CCIINNCCIINNNNAATTII RREEDDSS PPRREESSSS CCLLIIPPPPIINNGGSS NOVEMBER 26, 2014

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

This is another in a periodic of looks at the Reds position-by-position. Today we look at center field:

Billy Hamilton was one of the feel-good stories of the 2014 Reds. He's going to be the for a long time.

He exceeded expectations this year -- particularly until his numbers fell off toward the end. Hamilton .250 with 25 doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 48 RBI and 56 stolen bases. He finished second on the team with 72 runs scored.

CINCINNATI Billy Hamilton sets Reds' rookie record His defense was among the best in baseball. His range is incredible, his arm well-above average and he showed no fear around the wall.

He finished second in the Rookie of the Year vote and was a finalist for Gold Glove.

The downside: He got a league-high 23 times and his on-base percentage was a below-league average .292.

Hamilton simply did not hit in the second half. He hit .285/.319/.423 in the first half and .200/.254/.257 in the second half. Some of that can be attributed to teams figuring Hamilton . But a large part of it was likely fatigue -- although Hamilton insisted he wasn't playing tired. He hit .123 in September and stole two bases in five attempts.

The rough ending is understandable. Hamilton played full-time in September for the first time. He plays a defensively demanding position. His speed is his main weapon. And Hamilton only carries 160 pounds on his 6-foot frame.

Despite all the slides and crashes into the wall, Hamilton proved durable. He started 136 games and played in 152. Four of the games he missed were the last four of the season. Those came as a result of a collision with the fence in left-center.

Hamilton is not playing any Winter Ball for the first time as a professional. The Reds also vetoed a trip with to Japan. So he'll have a chance to heal and get stronger.

For Hamilton to be an effective leadoff man, he's got to figure out how to get on base more. He did that in the minors. He had on- base percentages of .383., 340 and .410 from 2010 to '12.

If Hamilton can get his OBP to .330 or so in 2015, it will go a long way toward turning the Reds' offense around.

Hamilton's main backup will likely be Chris Heisey again. Heisey made 11 starts in center -- second most on the team. Heisey is a good defender and offers added pop when in the lineup.

But Heisey is not an absolute lock to be tendered a contract. He's arbitration-eligible for the third time. He made $1.76 million this year. He'd probably make at least $2.5 million if the Reds tender him.

That's a little steep in a budget that is very tight. But pinch-hit power -- an MLB-leading four PH home runs this year -- is hard to replace.

Skip Schumaker made seven starts in center, but he's coming off shoulder surgery. Jason Bourgeois is also on the roster. He made one start in center.

Kevin Towers hire among Reds' front-office changes David Clark

The Reds officially announced the hirings of Kevin Towers as Special Assistant/Player Personnel and veteran scout Jeff Schugel as Special Assistant/Pro Scout.

Late last month, John Fay reported that the Reds were trying to hire Towers, the former Arizona GM, for a front office position.

"It hasn't been finalized," Jocketty told Fay at the time. "He's still trying to decide what to do."

Last week, C. Trent Rosecrans confirmed that Bill Bavasi, an assistant to Reds GM Walt Jocketty and former general of the Angels and the Mariners, accepted a job as head of Major League Scouting Bureau.

Assistant GM Bob Miller left the Reds recently. Miller was hired by the Nationals earlier this month.

More from the Reds in a release:

Towers, 53, spent the last 4 years as Executive Vice President and General Manager at Arizona and led the Diamondbacks to the West Division championship in 2011.

Towers has 18 years' experience as a Major League general manager. He spent 14 of those seasons as the GM for the from 1996-2009. During that period, the Padres won NL West Division championships in 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2006 and advanced to the World Series in 1998. Towers' 2007 club fell just shy of advancing to the Postseason for the third straight year after losing a tie-breaker game to the .

Schugel, 53, spent last season, his 31st in , as Special Assistant to Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren.

Before joining the Braves in 2014, Schugel spent 9 seasons with the of Anaheim as a Major League scout and then special assignment scout. He also worked in various scouting capacities for the (1987-91), Colorado Rockies (1993-2000) and (2000-04).

In other front office news, Vice President of Baseball Operations was named Vice President, Assistant General Manager; Director of Baseball Operations Nick Krallwas named Senior Director of Baseball Operations; Director of Baseball Research and Analysis Sam Grossman was named Senior Director of Baseball Analytics; Eric Lee was named Manager of Baseball Operations; and Bo Thompson was named Baseball Operations Analyst.

