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THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1989-Major League signs a $400 million contract with ESPN, which will put 175 games per year on cable television, beginning in 1990. Today, there are over 4,000 games on television each season MLB.COM Will Reds make more moves after signing Storen? Cincinnati could add veteran starting , By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | January 4th, 2017 + 148 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- Throughout the offseason, Reds general manager Dick Williams has made it no secret that he is seeking value signings -- also known as bargains -- as a way to make improvements and bolster weaknesses.

The first domino finally fell in that pursuit on Tuesday when Cincinnati signed former Drew Storen to a one-year, $3 million contract with incentive bonuses.

Storen's signing addressed the Reds' biggest weakness -- the bullpen. Now the question is, what's next? The club could certainly use more relievers, but Williams sidestepped whether he would add more.

"We will continue to try to make the club better," Williams said. "We've got some time left this offseason, and we're still going to stay busy."

The Reds have other areas to address besides the bullpen. They would like to add a veteran to compete for the lone rotation opening against a fleet of promising but inexperienced young . Catching depth is wanted behind and as Mesoraco tries to come back from two lost seasons and three surgeries that limited him to catching 19 games (18 starts) from 2015-16. There could be open spots to fill out the bench as well, perhaps with an extra .

Usually, the second half of the Hot Stove season is filled with bargains as free agents lower their prices and demands with just around the corner. No capable player wants to be unemployed while their peers report to a camp in Arizona or . Then there are the reclamation projects -- players coming off of injury-filled seasons who want a chance to prove they are healthy again and able to produce.

For clubs like the Reds, it all adds up to a chance to take a less risky investment on someone they hope pays off big.

If Storen succeeds, the Reds would certainly have gotten a bargain on the deal. Last year, their lone big league signing during the winter was reliever Blake Wood on a one-year, $600,000 contract, and he was often a bright spot in a bullpen that performed poorly.

In 2009, outfielder came in on a Minor League contract and wound up resurrecting his career with 20 homers while earning $600,000.

Not all bargain signings pan out, so it is buyer beware. In January 2012, everyone thought the Reds got the steal of the offseason when closer Ryan Madson signed a one-year deal at $8.5 million. Madson blew out his elbow in Spring Training and never threw a pitch for Cincinnati. In '15, veteran reliever Kevin Gregg signed a Minor League deal and received $1.5 million after earning a spot on the team in camp. Gregg struggled mightily and was released in early May of that season.

Storen might represent the only Major League contract the Reds sign with a free agent this offseason. The rest could be Minor League deals.

"It's possible if we don't find the right value out there," Williams said. "There are other targets we have our eye on. We do have a criteria in mind for the type of player we want to acquire and the amount we're willing to spend. We just have to find the right match, and if we don't, we like the group we're putting together."

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER gets advice from Pete, excited to at GABP C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] Published 10:09 a.m. ET Jan. 4, 2017

The Reds’ future and past sat together at a table last month during Redsfest. There, the man with the most hits in the history of told the team’s top prospect something that sounded counterintuitive.

“I was talking to Pete Rose -- it's easy for him to say, but he said the easiest level to hit in is the big leagues,” said Nick Senzel, named Wednesday as the Reds’ top prospect by . “It's easy for him to say because he got over a billion hits, but he just said the lights are better, pitchers are better. It's comforting to hear that from him.”

If that’s the case for Senzel, the No. 2 pick of last year’s draft, has quite the future ahead of him, because his pro debut couldn’t have looked easier.

Senzel played 10 games at Rookie-level Billings as a sort of truncated spring training before moving to low- Dayton, where he had hits in nine of his first 11 games. He finished his 58-game stint in the hitting .329/.415/.567 with seven home runs and 36 RBI (as well as 15 steals).

“The season was kind of a complete approach. We saw the offense we wanted to see, the defense that we hoped to see. We saw the off-the-field, the leadership and hard work and effort. We saw good baserunning,” Reds general manager Dick Williams said. “We saw a good player, that was a very encouraging first year. It's a long season coming out of college ball and going through the grind and playing for two different affiliates. There was a lot of movement and you're getting to know a lot of people. We were asking a lot of a player and it was an impressive rookie campaign.”

