[Updated @ 11:18am: Astros, Reds, Phillies]: News of arbitration [non-]offers are trickling in, so whenever I hear something new I'll add it here. If you discover any on your own don't hesitate to include them in the comments, but be sure to provide a source. I'll update this list accordingly. I am only going to include Type A and Type B free agents, since the arbitration status of unranked players is inconsequential.

Players who were offered arbitration are listed in bold green (Type A) or green (Type B).
Players not offered arbitration are listed in bold red (Type A) or red (Type B).

Angels

Garret Anderson (MLB.com)
Jon Garland (MLB.com)
Darren Oliver (MLB.com)
Francisco Rodriguez (MLB.com)
Mark Teixeira (MLB.com)

Athletics

Alan Embree (MLB.com)
Frank Thomas (MLB.com)

Astros

Doug Brocail (MLB.com)
Mark Loretta (MLB.com)
Randy Wolf (MLB.com)

A.J. Burnett (MLB.com)
Gregg Zaun (MLB.com)

Braves

John Smoltz (MLB.com)

Brewers

Eric Gagne (MLB.com)
C.C. Sabathia (MLB.com)
Ben Sheets (MLB.com)
Brian Shouse (MLB.com)

Cardinals

Jason Isringhausen (MLB.com)
Braden Looper (MLB.com)
Russ Springer (MLB.com)

Cubs

Bobby Howry (MLB.com)
Kerry Wood (MLB.com)

Diamondbacks

Juan Cruz (MLB.com)
Adam Dunn (MLB.com)
Orlando Hudson (MLB.com)
Randy Johnson (MLB.com)
Brandon Lyon (MLB.com)

Dodgers

Joe Beimel (MLB.com)
Casey Blake (MLB.com)
Jeff Kent (MLB.com)
Derek Lowe (MLB.com)
Greg Maddux (MLB.com)
Brad Penny (MLB.com)
Manny Ramirez (MLB.com)

Mariners

Raul Ibanez (MLB.com)

Marlins

Luis Gonzalez (MLB.com)
Paul Lo Duca (MLB.com)
Arthur Rhodes (MLB.com)

Mets

Moises Alou (MLB.com)
Luis Ayala (MLB.com)
Oliver Perez (MLB.com)

Padres

Trevor Hoffman (MLB.com)

Phillies

Pat Burrell (MLB.com)
Jamie Moyer (MLB.com)
Rudy Seanez (MLB.com)

Rangers

Milton Bradley (MLB.com)

Reds

David Weathers (MLB.com)

Red Sox

Paul Byrd (MLB.com)
Jason Varitek (MLB.com)

Rockies

Brian Fuentes (MLB.com)

Royals

Mark Grudzielanek (MLB.com)

Tigers

Edgar Renteria (MLB.com)

Twins

Dennys Reyes (MLB.com)

White Sox

Orlando Cabrera

Yankees

Bobby Abreu (MLB.com)
Mike Mussina (MLB.com)
Andy Pettitte (MLB.com)
Ivan Rodriguez (MLB.com)

The last three days we looked at The Bill James Handbook projections for Mets hitters and pitchers as well as other pitchers who might be available via trade or free agency. There's nothing new going on until after the World Series anyway, so let's go back to the projection well for another dip.

The Mets don't have nearly as many holes in their lineup as they do in their pitching staff, so there's a much smaller pool, positionally, from which to draw potential acquisitions from. Most of these guys may not even be on the Mets' radar, though most of them have been mentioned at one point or another.

