Today’s “non-roster” look is focused on Chad Reineke and Dontrelle Willis, pitchers invited to spring training for a look by the big club.
Reineke was a 13th round pick by the Astros in 2004 and is a native of Defiance, Ohio and an alum of Miami (of Ohio). Not sure why the Reds didn’t draft him, I’ve long thought they should make more of an effort to draft area players. …

Today’s “non-roster” look at players not on the 40-man but invited to spring training with the big club views Matt Klinker and Justin Lehr. Klinker is a prospect, Lehr a minor league veteran.
South Carolina native Klinker was a 15th round pick by the Reds in the 2007 draft. Already 22 when drafted, he was getting a late start in pro ball, and struggled in his debut at Billings. …

Today’s roster look is at non-roster lefties Jeremy Horst and Donnie Joseph. Both will get a look at the big-league camp in spring training.
Horst is a big fellow, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, now 25 years old from Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was drafted by the Pirates out of high school, went to college instead, and the Reds drafted him in the 21st round of the 2007 draft. He …

Today’s roster look takes a peek at non-roster pitchers Scott Carroll and Jerry Gil, both invited to the major league camp at spring training. They are two of the “dreaded” NRIs, non-roster invitees to Goodyear.
Scott Carroll is a tall (6’5″) and lanky fellow from Kansas City who was drafted in the third round by the Reds in the 2007 Rule 4 draft. He has spent four seasons in …

Edinson Volquez is now signed for 2011. His contract is for $1.625 million.

The non-roster invitees:RHP Scott Carroll, RHP Jerry Gil, LHP Jeremy Horst, LHP Donnie Joseph, RHP Matt Klinker, RHP Justin Lehr, RHP Chad Reineke, LHP Dontrelle Willis, C Chris Denove, C Devin Mesoraco, C Corky Miller, OF Danny Dorn, OF Jeremy Hermida and OF Dave Sappelt.
I covered Hermida after the Reds signed him, but we will cover the rest of the guys in the “Roster Look” series this week.

The next few posts as you scroll down are some photos I took yesterday at the local stop for Reds Caravan 2011. Here, we got Dusty Baker, Chris Welsh, Travis Wood, and Todd Frazier. A decent amount of star power for out here in the Redsland hinterlands, and Dusty even made reference to being a “part-time car salesman,” as he does radio ads for a local car dealer …

Advertisement time here: I have told regular readers that I am a fan of and a player of Out of the Park Baseball. For those who like a GM simulation, like me, it’s the best thing out there: the year-to-year, the contracts, and the effectiveness of the season sims is excellent.
Well, new year, new edition. OOTP 12 is about to come out, and they are taking …

Keith Law has his top 100 prospect list up on espn.com, though it is subscriber-only. Reds in his top 100:#15 Aroldis Chapman#31 Devin Mesoraco#51 Billy Hamilton#59 Yasmani Grandal#65 Yonder Alonso.
Not a bad haul, five in the top 100. I recommend Law and his prospect writing, if you have the money to sign up for the espn subscription.
Good news for the Reds: the Brewers have no players in …

The roster look series is completed. Scroll down through the list, and you can see all the Reds players in alphabetical order, save for later additions like Jeremy Hermida (who technically isn’t on the roster).
We will look at non-roster players after the Reds announce them, and also start to look at how the roster races are shaping up in the next few days.

Today’s penultimate entry in our Roster Look series is on pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The veteran Arroyo set a new personal high with 17 victories in 2010, and was awarded with a contract extension.
Arroyo has now completed five seasons as a Red and has won 70 games over that span. He had an excellent year his first season in Cincinnati, posting a 3.29 ERA, but since then has mostly …

Today’s roster look is at pitcher Homer Bailey. The lanky Texan has been around for a while, and many Reds fans seem to have lost patience with him, losing sight of the fact that he is still just 24 years old, not turning 25 until May. He is still plenty young enough to be a “young gun.”
Bailey probably has the highest “ceiling” of all the Reds’ starters, save …

Reports have surfaced that the Reds are close to a four-year contract with Johnny Cueto that would pay the pitcher $27 million dollars over his three arbitration years, plus his first year of eligibility for free agency.
Details when they become available.

Today’s roster look peers at Bill Bray, lefty reliever and alum of William and Mary College. The Virginia native has worked to make his way back from arm surgery, and just signed a $645K contract for 2011.
Bray was a first-round pick by the Montreal Expos in the 2004 draft, the 13th player selected. You don’t typically see relievers selected in the first round, unless they are hard-throwing closers …

The numbers are in on the arbitration filings for Reds Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez. Cueto has filed for a $3.9 million salary in 2011, while the Reds would prefer to pay him $3 million. Volquez has filed for $2 million, with the Reds in at $1.3 million.
Chances are good that both settle for something in between before their scheduled hearings.

Today’s roster look is on right fielder Jay Bruce. The Texas native turns 24 on April 3rd and looks ready to leap into stardom.
Bruce was the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2005 draft, the 12th pick overall. He was a quick sign, did well in rookie ball, had a strong year for Dayton in 2006, rose through three levels in 2007. Just 21, he started 2008 at …

The AP has the numbers on the Votto contract, delivered by John Fay: Votto gets a $6 million signing bonus, paid as $2.5 million this year, $1.5 million next year, and $2 million in 2014. The salaries are $5.5 million this season, $9.5 million next year, and $17 million in 2013.
So, total, that’s $8 million for 2011, $11 million in 2012, and $17 million in 2013, with $2 …

According to the Associated Press, the Reds and Bill Bray have agreed to a 2011 contract for $645K. Bray was eligible for arbitration, but it was going to be a tough hearing due to his recent injury history.
With Bray and Joey Votto signed, only pitchers Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez remain among Reds eligible for arbitration. Expect announcements on those two soon.

Today we take a look at Jared Burton, relief pitcher of the Cincinnati Reds. The South Carolina native went to college at Western Carolina University, then was chosen by Oakland in the 8th round of the 2002 draft. He started as a swingman then was converted to the bullpen full time in 2005. He had a strong season in the California League that year, then was a …

Mark Sheldon just posted to his blog that Joey Votto and the Reds have agreed to a three-year deal for $37 million.
That would buy out Votto’s three years of arbitration, though it does not alter his free agency eligibility after that. More details as they become available.