Baseball America agreed, naming Senzel the team’s top prospect on Wednesday. He replaced right-hander Robert Stephenson, who had been the team’s top prospect according to the magazine entering the last three seasons. Stephenson, who made his big-league debut in April, fell to No. 4 in the team’s rankings, in part because of his struggles at both the big-league and Triple-A levels. Stephenson was leapfrogged by lefties Cody Reed (No. 2) and (No. 3).

After Stephenson in the rankings were Taylor Trammell, and . The trio of outfielders were followed by right-handers Sal Romano at No. 8 and Vladimir Gutierrez at No. 9. Catcher , the team’s first-round pick in 2015, was ranked No. 10.

While Senzel was considered the best college hitter in June’s draft, what surprised many once he hit the minors was his power. Senzel hit eight home runs as a junior at Tennessee and just five in his first two years. That made his power potential something of a sticking point for predraft evaluators and observers looking at him as a top draft pick.

When he got to Dayton, Senzel showed his power, first with four doubles in his first three games with the Dragons and later with a total of seven home runs, including a three-game stretch with homers in each game.

If power is the knock against Senzel, he’s not especially worried.

“I don't even think about it,” he said. “I was in an interview with (Jesse) Winker and they were talking to him about his power production, too, it wasn't as high as they'd like it to be. Who cares? If you're getting on base, that's all that matters. That's how you score runs. Home runs are cool and everything, I know that's what fans come out to see. I don't think it matters, as long as you're getting on base and scoring runs.”

Senzel said he didn’t think he had any real uptick in power - just he didn’t miss mistakes. The power wasn’t a product of his physical strength, but of the strength of his game, namely an advanced approach at the plate.

“I was just trying to have good at-bats,” he said. “Some balls I hit went over the fence, others didn't. Either way, my goal is just trying to have a good at-bat. If a couple of balls jumped out of the park, I was good with that. I was just trying to take good at-bats.”

That sounds surprisingly similar to anyone who has watched the Reds over recent years — it’s an approach that has embraced and preached.

“I think the older and more mature and physically stronger I get, the more balls will go out of the park,” Senzel said. “I heard it flies at to the gaps, I heard it flies. That's a great thing to hear.”

Williams said he doesn’t like to put timetables on players, but with recent high draft picks out of college making the big leagues the year after they were drafted (like , , and ), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Senzel in the big leagues as soon as this season.

“It's a real encouraging start. I don't like put timetables on guys. The minor leagues are all about learning how to succeed and how to deal with your failure. He'll definitely push his way up the ladder as fast as his talent will take him. People shouldn't be surprised if he encounters some challenges along the way, that's part of the process.”

That wouldn’t be a surprise, no matter what Rose told Senzel, because after all, there’s only one Rose.

“My dad came (to Redsfest) and he was so pumped for me to get an autograph and a picture with (Rose),” Senzel said. “That's when you know … no matter how old he is or how young the generation is, they're going to know who he is because of what he accomplished in the time he played the game and how he played the game too.” BASEBALL AMERICA

2017 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Insider January 04, 2017 By J.J. Cooper

SEASON IN A SENTENCE: In a year focused on the future, the Reds shed some contracts and tied for the lead with 94 losses, despite a monster season and particularly strong second half by Joey Votto.

HIGH POINT: The combination of better health on the pitching staff and Votto’s nuclear production helped the Reds go 36-37 after the all-star break. Votto hit .408/.490/.668 in the last 72 games he played, adding seven homers in September and October. Overall, Votto hit .381/.498/.681 in 65 Reds victories.

LOW POINT: The Reds had won four straight to edge up to 13-17 when the wheels came off, with the club losing 18 of its next 22 games, including a season-long 11-game losing streak from May 16-27. The streak started with the Brewers putting up seven runs in the 10th inning of a 13-7 game the Reds once led 6-2; it ended with a 17-4 drubbing at in which the Rockies slugged seven homers. Reds pitchers set a new single-season club record for home runs allowed with 258.

NOTABLE ROOKIES: Lefties John Lamb and Cody Reed and righty Tim Adleman, a former indy-ball find, got 37 starts among them, and both lefties struggled mightily. So did former No. 1 prospect Robert Stephenson, still rookie-eligible in 2017 after eight starts that covered just 37 innings. Rookie Reds hitters impressed a bit more, from outfielder , who showed strong lefthanded power, to versatile Jose Peraza, whose speed and ability to play second base, and center field should come in handy.