In the international scouting department, Director of Latin American Scouting Tony Arias was named Director, International Scouting; Assistant Director of Latin American Scouting Miguel Machado was named Assistant Director, International Scouting; Coordinator of Global Scouting Jim Stoeckel was named Director, Global Scouting; International Scout and Dominican Republic Scouting Coordinator Richard Jimenez was named Director, Latin American Scouting; and Dominican Republic scout Emmanuel Cartagena was named Scouting Coordinator, Dominican Republic.

Todd Frazier's price just went up John Fay

I've been saying all along that it makes sense for the Reds to try to extend the contracts of Todd Frazier and .

We got an idea of how expensive that will be in the case of Frazier. Kyle Seager and the agreed to a seven-year, $100 million extension Monday, according to multiple reports. Yahoo! Sports had the news first.

Salaries in MLB are largely based on "comparables." Frazier and Seager are about as comparable as they get.

Both are third basemen. Seager is 27; Frazier's 28. Both are arbitration-eligible for the first time. Seager hit .268/.334/.454 this season with 25 home runs and 96 RBI. Frazier hit .273/.336/.459 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI this year. Seager's WAR () was 5.8. Frazier's WAR was 5.3.

Contracts for players like Seager and Frazier tend to be back-loaded. When signed a six-year, $51 million deal in 2011, it was for $2.75 million, $5 million, $7.5 million, $10 million, $12 million and $12.5 million per year, with $13 million and a $1 million buyout for a seventh year.

So the Reds could probably swing it with Frazier for the first four years of a six- or seven-year deal, but those last years will be expensive.

MLB.COM

Reds have left-field options on free-agent market Aoki, Hunter, Morse, Rios among those available By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- With Thanksgiving days away, the Reds appear no to being able to say thanks for having more offense or a new to help the club in 2015.

There has been no significant movement in the low-to-mid-range free-agent market for left field, where Cincinnati and general manager Walt Jocketty are searching.

Last week, we took a look at various left fielders that were available for trades. This week, it's time to take a closer look at free- agent left fielders that are or should be on the Reds' radar.

Nori Aoki

Pros: During his one season in Kansas City, Aoki helped the Royals reach the World Series as their primary . Turning 33 in January, he brings the high OBP and consistent hitting the Reds need after he batted .285/.349/.360 in 2014. He could even potentially move ahead of speedster Billy Hamilton (.292 OBP last season) in the order as the table setter. Aoki is a left-handed hitter, but he has historically better offensive numbers vs. lefty .

Cons: Although never viewed as a , Aoki had 18 home runs in two seasons with the Brewers in 2012-13 and just one homer last season. His wins above replacement dropped from 3.4 in 2012 to just 1.0 in '14, a number often on the level of bench players. Normally a , he also has limited left-field experience. An above-average defensive player throughout his career, that shouldn't be as big of an issue at .

Torii Hunter

Pros: Sources say the Reds have not reached out to Hunter yet, but he could be an intriguing addition because he brings both his bat and significant leadership potential. Hunter hit .286/.319/.446 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs last season for the Tigers, after over .300 the two previous seasons. In the clubhouse, he's been praised in Minnesota, Anaheim and Detroit for his leadership skills, helping with younger players and not being afraid to speak his mind.

Cons: Hunter is 39 years old and nearing the end of his career. He also hasn't played much in left field since the late 1990s. His WAR has tumbled dramatically from a career-best 5.7 in 2012 to 0.4 in '14. A former winning center fielder with the Twins and Angels, his defense has also slipped. His slipped to minus-18.3 last season, and he had a negative-18 defensive runs saved. He also hasn't played left field since the 1990s. Recent reports have Hunter leaning toward a return to Minnesota.

Michael Morse

Pros: Morse brings some right-handed power after he hit 16 homers in 438 at-bats last season for the World Series winning Giants that play in the -friendly AT&T Park. Morse hit a career-high 31 homers with 95 RBIs for the Nationals in 2011. His .336 on-base percentage in '14 is on par with his career track record.

Cons: Morse strikes out quite a bit -- 121 times last season -- and isn't strong at all defensively. He has a career 1.0 WAR, -26.4 UZR and -15 DRS in left field.

Alex Rios

Pros: A two-time American League All-Star, Rios hit 25 homers with 91 RBIs as recently as 2012 with the White Sox. He'd complement Hamilton on the basepaths after stealing 17 last season with a career-high 42 steals in '13. Cons: The power has dropped significantly from Rios' bag of tricks, as he hit only four homers last season for the Rangers after having 18 in 2013. Injuries played a part in his '14 season and limited him to 131 games, which was the first time since '06 that he didn't play at least 145 games. Primarily a right fielder, his defensive stats have also dropped in recent seasons.