• Bobby Abreu is still a nice hitter. He gets on base, isn't completely useless in the power department. His glove is meh, but his bat would probably be a solid upgrade over Ryan Church (his glove, on the other hand, would be a huge downgrade).
• Rocco Baldelli never really did anything for me. He's got some pop, but his lack of plate discipline drags down his overall value.
• Milton Bradley has a history of personal baggage, but he put things together in 2008 and had himself a brilliant season. His projection is very strong, though a dropoff from this past season's performance. He'll probably look for big money, and the Mets are notoriously averse to public relations question marks, but he'd add another powerful switch-hitting bat to the Mets' lineup.
• Pat Burrell has evolved quite a bit as a hitter over the past few years. His plate discipline has improved substantially and is now one of the better offensive left-fielders in the game. Mets fans might cringe at bringing in an ex-Phillie, but if the Mets want a big right-handed bat, there's always Pat.
• Adam Dunn is a polarizing figure among baseball fans. Flat-earth baseball purists turn away in horror at his low batting averages and high strikeout totals. Baseball neo-analysts point to his prodigious power and impressive walk totals. I count myself among the latter group.
• Rafael Furcal is only really an option as a second-baseman, and I think we went down this road the last time he was a free agent four years ago. The projections aren't terribly optimistic about Furcal's offense, and all indications are that he wants to play shortstop somewhere. Wherever that is, it won't be at Citi Government-Backed Financial Institution Field.
• I don't even know why I put Brian Giles on here. I guess because I've been a huge fan of the guy forever. He vetoed a trade to the Red Sox at the end of last season, and will only really be a free agent if the Padres decline his option.
• Jose Guillen's name was pulled from the thin air of writer's block at The Post last week, and while his projection isn't exactly awe-inspiring, it could be decent as a fourth outfielder. Not likely to happen.
• Why does everyone love Orlando Hudson? He'll probably be looking for 5/$55 million or so, which is way too much everything for someone who OPS-ed .718 outside of Arizona last season.
• Raul Ibanez. Bad glove, projected bad bat. Do not want.
• Manny Ramirez is a hitting machine. At 6/$120 million he can go scratch, but three years at similar money will get me to the table.
• How is Juan Rivera only 30? Wasn't he a highly-touted Yankee prospect like 15 years ago? Another decent bench option here, nothing more, nothing less.
• BJH doesn't think much of Brian Roberts. I do, but not at whatever exorbitant price tag the Orioles will slap on him this winter.
• Mark Teixeira is the biggest name on the free agent market this year. For good reason: The guy is a terrific hitter and an exemplary fielder at first. The Mets are going to pick up Carlos Delgado's option so Teix doesn't really fit into the plans.

That's it. I think I've milked these projections dry. I promise something new and exciting tomorrow.

Bob Klapisch writes that the Mets and Yankees could wind up in a bidding war with each other over the services of C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees have more money to spend, but the Mets can offer Sabathia the opportunity to step into the batter's box every fifth day. Sabathia is from California and many believe he is pining for a west coast return. He'll likely command a contract in the neighborhood of Johan Santana's (think six or seven years, $20-$25 million a year), but the thought of Santana and Sabathia starting 70 games next year is drool-worthy.

The Mets are negotiating with Jerry Manuel to bring him back as manager. Jerry is playing hard-to-get, though the Mets are apparently unlikely to go beyond two years, $1.5 million or so. In the same article, David Lennon speculates that, should things fall apart with Manuel, the Mets might make a push to bring Bobby Valentine back to the states. While I have my doubts that Valentine is even interested in leaving Japan, if I thought he might consider it I would toss Manuel into the nearest dumpster and make my way to the Pacific Rim asap.

Kevin Kernan jumps on the Francisco Rodriguez bandwagon. I think the money is better spent elsewhere, and would sooner hand out less money over less years to Kerry Wood (despite last night's flimsy effort) or Brian Fuentes. Despite his gaudy save totals, I find Rodriguez less appealing now than Billy Wagner was before the Mets signed him three years ago. The age difference is considerable, obviously, but Wagner had much better control than Rodriguez with similar strikeout rates.

The Mets are probably going to pick up Carlos Delgado's option at $12 million, which only costs the Mets $8 million relative to the $4 million buyout he would be owed if the Mets declined the option. If Delgado returns, even for one season, that likely means Mark Teixeira and Adam Dunn are off the table, though Dunn could conceivably "play" a corner outfield spot.

Following in lock-step with the Mets' once-promising season, Shea Stadium is now being dismantled. Follow the link for a video of some of the demo work being done.

Jerry Manuel is still considering using one of his starters -- likely John Maine, Oliver Perez or Mike Pelfrey -- as a reliever if his bullpen continues to shoot blanks. Seems a lot like robbing Tango to pay Cash, unless he really thinks Brian Stokes can be a rotation stalwart.

