starting rotation and have flexible players in the infield. Where would you get the nerve to ruin something that working? Bruce, Nix, and Gomes have the ability to be power hitters along with Votto when he comes back.

There’s been word of several players that analyst are saying the Reds should get. The only player I agree they should go after if they do intend on it would be Mark DeRosa. He has proven his worth in Cleveland. When you go after a player like that you have to think about the team chemistry and who you will give up.

I keep hearing rumors of Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harrang being traded. Then, if you trade one of them, you have to get a starter from somewhere. In the minors the only starter we had that was doing well was Matt Maloney.Maloney is already up here with The Reds. The only pitcher I would use for trade bait even against what I would personally want is to trade Homer Bailey and some prospects even maybe Yonder Alonzo.

How many teams out there can function without three of their key players and still be in the fight for the division and the wild card? There is so much talent that is there and we see it every day. I still can't forget to mention players like Brandon Phillips, and Daniel Ray Herrera.

Phillips runs the infield and the bullpen. He helps the team with his enthusiasm and trying to go out and make something happen when no one else is producing. Herrera has the heart of a man and goes in battles with his short stature.

The team is like that. They have been battling for weeks without their good players and they fight every night to keep moving. They’re not going to do anything without a fight.

This is the first Reds team I have seen in years that doesn't crumble when they lose a star. They will fight to the end and they will get their bumps and bruises and they will prevail.