KEY TRANSACTIONS: The Reds shed ’s salary, trading their 2005 first-round pick to the Mets after he had a strong first half with 25 home runs. Righthander Dan Straily, a late-spring waiver claim, became the team’s stalwart starter, going 14-8, 3.76 with 191.1 innings.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Reds affiliates barely peeked above .500, with two making the playoffs, led by Double-A Pensacola, which won 81 games. Outfielder Aristides Aquino was the MVP of the high Class A after hitting .273/.327/.519 with 23 home runs. After loading up on arms in recent drafts, the Reds went hard after hitters in the draft, taking them with their first three selections, including No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel. The Tennessee hit .305/.398/.514 in his pro debut with seven home runs and 18 stolen bases in just 68 games.

OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $89,955,059 (22nd)

BEST TOOLS Average Nick Senzel Best Power Hitter Aristides Aquino Best Strike-Zone Discipline Jesse Winker Fastest Baserunner Taylor Trammell Best Athlete Taylor Trammell Best Fastball Best Curveball Ariel Hernandez Best Cody Reed Best Ismael Guillon Best Control Best Defensive Catcher Stuart Turner Best Defensive Alfredo Rodriguez Best Infield Arm Taylor Sparks Best Defensive Outfielder T.J. Friedl Best Outfield Arm Aristides Aquino PROJECTED 2020 LINEUP Catcher Devin Mesoraco First Base Joey Votto Second Base Dilson Herrera Third Base Nick Senzel Shortstop Jose Peraza Left Field Taylor Trammell Center Field Billy Hamilton Right Field Aristides Aquino No. 1 Starter No. 2 Starter Cody Reed No. 3 Starter Amir Garrett No. 4 Starter No. 5 Starter Robert Stephenson Closer Raisel Iglesias TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE Year Player, Pos. 2016 Org 2007 Homer Bailey, rhp Reds 2008 Jay Bruce, of Mets 2009 , 1b Athletics 2010 , 3b/of White Sox 2011 , lhp Cubs 2012 Devin Mesoraco, c Reds 2013 Billy Hamilton, of Reds 2014 Robert Stephenson, rhp Reds 2015 Robert Stephenson, rhp Reds 2016 Robert Stephenson, rhp Reds TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE Year Player, Pos. 2016 Org 2007 Devin Mesoraco, c Reds 2008 Yonder Alonso, 1b Athletics 2009 , rhp Cardinals 2010 , c Dodgers 2011 Robert Stephenson, rhp Reds 2012 Nick Travieso, rhp Reds 2013 , of Reds 2014 , rhp Reds 2015 Tyler Stephenson, c Reds 2016 Nick Senzel, 3b Reds LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY Aroldis Chapman, lhp $16,250,000 Alfredo Rodriguez, ss $7,000,000 Nick Senzel, 3b $6,200,000 Rasiel Iglesias, rhp $5,000,000 Vladimir Gutierrez, rhp $4,750,000 DAYTON DAILY NEWS Reds acquire ‘closer’ Drew Storen Hal McCoy January 3, 2017 Uncategorized.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds made their initial effort to upgrade their punching bag bullpen Tuesday by signing a veteran who used to dress up as former Reds third basema Chris Sabo for Halloween.

Free agent Drew Storen, a 29-year-old veteran righthander, signed a one-year contract, with eyes on being the team’s closer, a spot he occupied with the in 2011 and collected 43 saves.

STOREN IS A SON of former Indianapolis radio talk show host Mark Patrick and played two years in high school at Brownsburg (Ind.) with Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart.

He grew up a Reds fan and put in numerous appearances at Riverfront Stadium as a fan.

“Being from the area and this being my hometown team this really works out and it is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “I see the Reds as an organization that is only going up and it’s a young group and hopefully I can help out some of the guys with my experience.”

AS FOR HIS CINCINNATI experience, he said, “I used to go down there (for games) quite a bit to see games. And to see the other side of things as a visitor was always something special, but to be wearing that Reds uniform is going to be kind of cool.

