With the acquisition of pitcher Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres, the Cincinnati Reds have made it as clear as a crisp post-season October sky; they plan to compete in 2012.

The Reds began 2011 with a bang and fans were excited to enjoy a successful season. However the team faltered, in large part due to inconsistent starting pitchers, and the team eventually slipped slowly but surely out of contention. Granted the Reds are in a tough division as they battled regularly against the two teams that eventually made it to the National League Championship game in 2011 – the Milwaukee Brewers and St Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals, of course, went on to win the World Series.

However the days of Marge Schott are gone, and Reds management no longer favors players based on their lack of facial hair, nor do they rely on the fur from a dearly demised saint bernard for good luck. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty knows what needs require attention and controlling owner Bob Castellini is willing to do what it takes put together a winning team.

Mat Latos is a young, powerful addition to the Reds where they need it most – starting pitching. In 2011 Johnny Cueto (9-5, 2.31 ERA), Mike Leake (12-8, 3.86 ERA) and Homer Bailey (9-7, 4.43 ERA) were the only Reds starters with winning records. Veteran Bronson Arroyo was iffy at best, finishing the season at 9-12. Latos went 9-14 for the Padres in 2011 , but that was without the strength of a stellar offense he will have backing him up as he pitches for the Reds. Latos ERA was 3.47, and he held opponents to a batting average of .233; he is only 24 and the Reds clearly anticipate long term success from him.

In exchange for Latos, the Reds gave up pitcher Edinson Volquez who ended 2010 with a less than impressive record of 5-7 and 5.71 ERA. They also lost Yonder Alonso, who was ranked as the Reds number two prospect; yet Alonso was unable to reach his full potential at first base with Joey Votto firmly entrenched in the starting lineup. Other top prospects were included in the trade as well, but the Reds aren’t overly focused future potential, they are about winning in the here and now.

Walt Jocketty told reporters, “Our offseason objective was to try to upgrade our rotation and add a top-of-the-rotation starter.” Though only time will tell, Lato does indeed seem to fulfill this objective, and if nothing else it is clear the Reds are taking the steps they find necessary to succeed moving forward. It’s hard for any fan to take issue with that.

Lisa has been a fan of the Cincinnati Reds since her family moved to Cincinnati when she was in elementary school. Her favorite player is the great Barry Larkin and she looks forward to him receiving his just rewards and being inducted in the Hall of Fame. Lisa was away at college when the Reds won the World Series in 1990 and forever regrets not being in town to celebrate appropriately. She longs for the day when her Reds win it all again.

Cash Kruth, “Cincinnati Reds land Mat Latos in five-player deal with San Diego Padres,” reds.com

Player Stats, reds.com

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Read More: Edinson Volquez (P – CIN), Yonder Alonso (LF – CIN), Mat Latos (P – SDP), Yasmani Grandal (C – CIN), Bradley Boxberger (P – CIN), San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds

Christmas has come early for the San Diego Padres, it appears. On Saturday afternoon, the Padres and the Cincinnati Reds completed a trade that will ship Mat Latos out of San Diego and into the National League Central. While Latos heads to Cincinnati, the Reds will send pitchers Edinson Volquez and Brad Boxberger, catching prospect Yasmani Grandal and first baseman Yonder Alonso, reports Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

Latos went 9-14 in 2011 for the Padres, but he was able to maintain a 3.47 ERA and a 3.16/3.52 FIP/xFIP in 194 innings. In six career starts against the Rockies, Latos was 3-2 with a 3.44 ERA.

In return, the Padres receive a pitcher in Volquez who has been troubled by injuries over the last few years, but is still immensely talented and has big strikeout ability. Alonso is a 24-year-old corner outfielder and first baseman who will need to see what happens with Anthony Rizzo before he has a set position. Grandal is a 23-year-old catcher who is waiting to make his major league debut. He has a .888 career OPS. Boxberger is a 23-year-old reliever who can strikeout batters.

For more updates on the MLB Hot Stove, check out Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

Read More: Huston Street (P – COL), Josh Hamilton (LF – TEX), Edinson Volquez (P – CIN), Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds

The MLB Winter Meetings opened up on Monday, and already the Colorado Rockies have been liked to infielder Placido Palanco, but now the bigger news is that the team is reportedly in discussions with the Cincinnati Reds about a trade involving Rockies’ reliever Huston Street and Reds’ starting pitcher Edinson Volquez. Troy Renck of the Denver Post is reporting that the Rockies are looking to acquire a young starting pitcher with upside, and the Reds are trying to fill a need at closer, but the teams are struggling to make the money work.

Huston Street is due $8 million in salary in 2012, and for the Reds to even consider taking on that money in the deal they would likely also require a young, minor league pitching prospect included as well. 

Volquez went 17-6 and earned a National League all-star selection in 2008, after joining the Reds in a trade that involved outfielder Josh Hamilton, but has since served a suspension for PED use and has struggled with injuries as well. Even so, he is still only 28-years old, under team control through 2013, and made a paltry $1.623 million through salary arbitration last season.

For more coverage of all things Denver sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of the Rockies, visit Purple Row. For more updates on the MLB Hot Stove, check out Baseball Nation.

(Christian Petersen – GETTY IMAGES)
Jim Riggleman will manage again next season, just not in the major leagues. In his first on-field position since he suddenly resigned as Nationals manager last June, Riggleman will return to the dugout in 2012 to manage the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, a person close to the situation said.