The Associated Press (courtesy of ESPN.com) lays out the gory details of ticket pricing at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium III.

Mets win, Phillies lose, Mets just a game out.

Val Pascucci pitched two-thirds of an inning of mop-up relief for Triple-A New Orleans yesterday. Could he be the answer to the Mets' impotent bench AND their bullpen woes? Hrmmmmm.

Last week when Adam Dunn was traded to the Diamondbacks it was reportedly for minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two PTBNLs. Apparently, one of those PTBNLs might be Micah Owings.

At MetsGeek, Pat Andriola thinks the Mets should lean more heavily on Eddie Kunz.

Daily Onion: Woot! Soundgarden reunion!

Seven hours or so until the non-waiver trade deadline and all is quiet on the Mets' front. The odd rumor about Raul Ibanez or Arthur Rhodes appears to have faded into the background as names like Ivan Rodriguez, Kyle Farnsworth and Latroy Hawkins change teams. Not that I'd be especially interested in any of those guys, though Pudge would represent an upgrade over Brian Schneider, if not so much over Ramon Castro (Pudge's otherworldly gamer-ness and clutchitude notwithstanding).

A few years ago, a team like the Reds that had no intention of resigning a player like Adam Dunn would just trade him to whomever would give them the best return. Now, thanks largely to Billy Beane, the Reds know that holding onto Dunn and allowing him to walk away at the end of the season means two fat draft picks for them next June. Armed with that information, the Reds can insist on a return that they value at least as much as those picks. If they don't find another team willing to pony up the players or prospects to meet or exceed the perceived value of those picks, well the Reds will just close up shop, book a couple of months worth of Dunn bombs and then wave goodbye in October.

Ibanez is in a similar position, though he isn't nearly as valuable as Dunn in the short- or long-term. Regardless, he will likely be a Type A free agent this offseason and would be worth the same two draft picks as Dunn or Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez or any other Type A. Were the current compensation system burned and discarded, the Mariners couldn't hope to get much more than a Carlos Muniz for Ibanez. As it stands, they're asking for Jon Niese or Robert Parnell, and the Mets are wise not to budge on those demands. If the Mets could get Ibanez for a couple of so-so prospects it'd be a coup, if only for the draft picks, and I guess the slightly-better-than-marginal upgrade that Ibanez represents over Endy Chavez. Chavez is a crummy hitter, but Ibanez is nothing to write home about, and over the course of 60 games the difference is almost negligible. Of course, the Mets proved last year that every game counts (as if we didn't already know that), so I suppose every little bit helps.

One rumor yesterday indicated that the Diamondbacks offered Chad Tracy for Dunn. That sounds like a pretty good deal for the Reds, and the Mets probably can't compete with that. The closest they have to Tracy would be Mike Carp, who has hit well at Binghamton. The caveat there is that he is repeating the league, so his performance is a little less impressive than it might have been last season.

Some small part of me thinks that Omar Minaya will pull off a last-minute deal for a name that we haven't even heard. I keep harping on Aaron Harang for some reason, mostly because he is still reasonably aged, is signed to a decent contract, and may actually be a bit undervalued this year as a result of his 4.76 ERA (95 ERA+). His peripheral stats are all very strong: 108 strikeouts, 34 walks in 123.0 innings. His .331 BABIP is quite a bit higher than his career norm of .314 and well above the usual league norm (~.300). His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is 4.24, which is a half-run lower than his actual ERA. Maybe he's run into a bit of bad luck this season. Again, as I've mentioned each time I've fawned over Harang these past few days, there's no real reason to believe that he's available, considering all of those things I just mentioned. Still, I have a funny feeling that Minaya might pull something out of his ass. He's got seven hours, so he better get some lube.

Then again, the non-waiver trade deadline is exactly that: the last day players can be traded from one team to another without having to pass through waivers. As we've seen in recent years, plenty of transactions take place in August despite the specter of waiver claims hanging over any deal. I don't necessarily think that a Manny Ramirez would clear waivers without being plucked by some team, but Jarrod Washburn or someone like that could. So, even if the Mets don't get anything done by 4pm EDT that doesn't mean they won't try to improve the team in August.

