Cincinnati Reds morning news; notes from around MLB

In under a month from this date, the Cincinnati Reds will have reported to Goodyear, Arizona, for Spring Training. Well, the pitchers and catchers will have begun to at least. Hey, it’s something.

Spring Training games don’t begin for the Redlegs until March 3, but that sounds much closer than it did just a few months ago.

Did you think the Reds were the other mystery team involved in this Max Scherzer saga? Yeah, me neither. Whispers out of Washington are that the Nationals are on the verge of inking the top free agent on the market this off-season to a deal that may scratch the $200 million mark.

How does this relate to the Reds? Well, first off, the Nationals are in the National League after all. Chances are the Reds will be seeing some of Scherzer at some point. But closer to home, it almost certainly sets the bar for Johnny Cueto and his contract discussions.

Cueto has placed a deadline of Opening Day on his negotiations for a new deal before allowing himself to become a free agent at season’s end. The Reds face a double-edged sword in this regard: if they do negotiate prior to the start of the season, Cueto will almost certainly command a deal that sits around $25 million per year, let’s say six or seven years, at about $150-200 million. That’s an exorbitant sum for any mid-market team to spend on a pitcher, let alone a club that already has a similar contract on the books (in Joey Votto’s). Should they wait until after the season to negotiate, it will be open season for clubs all around baseball. The only way Cueto’s dollar value will fall is if he has a subpar year, which in turn really wouldn’t be good at all, considering he’ll be pitching for the Redlegs this year. If they are to ink Cueto at all, they should do so while he’s untouchable to other clubs.

Remember, the Reds got the deal done with Joey Votto just the day before the start of the 2012 season—they have a history of shining in the eleventh hour.

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The Brewers are on the verge of trading ace Yovani Gallardo to the Texas Rangers. Our pals over at Nolan Writin’ are hyped to be acquiring the long-time Reds nemesis.

Remember when the Reds almost mortgaged their entire future for pitcher Erik Bedard? Well, he’s still in baseball, and signing minor league deals. Lasorda’s Lair gives us the info about him joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A trade option that was never quite discussion for Cincinnati: Carlos Quentin. Who would actually take him? Friars On Base wonders who would be crazy enough to take the injury prone slugger.

You know who else isn’t signing Max Scherzer? The Mariners. Why? They’ve signed enough big name free agents. Sodo Mojo breaks down why Scherzer isn’t worth the money in Seattle.

You’ve read our piece on the Reds’ bullpen. Now check out how the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen may be the key to their success as well, from the guys at Venom Strikes.