Reds' Rumors

Volquez in 2012

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Edinson Volquez has had a rough season and there were times when it seemed he'd never stabilize. He's done that some in September, however, which may solidify his status in the rotation for 2012.

Volquez has three solid starts this month, including Wednesday's season finale versus the Mets. In three of his four outings in September, he's issued three or fewer bases on balls and has allowed three runs or less.

The Reds appear to be leaning toward transitioning Aroldis Chapman to the starting rotation, but Volquez likely hits spring training in February as a favorite to earn one of the five jobs.



Reds Close To Deal With Cordero

The Cincinnati Reds appear to be closing in on a two-year deal with closer Francisco Cordero, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

Cordero, who has 37 saves this season, has a $12 million option for 2012 with a $1 million buyout. GM Walt Jocketty and Cordero's agent, Bean Stringfellow, reportedly have been talking for several weeks.

The Reds had high hopes for Nick Masset to be the heir apparent as closer, but the righthander regressed this season, prompting the desire to retain Cordero for the time being.

Who's In & Who's Out for 2012?

A position by position look at the decisions facing the Reds going into the Off-Season.

C
Ramon Hernandez-His contract is up. Are the Reds ready to give Mesoraco a starting spot? IN.

1B
Joey Votto-There have been many rumors about the possibility of Joey Votto being traded this Off-Season. A recent Cincinnati Enquirer article discusses this possibility. It still seems likely that Votto will be a Red in 2012. IN.

2B
Brandon Phillips-The Reds have a $12 million option for 2012. Phillips is definitely one of the best 2nd basemen in the game. IN. 


SS
Paul Janish-With Zack Cozart most likely taking over shortstop, Janish will probably not be a Red in 2012 says Hal McCoy. OUT.


3B
Aramis Ramirez-If Ramirez reaches free agency, the Reds could look at the possibility of sign him. However, with Rolen, Francisco, Fraiser and possibility of Alonso, it seems really unlikely that the Reds would sign him. OUT.


OF
Dave Sappelt-The rookie outfielder had up-and-downs. Will he be one of the Reds outfields in 2012? OUT.

Top Prospects to Watch in 2012 Features Two Reds

ESPN came out with a list of 2012 prospects that could make a splash. Two Reds were featured on the list. Here are the comments that follows:

• Alonso can hit at the big league level, but as long as Joey Votto is around, he'll be playing out of position for the Reds. If you've gotten to watch him, you've seen the struggles he has had in left field. Presuming he is not dealt this offseason, the plan is for Alonso to shed some weight, work on his quickness and mobility and try to make a go of it as a starting left fielder next year. Scouts remain skeptical, but the Reds have shown a willingness to live with poor defense from their left fielders before (see: Jonny Gomes) as long as the player produces offensively. I wrote about the offensive potential of Alonso, the seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, in more detail in July.
• Cozart is expected to return from elbow and ankle surgeries to assume the Reds' starting shortstop job in 2012. He can hit for batting average and has the potential to reach double-digit output in both homers and steals in full-time play. That combination could make him a useful piece at a shortstop position that had depth issues this season. He's not going to be the kind of player that wins you titles, but he can certainly fill a role on a fantasy team as a capable producer with a starting job.

Phillips, Cordero Discuss Contract Situations

Brandon Phillips and Francisco Cordero both have club options for next season. Neither know if they will be in a Reds uniform next season. The Front Office has been silent throughout the season about the future of either player. However, both players have voiced their opinion about the situation to the media.

Francisco Cordero, who has saved 30 games with a 2.37 ERA, has a $12 million option for next season. He has expressed his desire to remain in Cincinnati.

Brandon Phillips also has a $12 million option for next season. However, Phillips wants to sign a long term deal. He believes that, if the Reds truly feel that the All-Star 2nd Basemen is a part of their future, they will offer a long term deal. Several other Reds players have received long term deals, such as Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto. Phillips is hitting .300 with 12 HRs and 74 RBI. 

ESPN: Dayton Dragons Break Portland Trail Blazers Sellout Streak Record

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees have already drawn more than 2 million fans to their home games this season.

The 2011 attendance figures of the Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants sit above 99 percent of stadium capacity. The Boston Red Sox have sold out every home game since May 15, 2003.