The trade deadline is fast approaching and the list of available players is growing shorter. At the same time, the Mets continue to pitch and hit effectively and areas of greatest need are not as considerable as they were as little as a month ago. Then again, winning cures all ills and great play can often mask shortcomings.

Area of need: corner outfield

For instance, Fernando Tatis is hitting .318/.370/.520. Fernando. Tatis. Career .263/.345/.443 hitter. Much worse than that since 2000. He's hitting lefties and righties equally well, and he hasn't completely embarrassed himself in the field. We're only talking 160-some-odd plate appearances, though, and small sample size red flags abound. He's been a great story and a huge lift for the Mets with Moises Alou out for the season and Ryan Church still out as he recovers from the effects of his second concussion this season. Church may be back soon, but neither that nor his long-term status are guaranteed.

Even if Tatis were somehow able to sustain anything resembling his current level of production, Endy Chavez continues to be an offensive sinkhole in right field. Sure, the defense is great and the .272 batting average is decent, but the .316 on-base percentage is 13th among 17 National League right-fielders with at least 250 plate appearances. His .329 slugging percentage is 16th of 17, besting only Washington's Austin Kearns. Endy's .644 OPS is likewise 16th of 17. I don't know which is more astonishing: that Endy is so bad at hitting or that he's managed to accrue 250 plate appearances while being so bad at hitting. That's a poll for another day, I guess. Regardless, Endy's defense is probably good enough to justify carrying his anemic bat as a fourth or fifth outfielder, but as a starting corner outfielder he is pitifully feckless.

Area of need: relief pitching

Billy Wagner's propensity for eating it hard in big games notwithstanding, he's the Mets' best relief pitcher and still one of the best closers in the National League. Aaron Heilman has been a lot better of late and is probably the Mets' number two, which is far preferable to just plain number two, which was Heilman's nom de fan for the first two months of the season.

Duaner Sanchez is a mystery right now. He was effective if unspectacular for the season's first three months, but has been mostly horrible for a couple of weeks now and is suffering a loss in velocity and deterioration of confidence. After missing a year and a half there's no telling what shape his shoulder is in or whether his arm can hold up for an entire season. Maybe it's just a matter of fatigue and he needs a little time off. At all events, he's a definite question mark moving forward.

Pedro Feliciano is still murder on lefties, but unlike the past two seasons, this year he has been downright awful against righties, who have rocked him to the tune of .342/.419/.553. There's nothing wrong with having a lefty specialist in the bullpen, but the Mets already have one guy -- Scott Schoeneweis -- who can't get righties out, and despite his dramatic platoon splits this season I'm pretty sure Jerry Manuel still thinks that Feliciano is a quality guy to throw out there against all comers. Then again, two full years of competence is more meaningful than one half-year of ineptitude, but you still have to assign greater weight to the recent performance, and that's not good news for Feliciano or the Mets.

Joe Smith is the opposite of Feliciano: he dominates righties and has a tough time with the southpaws. Righties have hit just .190/.271/.302 while lefties have gone .293/.408/.415. If only he and Feliciano could play the field I might be inclined to pull Tatis in the late innings and alternate lefty-righty with Smith and Feliciano for an inning or two. It all comes down to how Manuel decides to use them, so let's hope that his inquisitive mind and nerd glasses mean he knows a thing or two about platoon splits.

Area of need: first base?

A month ago this would have been an obvious need, but with Carlos Delgado swinging a mighty big stick I'm not so sure any more. Given how precipitously he declined last year and how quickly he has resurged, you really have to wonder if those nagging injuries were bothering him more than he let on. The elbow in particular caused him a lot of trouble the last year and a half, and if he is finally out from under those problems then maybe it shouldn't be so surprising that he's back to mashing the ball. He's not going to OPS 1.200 the rest of the way as he has during July, but he has finally pushed his OPS over the league average for a first baseman and there's reason for optimism that he might keep it there.

Mark Teixeira and Adam Dunn will cost an arm and a leg to acquire for the remainder of this season and both will be free agents at season's end. They'll both be on the Mets's radar come November, but I think they'll stand pat this summer and hope that Delgado's resurrection is for real.