“For Halloween, I was Chris Sabo multiple times, so it is kind of nice to have my own name on a jersey.”

Even though he was not a failure, Storen lost his closer’s role in 2014 when the Washington Nationals acquired . So before the 2016 season he was traded to the and struggled as a set-up guy, going 1-and-3 with a 6.21 earned average in 38 appearances.

At mid-season the Jays traded him to Seattle and he rediscovered his touch with a 3-and-0 record and a 3.41 average and became a free agent after the season.

“I had a real strong season as a closer in ’14 but I’ve done a lot of roles,” he said. “Yes, I enjoy the ninth inning but it comes down to executing in whatever role you’re in. And that’s especially true in the Cincinnati ballpark because half of your mistakes go over that yellow line (for a ) and that’s never a good thing.”

STOREN MAKES A CLEAR distinction that he prefers the closer’s role and said, “If you are in a bullpen and you don’t want to close you have no business being down there. That’s the way it should be.

“So many things change before and throughout the season. I’m not getting paid to make those decisions. I’m getting paid to get people out so if I go do that the rest of it takes care of itself.”

Manager used both Raisel Iglesias and as closers the second half of last season and Storen joins them in the mix as a possible closer, if Price choses to go that way. There are indications, though, that he might not name a closer and could use all three in interchangeable roles.

DIRECTOR OF BASEBALL Operations/General Manager said, “That will be determined in spring training as to how (manager) Bryan Price uses the bullpen.”

Williams said the team had a specific interest in Storen’s tools and added, “One of the primary targets for us in addressing our bullpen was getting a guy who had experience at the back end. But also we had trouble throwing strikes last year and Drew is a consistent performer with a low walk rate and a high rate. And he has shown he can throw in high leverage situations.

Williams added that the club is not finished, even though only 41 days remain before spring training.

“We will continue to try to make the club better,” he said when asked if the team might acquire additional relief pitchers. We have some time left this off season and we are going to stay busy.”

Senzel among 5 newcomers in latest Cincinnati Reds top prospect list Marcus Hartman Staff Writer 12:38 p.m Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 Sports

Nick Senzel’s pro debut was a smashing success.

Baseball America rates a face familiar to fans the No. 1 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization for the coming year: Nick Senzel.

After the former Tennessee third baseman dominated Midwest League pitching in the second half of last season, that probably comes as no surprise.

Following the team’s top draft pick from last season on BA’s updated list are a pair of left-handed pitchers: Cody Reed and Amir Garrett. They rank Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, for the second straight season.

Robert Stephenson, a right-handed starter who was the team’s top prospect at this time a year ago, is No. 4 now followed by three outfielders (Taylor Trammell, Jesse Winker and Aristides Aquino) at No. 5-7.

Filling out the top 10 are No. 8 Sal Romano (RHP), No. 9 Vladimir Gutierrez (RHP) and No. 10 Tyler Stephenson (catcher).

Senzel, Trammell, Romano, Gutierrez and Aquino are all newcomers to the top 10 this year.

The 19-year-old Trammell was drafted No. 35 overall out of high school last year while Gutierrez (21) was signed as an international free agent in September.

Infielder and pitchers Nick Travieso, Rookie Davis and Keury Mella all dropped out of the top 10 while Jose Peraza (No. 4 last year) isn’t on this year’s list because he turned in a strong second half of the 2016 season in the big leagues. ESPN.COM

Top first basemen: New standard shakes up rankings ESPN 1:43 PM ET Buster Olney ESPN Senior Writer

Last season, Chris Carter did some big, old-school damage while serving as the first baseman for the : 41 homers, 27 doubles, 94 RBIs. He also generated a fair number of walks with 76 and played in 160 games.

After all of that, Carter was cut -- outright released before free agency, presumably after the Brewers assessed his value in the market. He’s currently unemployed with his case demonstrating that the industry's expectations of what a first baseman needs to be have changed markedly over time. Mere power isn't good enough anymore.

In Part III of our top 10 positional rankings, we present the first basemen, with lots of input from baseball evaluators -- and there is a much broader range of opinion on who should be No. 1 than with the starting pitchers () and relievers (Zach Britton). Five first basemen were nominated at No. 1 by various scouts and executives. Five.

