Busy Reds plan to be active at Winter Meetings
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Although the Reds have been largely low-profile with transactions in recent years during the Winter Meetings, it would be a mistake to assume nothing will happen this week.
With every team gathered in one spot, anything can go down at anytime. That's what makes the week interesting for all involved -- you never know. Any and all of the news developments will be covered by MLB.com.
Cincinnati's baseball operations department -- led by general manager Walt Jocketty -- arrived en masse on Sunday to the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort for the 2013 Winter Meetings ready to conduct business.
The Reds have been busy in the past month with three free-agent signings and a trade. Added were utility player Skip Schumaker, backup catcher Brayan Pena and the re-signing of lefty reliever Manny Parra. All were two-year deals.
But there are still upgrades desired to improve the offense. The Reds are poised to lose free-agent leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo because he'll be fiscally out of reach. While prospect Billy Hamilton is the likely in-house replacement, it's possible the club might seek additional help.
Don't expect the Reds to be suitors of the higher-priced players on the free-agent market. Moves are likely to come via trades. Trade rumors about all-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips have cooled, but with the Yankees losing free-agent All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano to the Mariners, it would not be shocking if speculation reheats. In each of the last two years, the Reds have made trades shortly after the meetings -- for Choo in 2012 and pitchers Mat Latos and Sean Marshall in '11. The groundwork for those deals was quietly laid during the Winter Meetings.
Each afternoon or evening, Jocketty will hold a briefing with Reds beat writers about developments with his club. New manager Bryan Price is scheduled to meet with reporters during a 30-minute interview session on Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
The Winter Meetings wrap on Thursday morning, but not before the final event of the week -- the Rule 5 Draft. The Reds have a full 40-man roster and aren't expected to clear space to select an unprotected player.
Fans can also be part of the daily conversation online. Reds.com and MLB.com will feature daily reports, plus multimedia content to provide a closer look at the happenings.