Area of need: bench

Marlon Anderson is terrible, and needs to be jettisoned as quickly as possible. I like to think that if the Mets could find anyone else worth plugging into that prestigious 25th spot on the roster that they would have already done so, but right now the dried up husks of Lenny Harris and Matt Franco both look like better options. The rest of the bench is serviceable, with Damion Easley and Argenis Reyes both providing decent production. Nick Evans and Robinson Cancel are nothing special, but the Mets seem inclined to give Evans a few looks at the big league level, and as far as Cancel is concerned, well, they would otherwise just be throwing away the rest of the post-game buffet.

Area of need: catcher?

This one's a trick, because the Mets don't actually need to acquire a new catcher; they just need to play their best catcher more often. That means more time on the pine for Brian Schneider and more cracks at the starting lineup for Ramon Castro. Here is my entire argument:

Ramon Castro: .290/.365/.538
Brian Schneider: .247/.337/.300

So, as long as Jerry Manuel continues to read this blog I think the Mets will be fine at catcher. Or, at least, have the RSS feed in his Google Reader. Either or.

In summation and in conclusion: improve the corner outfield and bench if doing so would come at minimal cost to the farm system. A solid reliever would be nice, but given the going rate of solid relievers I would be more inclined to go with what we've got or, possibly, promote from within. Perhaps Eddie Camacho, Eude Brito or Eddie Kunz -- all currently with Binghamton -- could be given a shot. They can't be much worse than Carlos Muniz has been. Stay the course at first base and catcher, giving more playing time to Castro at the latter.

When you've won nine games in nine days, how do you pick up after taking the next three days off? I guess this question applies to everyone but David Wright and Billy Wagner, who technically didn't take the day off on Tuesday but in retrospect probably should have, Wagner in particular.* I think conventional wisdom says that you don't want to interrupt a hot streak. Something about it being so rare that an entire team is playing in the "zone" that you don't want to forcefully bring it to an end before it would have happened naturally. A lot of it seems like mumbo jumbo to me, but I'll grant that players and teams go through periods where they feel really good, confidence is soaring, everyone's locked in, yada yada. I assume most of us have been there at one point or another, whether it was a pickup basketball game or late night Guitar Hero session. We've all had times where we've felt unbeatable at something, and baseball teams and players presumably go through the same thing.

* Quick anecdote: I missed the first seven or so innings of the All Star game. It was Tuesday, and Tuesday is free movie night. Nothing remotely interesting -- that we hadn't already seen, anyway -- was playing at the two closest theaters, so we schlepped out to Wayne to catch Hancock. Interesting premise, great supporting job by Jason Bateman, movie totally fell apart about an hour in. Probably worth a rent if you like superhero movies or Will Smith or both. Anyway, we get in the car to drive home and I flip on XM to check in on the game. 3-2 National League, though moments later Wagner coughed up a game-tying double to Evan Longoria. I remarked something to the effect of, "!@#$. Big stage, big spot and Wagner just can't get it done." To which Kim replied, "Isn't that kinda what he's known for?" I think she knows more than she lets on sometimes.

Well, whatever the case, there's no telling what kind of momentum the Mets will be able to carry through with them to the by-the-schedule second half of the season. Probably little. They open play with four games in Cincinnati, starting with Johan Santana against Johnny Cueto on Thursday. The Reds are a pretty mediocre team with some solid pitching and a few interesting hitters, including Adam Dunn, who'll be a free agent at season's end and should be on the Mets' first-base radar, copious strikeout totals and all. Of course, the Reds are far from terrible, and the early-season (i.e. April thru June) Mets could easily split or drop three-of-four. The new Mets (where have I heard that before?) should be able to win this series, because this time it counts, and even though our season has come I think we all just want to be playing meaningful games come September.

Beyond the Reds, the Phillies and Cardinals come to Shea for a three-game series apiece before shipping off to Florida for a three spot against the Marlins. After that, the Mets play 14 of 17 games against the dregs of the National League, including stints against the Astros, Padres (they suck, just not against the Mets evidently), Pirates and Nationals. The three non-crap games are against the Marlins, and we can only hope we get the All Star game version of Dan Uggla and not the everything before then version.