Riggleman will restart his career following one of the most unusual endings to a managerial tenure in recent memory. Riggleman abruptly resigned as Nationals manager over his contract situation in June, minutes after the Nationals sealed a walk-off victory that gave them 11 wins in 12 games, their best stretch since 2005.

Over the final half of the 2011 season, Riggleman scouted the National League East for the San Francisco, who kept an offer on the table for him to continue scouting. The Giants also allowed Riggleman to look for an on-field position, which led him to the Reds.

Riggleman previously worked for Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty, when Jocketty ran the St. Louis Cardinals and Riggleman served as the team’s minor league field coordinator. The Reds had been shuffling their minor league staff, and Riggleman was open to any position that would allow to get back into a uniform, even in the minors.

The Nationals went 140-172 under Riggleman from the all-star break in 2009 to this year, an unsightly record that nevertheless included steady progress. The Nationals improved by 10 wins from 2009 to 2010, and they were 38-37 when he resigned in June.

The Nationals may build on their momentum and challenge for a playoff spot this season. Their old manager, with 11 major league seasons of experience, will be watching from the Southern League.

November 30, 2011 – Midwest League (MWL) Dayton Dragons
DAYTON, OH -The Dayton Dragons announced their 2012 coaching staff today, as assigned by the Cincinnati Reds.

Manager Delino DeShields, who guided the Dragons to a franchise-record 83 victories in 2011, will return for his second season in Dayton. Hitting coach Alex Pelaez, who helped the offense to a franchise record highest team batting average of .264 in 2011, also returns for his second season. Tom Browning, a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall-of-Fame, will join the Dragons as pitching coach. Tyler Steele will return for his fourth season as athletic trainer.

DeShields led the Dragons to a record of 83-57 and a second half Eastern Division title in 2011. The Dragons improved dramatically over the course of the season, finishing the first half at 35-35 before posting a 48-32 record in the second half. Their second half mark was the best in a half in Dragons history and the top second half record in 2011 in all of Minor League Baseball among teams playing a split-season format. DeShields will enter his fourth season in the Reds organization in 2012. He served as manager of the Billings Mustangs in 2010 and was the hitting coach at Billings in 2009.

As a player, DeShields spent 13 years in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs. He finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting with the Expos in 1990. His best season came in 1997 with the Cardinals when he batted .295 with 11 home runs, 55 stolen bases, and a league-leading 14 triples. DeShields finished in the top three in the league in stolen bases six times during his career (10 times in the top eight) and ranks among the top 50 all-time in career stolen bases with 463. He batted .290 or higher in five different seasons of his big league career.

Pelaez joined the Dragons in 2011 and contributed to an offense that led the Midwest League in team batting average and runs scored. He was instrumental in the improvement of Dragons all-star shortstop Billy Hamilton, who batted .318 in the second half after finishing the first half at .233. First baseman Donald Lutz also emerged as a force in the lineup, batting .340 with 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in during the second half and finishing as only the second player in Dragons history to hit .300 or higher with at least 20 home runs. Dragons second baseman Ronald Torreyes hit .356 under Pelaez’s tutelage in 2011 while third baseman David Vidal hit .280 with 20 home runs.

Browning is a legendary name in Reds history. Best known for firing a perfect game vs. the Dodgers on September 16, 1988, Browning spent 12 years in the major leagues from 1984-’95, with 300 of his 302 career appearances coming with the Reds. His best season came in 1985 when he posted a record of 20-9 to become the first rookie in 31 years to win 20 games. In 1988, Browning went 18-5 for the Reds, finishing second in the National League in winning percentage. He was the starting and winning pitcher for the Reds in game three of the 1990 World Series against the Oakland A’s, helping the Reds to a four-game sweep. That same post-season, he had also started and won game two of the N.L. Championship Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Browning represented the Reds in the 1991 all-star game. His 298 starts with the Reds are the most for any Cincinnati pitcher over the last 70 years and fourth most in club history. He was elected to the Reds hall-of-fame in 2006.

Browning finished his career with 123 victories and won at least 14 games six times in a seven-year period from 1985-’91, but he is remembered above all else for the only perfect game in Reds history when he retired all 27 Dodgers he faced in a 1-0 win. At the time, it was only the third perfect game of at least nine innings in modern National League history. No Reds pitcher has thrown a no-hitter since that night, 23 years ago.

Browning, like former Dragons manager Todd Benzinger, also played a role in one of the most unique games in baseball history. On August 3, 1989, Browning batted twice in the Reds 14-run first inning against Houston. He delivered the final hit of the inning, one of 16 hits in the frame for the Reds, the most for a big league club in an inning since 1900.

The 2012 season will be Browning’s sixth as a pitching coach in the Reds organization. He has served as pitching coach with the Arizona League Reds in Goodyear, Arizona over the last two seasons.

Browning replaces Tony Fossas as Dragons pitching coach. Fossas will serve as pitching coach with the Reds Rookie-level affiliate, the Billings Mustangs, in 2012 after spending three seasons in Dayton. The 2011 Dragons staff established a club record with a 3.39 team earned run average.

The Dragons will open their 13th season in the Midwest League on April 5, 2012 against the West Michigan Whitecaps at Fifth Third Field.

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