1. , He was hitting .242 on June 12 last season, and then Freeman had an epiphany, because of timing or circumstance. He was not going to swing at bad pitches anymore; he was going to swing at strikes. It was the sort of thing all hitters say to themselves all the time, but for Freeman, the commitment to discipline remained for the rest of the season, and he wrecked pitchers. Freeman hit .340 after June 12, with 33 doubles, five triples and 25 homers, an OPS of 1.104, and because of this surge, Freeman finished sixth in the NL MVP voting despite playing on a team that wasn't in contention last season. Evaluators regard him as a solid defender –- maybe not at the level of or , but pretty good.

Among all first basemen last season, Freeman was the runaway winner in fWAR: Freeman -- 6.1 Rizzo -- 5.2 Joey Votto -- 5.0 Miguel Cabrera -- 4.9

"He was a monster offensive player in a tough hitters' park, playing most of the year with almost nobody else in his lineup," one evaluator said.

If you ranked the top five first basemen according to their career resumes, Freeman would be at No. 5. If you ranked them according to the trajectory established in 2016, and what they could be expected to produce in 2017, then Freeman is No. 1.

2. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds On May 23, Votto was hitting .203 with a .351 slugging percentage. But thereafter, he demonstrated again that he is one of the elite offensive players in the majors, reaching base 232 times in his final 113 games. All told, Votto reached base 304 times last season, the fourth year he has reached base at least 299 times. In 2016, he had an on-base percentage of .434, a slugging percentage of .500 and led all first baseman in wRC+, a metric that measures runs created, at 158.

Votto's perspective on hitting is in concert with front offices throughout baseball: The more you get on base, the better your chances of scoring a run. And when Votto is healthy, nobody gets on base more than he does. With power.

3. Anthony Rizzo, He might be baseball's best problem solver, someone with an exceptional ability to make adjustments. He really struggled against inside fastballs at the outset of his career, a flaw that probably made the Padres more willing to move him to the Cubs in the trade for . But Rizzo got better at that and eventually moved to take away the inside part of the plate almost entirely from opposing pitchers by moving so close to the front of the batter's box that his arms can hover over the strike zone -- with the conviction that if he got hit by a pitch as opponents tried to work him inside, well, that's the cost of business.

Last year, he reached base 260 times, with 79 extra-base hits and 94 runs scored. Sure, he probably benefited from the strong hitters in front of him –- Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant filled the bases ahead of him and often forced opposing pitchers to deal with Rizzo, rather than pitch around him –- but the hitting conditions in Wrigley Field are difficult, more often than not. Forget about the dimensions: When the wind is blowing in, it’s an acute pitchers' park, which is probably why 20 of Rizzo's 32 homers were on the road.

He is regarded by evaluators as the pre-eminent defender at his position, with exceptional hands and a strong ability to throw and make plays. "Nobody is more active than he is on defense [at first base]," one evaluator said.

4. Paul Goldschmidt, Some evaluators pegged him at No. 1 on this list because of how well-rounded he is: a winner of two Gold Gloves in 2013 and 2015, an opportunistic baserunner with a career-high 32 steals last year and, of course, the power and production. But Goldschmidt's offensive numbers dipped in 2016, and this could be a case of a player being pulled down by his team's near-total collapse and the erosion of the structure around him. A.J. Pollock, the second-most important part of Arizona's lineup, was lost for almost the whole season. Whatever the explanation, Goldschmidt plummeted from 163 wRC+ in 2015, fifth best in the majors and second best among first basemen behind Votto, to a 134 last season, just ahead of Carlos Santana.

"He needs to play again in October to get his just due," one scout said. Goldschmidt has reached the postseason once in his career (2011) and went 7-for-16 with two homers.

5. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers The phrase "most-feared" rankles stats analysts, and mostly for good reason. But the words are apropos for Cabrera, because he continues to be the guy pitchers do not want to see standing at the plate with the game on the line in the late innings. He stayed healthy last season, playing in 158 games, and he hit .316 with 38 homers. He will collect his 450th career home run early in the 2017 season, near his 34th birthday. And in the days that follow, he will likely collect his 2,600th hit and 1,600th RBI. He has the highest batting average for any active player (with enough at-bats to qualify), and Cabrera has received top-10 MVP votes in every season of his career.