A minor programming note: I'm going to be in Austin (Texas, not Massachusetts) from Saturday through Wednesday. Blackfish is going to help out by posting game threads and I'm going to do my best to generate some regular content, and brief recaps at the very least. If anyone feels like posting something of substance in the FanPosts during that time there's a pretty great chance it'll get promoted to the main page as long as it's at least reasonably cogent and above a third-grade reading level. Interesting FanShots will probably be more likely to be promoted than usual, too, in case FanPosts are too verbose and you're more into the whole brevity thing.

(Note: the pic is of Maria Menounos at the ASG celebrity softball game. All baseball uniforms should fit so well.)

Synopsis

The Reds are in disarray, languishing in last place in the NL Central and having already ousted General Manager Wayne Krivsky in favor of former Cardinals' taskmaster Walt Jocketty. Despite the best efforts of manager Dusty Baker, none of the Reds' pitchers have had season-ending arm injuries and the offense is in the middle of the pack in team walks. Not exactly the Elysium that Baker had envisioned when he took over this past offseason, but he least he no longer has to worry about Barry Bonds clogging up the bases all the time. Or, you know, winning baseball games.

Record

W1 and L1 are the expected wins and losses based on runs scored and runs allowed.
W2 and L2 are the expected wins and losses based on BP's equivalence runs scored and allowed.
W3 and L3 are similar to W2 and L2 but adjusted for strength of schedule.

Neither their record nor their run differential is impressive, but if we consider equivalence runs scored and allowed (i.e. expected runs based on offensive components like OBP and SLG) and adjust for the strength of the Reds' opponents this year, their computer-ized record is much closer to .500. None of this changes the fact that the Reds have *actually* lost 60% of their games this year, but it might portend a smoother ride in the weeks ahead.

Starting Rotation

* asterisks denote probable starters vs Mets
() parentheses denote negative numbers
italics denote left-handed pitchers

Reds' starters are averaging an absurd 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings. Averaging! For the sake of comparison, Mets starters are averaging 7.01 strikeouts per nine innings, good for fifth in the National League. They have one starter -- Johan Santana at 9.13 -- who is averaging more than Cincinnati's entire rotation. Santana's the only Met starter averaging better than 7.5 whiffs per game, and on a given day whomever the Reds throw out there will strikeout an extra batter on top of that.

Unfortunately, the Reds' starters have the fourth-worst aggregate ERA and have allowed the fourth-most homeruns in the NL.

Aaron Harang is having another nice year, peripheral-wise, even though his record hardly reflects that. His strikeouts are down a bit relative to his recent seasonal numbers, but he is hardly walking anyone and is 1-5 on the season thanks to his offense only scoring 2.76 runs per game.

Rookie Johnny Cueto has struck out exactly a batter per inning and is walking fewer than two every nine innings, leaving him with a remarkable strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranks among the best in the league. Like the rest of the Reds' staff, Cueto has been burned by the long ball, coughing up seven in just 41 innings of work this season. Overall he has been their most well-balanced starter, a fact that belies his pedestrian 5.27 ERA.

Edinson Volquez was the key to the deal that sent Josh Hamilton to the Rangers last offseason, and his statistical profile this season is fascinating. Volquez is leading the National League with a 1.06 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. He is also fourth in the league in walks (42) and has allowed just one homerun so far. He throws four different pitches: a 93 MPH fastball (57.6%), an 83 MPH slider (7.9%), a 77 MPH curveball (7.7%) and a 77 MPH changeup (26.8%). An expansive repertoire, though the Mets are fortunate to avoid it this series.

Bronson Arroyo has been dreadful this season, but much portion of his struggles can be attributed to horrible luck and a penchant for the longball. Arroyo has a solid strikeout rate and a passable walk rate, though his homerun rate -- 2.23 per nine -- is cartoonishly bad. His .403 BABIP is extraordinarily high, and this is where luck seems to have played a part in his rough go of it. The league average BABIP is around .300, so Arroyo is allowing hits on balls in play about a third more often than the rest of the league. He *is* giving up a lot of line drives, but I would expect both of those to come down over the course of a long season. Of course, his 8.63 ERA isn't the sort of thing that keeps a pitcher in the starting rotation for a whole season. See: Zito, Barry.

Matt Belisle is a 28-year-old righty with good control and a career 92 ERA+. He was handed his spot in the rotation by Josh Fogg and his 9.27 ERA. And that's the story of Matt Belisle.

