CSNbbs

Ryan Ludwick re-signs with Reds
12/07/12 at 5:39pm by nhurm

According to John Fay, the Reds have re-signed OF Ryan Ludwick pending a physical.

Ludwick hit .275/.346/.531 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI this year.

It is unknown as of now the details of the contract.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2012/12...eakingnews

I imagine this means no big FA signings.

They won 97 games and won the NL Central Division by 9 games. Had the Giants down 2 games to none before blowing it.

How many big free agent signings do they need?

Heeey some good news.

I agree CTip, the only change we need is a healthy Johnny Cueto come playoff time.

Ludwick appears to be coming back
10:22 PM, Dec 7, 2012


Present and Past Cincinnati Reds listen to Reds owner Bob Castellini give a speech during the introduction on stage Friday. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Written by
John Fay

The Reds and left fielder Ryan Ludwick have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the mutual option for a third year, a baseball source confirmed.

“It’s close,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “We hope to have it resolved by early next week.”

Translation: The deal will not be announced until Ludwick undergoes a physical. It’s believed that the physical is scheduled for Monday.

The sides came close to a deal at the Winter Meetings, but did not quite get it done.

Ludwick, 34, had a bounce-back year for the Reds last year. He hit .275 with a .346 on-base-percentage, 26 home runs and 80 RBI.

With Ludwick in the fold, the Reds can concentrate on trying to improve leadoff.

Jocketty said during an interview at Redsfest that the Reds tried to get Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins before Revere was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Reds have been rumored to be interested in Dexter Fowler of the Colorado Rockies. A report Friday had the Reds talking to Tampa Bay about catcher Devin Mesoraco.

Jocketty shot down both.

“I don’t know where that comes from,” he said. “We’re not trading (Mesoraco).”

BOURN? The Reds have not talked to free agent Michael Bourn’s agent recently. While the market has fallen, Bourn probably remains out of the Reds’ price range.

“He’d really have to fall,” Jocketty said.

STUBBS ADJUSTS: Drew Stubbs knows that many of his batting statistics have dropped steadily over the past three years, so the Reds center fielder is making adjustments.

Stubbs is experimenting with a shorter stride. He said he has been working with Reds minor league hitting coordinator Ronnie Ortegon at his offseason home in Texas, where Ortegon also lives.

“They talked a lot in the postseason about Austin Jackson of the Tigers, going from more of a leg kick to a toe tap,” Stubbs said Friday. “We’ve been tinkering with that a little bit. Obviously the longer your foot’s in the air, the more room for error you have.”

Stubbs hit .267 as a rookie for the Reds in 2009. His batting average has dropped annually from .255 to .243 to .213.

Stubbs has heard about the Reds possibly seeking other options.

“I try not to read anything into it,” Stubbs said. “If I play like I’m capable of playing, everything will take care of itself.”

AWARD WINNERS: The Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America annual award winners were announced. Brandon Phillips was named team MVP (Ernie Lombardi Award), Johnny Cueto was named outstanding pitcher (Johnny Vander Meer Award) and Bronson Arroyo won the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy award.

The Reds also announced their 2012 minor league awards, including Billy Hamilton repeating as minor league Player of the Year. Tony Cingrani was named minor league Pitcher of the Year, Steve Selsky minor league Hitter of the Year, and El’Hajj Muhammad won the Affiliate Outreach (community service) award.

BP IN THE WBC? Brandon Phillips said he’s been asked to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

“They’d love to have me,” he said. “I’m thinking about it.”

CUETO OK: Right-hander Johnny Cueto was examined Friday by medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek and cleared to begin throwing.

Cueto strained his left oblique in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, ending his season.

Cueto said he will “probably” pitch for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121...312070164/

Votto talks about his knee, disappointment of way season ended, Rolen
12/07/12 at 6:38pm by jfay

I talked to Joey Votto at Redsfest. He was as he always is insightful, honest and interesting:

He still is not completely recovered from the knee injury.

