Reds in no hurry to deal

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Reds in no hurry to deal[/b][/size]

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Less than 20 hours from his departure from Baseball's winter meetings, Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky was looking at the possibility of coming home empty-handed. That is not to say the Reds are finished dealing.

"So much emphasis is put on what happens here," he said Wednesday. "Some trades will be made later. It will all be a function of what was said here."

Krivsky doesn't feel compelled to make a deal before getting on the flight back.

"It either happens or it doesn't," he said. "I don't put any extra pressure on myself to make a trade at the winter meetings. When you do that, you get in trouble."

The Reds' top need is a right-handed hitter who can play first base and either third base or outfield. Meeting that need is not so simple. The price of playing baseball has gone up considerably this offseason.

"The key that we lost from last year was Rich Aurilia," Krivsky said. "That's the hole we're looking to fill."

The price to fill that hole is steep.

"You tell me what 23 home runs, 80 RBI and .300 average gets you," Krivsky said. "It got Rich Aurilia $8 million for two years. We're willing to be close to that."

The list of right-handed hitters on the Reds' radar is a long one: Mark Loretta, Eduardo Perez, Craig Wilson, Aaron Boone and Shea Hillenbrand all could fit the role.

Wilson and Hillenbrand probably would cost more than $4 million a year.

Krivsky also hinted the Reds could go in another direction.

"Maybe you replace (Aurilia) with two players - one from within and add a player," Krivsky said. "Or you could make the pitching better, so you don't have to score as many runs. Hopefully, our defense will be better, too."

The meetings end today with the Rule 5 Draft. The Reds have two spots on their 40-man roster - one will go to David Weathers, but they have a spot to add a player.

Clubs pay $50,000 to take a player. The catch is he must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to the original club at $25,000.[/quote]



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