WPA Top Two
Edinson Volquez, 1.06 WPA
Aaron Harang, 0.70 WPA

WPA Bottom Two
Bronson Arroyo, -1.53 WPA
Josh Fogg, -0.90 WPA

Starting Lineup

* asterisks denote left-handed batters
# pound signs denote switch-hitters
rankings are based on VORP for players with at least 100 PA

Joey Votto was a second-round pick of the Reds back in 2002 and after impressing in limited action last season has been one of the Reds' best hitters this season. His .583 slugging percentage is tenth-best in the National League, and he blasted three of his seven homeruns on Wednesday against the Cubs. He has completely displaced Scott Hatteberg as the Reds' starting first-baseman.

Paul Bako, 36-year-old catcher and a career .237/.309/.326 hitter is hitting .310/.375/.552 this season. He was signed as a free agent after leaving the Orioles following the 2006 season, and will make a million bucks or so this year. The Mets probably could've had him for Lastings Milledge if they had asked really nicely.

Ken Griffey Jr. is stumbling towards 600 career homeruns. He has been mostly miserable at the plate this year, but expect the load to lighten a bit once he hits his milestone. He's not the player he once was, but he was quite good as recently as last season, so unless he pulls a Carlos Delgado there's no reason to believe that he will regress into obsolescence so precipitously.

Former Met Jeff Keppinger has hit pretty well at short for the Reds, though his .254 EqA is nothing to write home about. He had a nice little run last season but still profiles as more of a utility infielder than a starter. That notwithstanding, hHis 6.5 VORP actually places him in the top ten among NL shortstops, so as long as he keeps hitting the Reds could do a whole lot worse.

Adam Dunn is a free agent after this season, but his .219 batting average and .429 slugging are going to be tough sells in left or at first base, the two weakest defensive positions on the diamond and historically the easiest positions at which to find offense. The Mets could very well be buyers at both positions next offseason, and Dunn might be a less expensive (albeit still expensive) alternative to Mark Teixeira.

Despite the low average -- and Jeff Brantley's infamous proclamations of non-clutchiness -- Edwin Encarnacion has turned into one of the better offensive third-basemen in the league. He is drawing walks and hitting for power, which is more than I can say for...

Corey Patterson has a .260 on-base percentage. Try to wrap your head around that.

Brandon Phillips rounds out the starting eight and, despite being allergic to walks, has shown very good power and is one of the best offensive keystoners in the National League. His six homeruns would tie him for the team lead were he on the Mets, and gives him exactly six more homeruns than Luis Castillo will hit in the next four years.

WPA Top Two
Edwin Encarnacion, 0.66 WPA
Joey Votto, 0.45 WPA

WPA Bottom Two
Adam Dunn, -0.53 WPA
Brandon Phillips, -0.47 WPA

Bullpen

The Reds have an interesting mix of arms in their 'pen. They have two guys who have struck out more than eleven batters per nine innings -- Jared Burton and Jeremy Affeldt -- and two more who have struck out fewer than five -- the elderly Kent Mercker and David Weathers.

Big-money closer Francisco Cordero has been effective, but he has walked almost seven batters per nine innings, dishing out ten free passes in thirteen innings so far. The Reds have him for four years and $40-something million, so while his 2.08 ERA looks nice now, if he keeps walking the ballpark he could be in big trouble soon. And by "trouble" I mean "bad ERA but still making a poopload of money".

WPA Top Two
Francisco Cordero, 1.05 WPA
Mike Lincoln, 0.37 WPA

WPA Bottom Two
David Weathers, -0.66 WPA
Jared Burton, -0.44 WPA

Bench

One look at Scott Hatteberg's numbers and it's no wonder Joey Votto is starting at first now. Hatteberg has a great eye at the plate, and could be a nice right-handed complement to Carlos Delgado were he available on the cheap.

Jerry Hairston is off to a great start in extremely limited action. Javier Valentin is Jose Valentin's brother. Ryan Freel runs into walls. David Ross has a boring name.

Managerial Tendencies

Not listed here: young arms destroyed, guys who bled internally and runs scored on walks.

Key Injuries