He is building one of the greatest hitting resumes in major league history. Yes, his defense isn't good –- although, because of his acumen and his hands, he's probably a little better than he gets credit for in metrics –- and he is a base clogger who increasingly hits into double plays. But he was destined for the Hall of Fame years ago, and there’s no end in sight to his time as an elite offensive player.

6. Eric Hosmer, The Royals first baseman probably has more to gain from a strong 2017 than any other position player given his impending free agency. And if Kansas City struggles in the first half, it's possible (but unlikely) that he could finish next season in another uniform. Hosmer will hit the open market at 28 years old, and he will be paid very well for his offense, defense (he has won three Gold Gloves) and ability to run the bases.

He had a really rough second half of 2016, with an OPS of .676, and at season's end, Royals manager Ned Yost said that Hosmer had been dealing with a wrist issue. He had a career-high 25 homers and 104 RBIs last year but hit a lot more ground balls, with his rate rocketing to 59 percent, the most ever for the left-handed hitter.

7. Jose Abreu, There are a lot of questions among evaluators about Abreu and what he will be moving forward after he took a step back last season, with his slugging percentage dropping to .468, which is more than 100 points lower than in his rookie year of 2014. When his time in the big leagues began, some scouts questioned whether he could get to inside fastballs. And last season, folks within the White Sox organization thought pitches in this area really hurt him, because he chased pitches time and again. As the White Sox go through their rebuilding, they have made him available to other teams, but with Abreu set to turn 30 this month and with some teams wondering whether he’ll go back to being an MVP candidate, it will be interesting to see if White Sox GM Rick Hahn's asking price is met. Last year, Abreu ranked 11th among first basemen in wRC+ at 111 and 14th in WAR.

8. Adrian Gonzalez, Some evaluators believed that Gonzalez's days of power hitting were behind him after he hit two homers last May and just one in June. Gonzalez is 34, after all. But the Dodgers infielder swung for more damage in the second half, hitting 11 of his 18 homers after the All-Star break –- although his on-base percentage declined. As he showed in the postseason, he continues to be a good defensive first baseman, throwing aggressively; he was among the upper half of those at his position in defensive runs saved.

9. Chris Davis, He has clubbed 197 homers over the past five seasons, and he'll probably approach 300 homers for his career sometime during the 2018 season. Through every season, there are periods when he'll carry the Orioles with his power, and he's an excellent first baseman.

10. Carlos Santana, He played 64 games at first base last season and may get more time there this year, now that the Indians have signed Edwin Encarnacion. His ability to reach base (.366) prompted to use him out of the leadoff spot sometimes. And as his power improved last season to a career-high 34 homers, his went down to 99.

Honorable mention Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals intend to make him their full-time first baseman, a place where he could be best- suited defensively. Carpenter had a .380 on-base percentage last year, and has 49 homers over the past two seasons.

Hanley Ramirez, : He turned out to be better than expected as a defender at first base -– not great, maybe not even good, but at least serviceable. He seemingly benefited from being back in the adrenaline of the infield. And with a far greater comfort level, he thrived at the plate after the All-Star break. Over his last 62 games of 2016, Ramirez batted .295, with a .369 on- base percentage and had 22 homers and 63 RBIs.

But he's hard to place on this list because unless surprises the baseball world by reversing his decision to retire, Ramirez will probably get a lot of at-bats at for the Red Sox, with the newly signed Mitch Moreland playing first base. Part of the decision-making about that could be predicated on Ramirez's obvious preference to be in the midst of the action, a shift that benefited him a lot last season.

Wil Myers, : He had the best season of his career in 2016, with 28 homers, 99 runs and 28 stolen bases. He also impressed some scouts with his defense, but some evaluators want to see more from him before elevating him into the top 10. , : He's a high-end defender, loves to throw and can hit for power. But last year, opposing pitchers just challenged him with fastballs –- only two first basemen saw a higher percentage of fastballs than Belt did -- and Belt sometimes struggled to cope with that.

Mike Napoli, free agent: He'll find a team eventually, after mashing 34 homers and driving in 101 runs for the Indians last season.

Ian Desmond, : For now, he's slated to play first base regularly for the first time in his career, after signing a five- year, $70 million deal with the Rockies.