Nevertheless, the toughest ticket in baseball just might be the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League.

Don't laugh. The Dragons enjoyed consecutive sellout No. 815 when they defeated South Bend 9-1 in front of an overflow crowd of 8,688 at Fifth Third Field on Saturday. That eclipsed the previous professional sports record, set by the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, who recorded 814 sellouts in a row from April 9, 1977, to Nov. 16, 1995.

In fact, the Dragons have sold out every single home game since the team relocated to Ohio from Rockford, Ill., prior to the 2000 season.

STREAKING IN DAYTON

Venue: Fifth Third Field, Dayton, Ohio

Streak began: April 27, 2000

Sellout threshold: 7,230 seats

Capacity: About 8,200*

*Approximately 1,000 lawn tickets
can be made available per game

How did they do it? With a sophisticated, efficient approach to ticket sales, a keen awareness of entertainment value and an unwavering emphasis on customer service.

It also doesn't hurt that the Dragons are affiliated with the nearby Cincinnati Reds, who have long boasted a loyal fan base in Dayton. Current and former Reds such as Joey Votto, Adam Dunn, Johnny Cueto, Austin Kearns and Jay Bruce all honed their skills as members of the Dragons early in their careers, even if youngsters might be more likely to remember the Dragons' four mascots and characters.

It all adds up to an atmosphere that inspires fans to come back through the turnstiles over and over again.

"It's a situation where the planets completely aligned for Dayton," said Dragons president Bob Murphy. "It's a great sports town. ... I think being in the Reds' backyard and the great tradition of that franchise has created true baseball fans here. Also, our ownership group, Mandalay Baseball, gives us great resources to do things a lot of other teams don't get to do."

Playing in a packed venue is also a treat for players and coaches. Sure, they still ride buses to Lansing, Mich., Fort Wayne, Ind., Peoria, Ill., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but they can enjoy a taste of major league electricity at home games.

"For the kids to have an opportunity to play in this type of atmosphere at the A-ball level is a beautiful thing," said Dragons manager Delino DeShields, who played 13 seasons in the major leagues. "The enthusiasm that the fans here in Dayton have for this team is something special."

One man stands as a link between the two longest sellout streaks in history. Jon Spoelstra is a former executive with Mandalay Sports, which runs the NBA's Golden State Warriors and six minor league baseball teams, including the Dragons. Spoelstra worked in the front office of the Blazers during their streak and was one of the architects of the Dragons' franchise and its business model. He's also worked for the Buffalo Braves, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets, although some people now know him better as the father of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

"It was mentioned to me that nobody in the history of minor league baseball had ever sold every ticket to every game for an entire season," Spoelstra said. "I said if we did the same thing we did in the NBA, but we applied it to minor league baseball, why couldn't we sell every ticket to every game for an entire season? That sort of became our mantra, and if you do it the right way, you'll almost automatically sell every ticket to every game for the second and third seasons."

Spoelstra definitely knows what he's talking about. In addition to his lengthy résumé, he has authored several books on sports management, including "How to Sell the Last Seat in the House," an instructional manual that offers detailed strategy for successful team ticket sales. Spoelstra estimates he's played a role in more sellouts than anyone in the history of sports administration. His expertise is so respected that the Blazers traded one week of his consulting services to the Indiana Pacers in 1982 for guard Don Buse. Seriously.

OTHER RECORD STREAKS
The longest sellout streaks in the history of the four major sports:

Spoelstra said part of the Dragons' strategy was to focus on selling partial-season ticket plans rather than full-season tickets. On the surface, that tack might seem counterintuitive. But the Dragons set an initial goal of renewing 90-plus percent of ticket accounts, and it's actually much easier to renew four customers with 17-game plans who attended every game than one customer with a full 70-game plan who has a drawer full of unused tickets at the end of the season. Consequently, the Dragons have consistently renewed their ticket accounts in the 92-94 percent range annually.

"Most teams try to get people to buy up -- to buy more," Spoelstra said. "That's really a recipe for disaster in the renewal business. You might be able to sell up one year, because there's excitement about the team coming to town. ... But then reality sets in at renewal time, and you can lose those people altogether."

