Winter Meetings: It's a wrap

What Wayne Krivsky said in the final pow wow with writers at the Winter Meetings spoke volumes:

"I would like to have done something if it improved the ballclub. I feel good about our team right now. We added (Francisco) Cordero as a major piece to the team. We want to solidify the starting rotation, see if we can add an arm or two to compete for one of those spots."

A couple of days ago the Reds were hopeful about getting Erik Bedard or Dan Haren or Dontrelle Willis. Those are not guys you bring to compete for spots in the rotation. Those are guys you pencil in for 35 starts. The Reds haven't given up on that, but it doesn't sound hopeful.

“There’s always that possibility," Krivsky said. "We’re not ruling that out either."

But it seems much more likely that the Reds will sign a low-level free agent -- Brett Tomko, Jon Lieber, etc. -- than pull off a big trade. The only player they added at the Meetings was Jose Valenzuela, a 23-year-old right-hander they picked in the Rule 5 draft. He was 1-3 with 7.00 ERA in Single-A last season.

Krivsky said right now Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and Matt Belisle are the only ones assured spots in the rotation. Homer Bailey has the inside track to the fourth spot. The fifth spot? Hard to say.


"That's the way stands right," Krivsky. "It's a long way to spring training. It depends on what happens."