“When I first got injured, I didn’t anticipate it would take this long. I feel like I’ve made a tremendous improvement over the last month. I struggled after the surgery to crouch down even — too much swelling, not enough mobility in the joint, too much pain. Now I’m to the point where I can just about sit on the back of my heels. I can do a full squat. I can do all kinds of crouching. My strength is not at 100 percent but it’s getting there. I’m running full speed, jumping.

“As far as improving, it’s improved a great deal.”

Votto has not started baseball activities.

“My sole focus is to get 100 percent and go from there,” he said.

Votto is intent on getting to 100 percent.

“It’s funny it’s partially why I’m wearing this beard right now,” he said. “I’m going Rocky IV style. I’m really upset with the way the season ended. I’m upset with getting injured and not being able to play up to my potential and have an immediate impact at certain times.

“The time off is certainly good. The time to strengthen, rehab and recover is good also.”

Votto always has worked hard in the offseason. His focus is stronger this year.

“I’m quite a bit angrier,” he said. “You kind of have to respect the (knee) joint and play it by ear. I’ve challenged it in a ton of different ways. I’ve seen the results. I’ve seen progress everyday. For me to be where I am right now is very encouraging. I’m looking forward at some point — hopefully before spring training — to be at 100 percent.”

Votto said after getting the Tip O’Niell Award as the top Canadian play that he would play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He clarified that.

“I’m not going to play in the WBC if I’m not 100 percent,” he said. “My priority is play for the Cincinnati Reds and hopefully to make up for last year.”

Votto doesn’t follow every baseball move in the offseason. But he’s kept abreast and he’s confident in the team going into 2013. Getting a leadoff hitter would be nice.

“To become a perfect team, sure,” he said. “It’s all about what’s within reason. I don’t know anything about the budget. But I think we had a pretty damn good team last year. I think we’re one of those teams that with age will improve — similarly to how we aged this year. (Mat) Latos, (Homer) Bailey and Johnny Cueto are three guys that improved through normal aging. They’re more seasoned. They made us a far better team.

“We’ve got guys in similar position. They can make big jumps and improvements — and we can win a World Series for God sakes.”

Votto still isn’t quite past the way the season ended. The Reds blew a two-games-to-none lead in the National League Division Series and lost to San Francisco Giants. The Giants went on to win the World Series.

“I’ve never had heartbreak in my life,” he said. “That’s the first time I actually felt pretty whipped from something. I thought we were going to keep going. For us to get knocked out like that . . . I couldn't even talk about it for a good bit. I still haven’t spoken about it. I have no interest in speaking about it. It was so upsetting and so frustrating. To have it in your grasp and have it fall through is just so disappointing.

“I think the reason it bothered me so much is because it was the first time I ever saw the Cincinnati fans go out of their character. They were absolutely crazy in that last bit of (Game 5). It was the best version of them I’ve even seen. They were fantastic. They felt it was close. Not to get that — I was a fan in that moment — not to get to experience that elation . . .”

Votto has spoken to Scott Rolen, who is contemplating retirement.

“We never speak about baseball,” Votto said. “I hope he does whatever makes him happy. I love playing with him.”

Votto gave Rolen the ultimate compliment.

“I got everything I needed from him playing beside him. I learned a tremendous amount. You can always learn, but the two or three years I had with him were not wasted. I tell you what: He changed my path as a player. He was a shining example of the kind of player I want to be. Simply because of how quiet he was and how respected he was throughout baseball.”

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2012/12...ded-rolen/

It's a two-year contract worth $15MM, reports Heyman
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#Yumo3COi65IgECHs.99

Don't love the money here. They could have had Willingham last year for that amount, but it's better than nothing. I fear that Ludwick doesn't come close to last year's numbers.

Me neither, unless he plays like he did during the middle of the season for the entire year.

The key, as if I need to point it out, is Votto's health. If he's healthy, they're a legitimate contender for the World Series. If not, as we saw after he returned, they're going to struggle when it matters.

Glad they got that deal done - it's reasonable in the current market. I say we sign Ichiro to a 1 or 2 year deal and all the big pieces are in place...Play Ball!