Deadline Decisions

No, i didn't forget about America's pastime, it's just that Ohio baseball in July hasn't been nearly as interesting as hockey in July...but without further ado, baseball returns to The 17th Member.

With their recent three game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the division rival St. Louis Cardinals acquiring left fielder Matt Holiday from the Oakland A's, the Cincinnati Reds have managed to bury themselves near the bottom of the NL Central without much hope of making the playoffs.

Now, would it be impossible for the Reds to all the sudden learn how to hit and climb their way back into the playoff chase; no, but is it likely; not really. Thus leads to the conclusion that the Reds should be sellers, not buyers at the trade deadline.

So, who should the Reds ship off to the real contenders? The Seventeenth Member breaks it down. Here are some possibilities:

Catcher Ramon Hernandez: There are many contenders out there that could use a veteran catcher with the skill set of Hernandez. With the emergance of Ryan Hanigan, Hernandez is an expendable asset to the Redlegs. The rookie Hanigan is batting .313 in 60 games and has performed very well behind the plate.

RHP Francisco Cordero: As Dayton Daily News writer Hal McCoy correctly stated about the subject, "Who needs a closer when there aren't any important games to close?" The Reds owe Cordero $25M over the next two seasons.

RHP David Weathers: The 39 year old veteran has been reliable all season posting a 2.97 ERA in 38 appearances.

LHP Author Rhodes: Like Weathers, Rhodes is a 39 year old veteran who has pitched well all season. Plus, he's a lefty, who would want to add that to their pen?

RHP Aaron Harang: He's supposedly the ace of the staff, but the Reds haven't won with him yet and he's due to make $12.5M next season.

RHP Bronson Arroyo: Same story as Harang. Got $12.5M coming his way in 2010 as well. That's a lot of money the Reds could spend somewhere else.

It's pretty clear that the Reds are not going to win this year. But with names like Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquex, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce, the team's first winning season in fourteen years may not be too far down the road.

“I’m just looking for what is the best way to improve the club, Said General Manager Walt Jocketty. "I will not do anything that is going to be short-term. It has to be something to help the team down the road.”

If Jocketty is able to free up some salary and add some young guys to complement the guys previously mentioned, the Reds could be a contender for years to come. For now, we wait.