The Dragons go to great lengths to make sure fans enjoy themselves during every trip to the ballpark.
The Dragons also cater to groups and offer single-game buying opportunities to fans on their season-ticket waiting list. All these factors mean the team isn't at the mercy of the weather or the day of the week to attract fans to games, unlike many minor league clubs.

Murphy said the team is selective about giveaways and sponsorships and only stages promotions with genuine entertainment value for fans. The team isn't willing to risk damaging its reputation for quality by overextending its brand.

"We like to say we're not going to step over twenties to pick up quarters," Murphy said.

True to that statement, the Dragons cap ticket sales for their general-admission lawn area at around 1,000 per game and never offer standing-room tickets. That means existing ticketholders won't be inconvenienced by long lines at concession stands or restrooms.

Ultimately, the buzz created by 7,500 to 8,000 satisfied customers in a cozy, state-of-the-art ballpark creates an atmosphere that DeShields doesn't take for granted. After all, he began his major league career by playing four seasons in Montreal.

"We had some games where we had 50,000 in Olympic Stadium," DeShields said. "But then, there might be others where we might have 8,000. Some of the crowds we have here have definitely been bigger than some of the crowds we had in Montreal."

Some minor league sports teams have a dubious history of handing out free tickets -- known as papering the house -- to inflate attendance numbers. So the question must be asked: Have the Dragons ever given away tickets to keep the streak alive?

"Absolutely not," insists Murphy. "That's probably the quickest and fastest way to cut your throat and lose value in tickets."

It's also not necessary in a city that cherishes its team or with a franchise constantly striving to maintain that affection.

Reds Rank 20th For Their Trade Deadline Performance

The Cincinnati Reds were ranked 20th for their deadline performance by Grantland.com. Here is the explanation for why:

On July 24, the Reds sat three games out of first, with the Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates all tied for the division lead. A week later, they were 6.5 games out, with the Brewers riding a hot streak and taking control of the NL Central. The trade deadline is complicated enough, but when you throw in a big, last-minute losing streak that requires shifting gears from "buyer" to "seller" it's nearly impossible. No team had its fortune change so dramatically in late July as the Reds. So we'll give them a pass for not finding takers for Cordero and other veterans (though convincing the Nats to take Jonny Gomes was fortuitous and strange).

The good news for Reds fans is this team still has much of the same young core that produced a division title last year. Johnny Cueto's emerged as a capable no. 1 starter (3.35 FIP, 35th among the major league's 114 starters with 100-plus innings pitched) and Jay Bruce is on the brink of stardom (21 homers, a .356 wOBA, and a strong glove that probably belongs somewhere between this year's neutral rating and last year's 19.7 UZR).3 If Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols leave the division, that could make the Central even more wide open, and give Cincinnati a chance to get back on top.

Top Seven Prospects According to Bowden

Jim Bowden discussed the top seven prospects of major "buyers" in the trade market recently. Bowden split the prospects into different tiers (Top, 2nd, 3rd, 4th). The Cincinnati Reds were the only team who had all of their top seven prospects in the top two tiers. Here is Bowden's list along with their current levels and comments from :

1ST TIER

1. Devin Mesoraco, C (Louisville Bats): "With his power, he's going to hit third someday in their lineup someday."

2. Yonder Alonso, 1B (Cincinnati Reds): "He needs to play first, not left, but he’s going to hit. And (with Joey Votto in the way) he’s going to be traded."

3. Billy Hamilton, IF (Dayton Dragons): "An athletic player, his bat will take time."

4. Yasmani Grandal, C (Carolina Mudcats): "A top catching prospect, but behind Mesoraco on the Reds’ depth chart."

2ND TIER

5. Yorman Rodriguez, OF (Dayton Dragons): "Has a quick bat with above-average power, but when will he hit a breaking ball?"

6. Juan Francisco, 3B (Louisville Bats): "The power is there, the bat is coming, but his defense at third needs to improve."

7. Kyle Lotzkar, P (Dayton Dragons): "Throws 90-94 mph heat and throws curveballs at two different speeds. He’s had significant elbow surgeries but would eventually make it to the middle of the Reds’ rotation someday."