Azubuike24 wrote:
Think about this though. Predictions have him being a 2nd half call-up at the earliest, if not next year at all. That also is around the earliest Volquez can return. Add to that, Cueto and Bailey, and then Travis Wood Mike Leake coming up.
This will allow the Reds to trade either Arroyo or Harang by the deadline, possibly both, and then have some money to spend to improve the lineup going into 2011. Rolen's contract lowers significantly after next year as well. Cordero would be the question mark, and I personally think they should get rid of him if they can, but still, this actually sets the Reds up nicely for 2011 especially.
2011 could be really fun, especially with Brandon Webb hinting that he wants to sign somewhere closer to home (and home is Ashland, KY). The Reds are on the hook for under $37 million for '11, counting buyouts for Harang and Arroyo. Chapman doesn't get expensive until '14, so let's assume he'll get around $5 million at the most in '11. Volquez, Cueto, Votto and Massett will be in their first arbitration year which won't be too expensive, so at the high end let's assume $20 million for those four. That puts the payroll around $62 million, which is a high estimate in my opinion. The Reds could theoretically take a run at Webb and put together a 2011 rotation of:
Webb
Bailey
Cueto
Volquez
Chapman
with Mike Leake and Travis Wood ready to either serve as injury insurance or trade bait. I'm not betting that Webb comes to Cincy, but it is fun to think about. And with BP and Cordero's contracts expiring in '11, there would still be room to start locking up Votto, Bruce and a couple of the young pitchers to long-term contracts.