Colby Rasmus

Pros: A 2005 Cardinals first-round Draft pick when Jocketty ran that club, Rasmus has averaged 21 homers per season his last three years with the Blue Jays. His 18 homers last season came in only 376 plate appearances. In the 2013 season, he hit .276/.338/.501 with a .356 average on balls put into play (BABIP).

Cons: Rasmus' other production numbers have been in decline since his trade from St. Louis to Toronto in 2011. He batted just .225 with a .287 on-base percentage last season, and he struck out 124 times while his WAR dropped from 4.6 to 0.9. Primarily a center fielder, his advanced defensive metrics also dipped in 2014.

Chris Denorfia

Pros: There have been no talks as of yet with Denorfia, who came up through the Reds' organization and broke into the big leagues with them in 2005. He was often injured in Cincinnati before a trade to Oakland. He finally found a home with the Padres from 2010-14, where he played more regularly and was decent at getting on base. In 2013 for San Diego, he batted .279/.337/.395 with 10 homers, 47 RBIs and a 4.4 WAR.

Cons: With only 38 homers in over 2,100 plate appearances, Denorfia won't bring much in the way of power. He batted only .230/.284/.318 last season with the the Padres and Mariners, who added the 34-year-old at the Trade Deadline.

Reds add Towers, Schugel as special assistants to GM By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- The Reds completed some expected changes to the baseball operations side of their front office on Tuesday with the formal additions of Kevin Towers and Jeff Schugel as special assistants to general manager Walt Jocketty.

Towers was the Padres' GM from 1995-2009 and GM for the D-backs from 2010 until his dismissal in September. A longtime friend of Jocketty's, the 53-year-old will be a special assistant for player personnel.

Under Towers, San Diego reached the postseason four times, including the . He had been connected to the Reds in recent weeks, and was with Cincinnati's group in an unofficial capacity during the GM meetings.

MLB.com first reported the hiring of Schugel on Nov. 9 after the 53-year-old spent last season as a special assistant to former Braves GM Frank Wren.

Schugel, who has 31 years of experience working in baseball, will be a special assistant for pro scouting under Jocketty. Before last season, he spent seasons with the Angels as a Major League and special assignment scout. He's worked as a scout for the Twins, Rockies and Dodgers.

In other front office changes, vice president of baseball operations Dick Williams was named the vice president and assistant GM; Nick Krall was promoted to senior director of baseball operations; Sam Grossman moved up to senior director of baseball analytics; Eric Lee was named manager of baseball operations and Bo Thompson was named a baseball operations analyst.

The moves came after two recent departures. Assistant GM Bob Miller left the organization in October and is now in the same capacity with the Nationals. Vice president of scouting, player development and international scouting Bill Bavasi is also leaving to be the director of the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau.

Bobbleheads, Pick-6 ticket plan By Mark Sheldon / MLBlogs – Mark My Word

The Reds announced Tuesday that a “Nasty Boys” Pick-6 plan of tickets will go on sale on Monday. The pre-sale email went out today to many fans who have bought plans in previous years.

Buying this Pick-6 plan includes:

*Guaranteed Commemorative Nasty Boys Bobblehead on Sat., April 25 vs. the Cubs *Five additional games of your choice (excluding Opening Day and Postseason) *Six McDonald’s Extra Value Meals *Savings of up to 28 percent off regular ticket prices

Included in the email was a list of just some of the “Super Saturday” promotional dates for 2015, including bobbleheads. I can’t recall a year where this many bobblehead dates were held.

April 11 vs. STL — Todd Frazier bobblehead April 25 vs. CHC — Nasty Boys triple bobblehead of Myers, Charlton and Dibble May 16 vs. SF — Bobblehead TBA May 30 vs. WAS — Billy Hamilton bobblehead June 6 vs. SD — Bobblehead TBA June 20 vs. MIA — bobblehead July 4 vs. MIL — MLB All-Star Game bag July 18 vs. CLE — T-shirt giveaway Aug. 1 vs. PIT — Devin Mesoraco bobblehead Aug. 22 vs. ARI — Tony Perez statue Sept. 5 vs MIL — Reds beer stein Sept. 12 vs. STL — Bobblehead TBA Sept. 26 vs. NYM — All-Star logo bobblehead

TORONTO SUN

Jay Bruce could become Jays' Bruce 15 Bob-Elliott

TORONTO - Yes, the Blue Jays have inquired about Jay Bruce.

Yet there will have to be a lot of movement on both sides before Joey Votto's dear friend winds up in left field at the Rogers Centre next season.

Currently, the Jays are ready to open with a platoon of Andy Dirks and in left to replace free agent . Pillar made 30 starts for the 2014 Jays, while Dirks, recovering from back surgery, had 14 starts at three stops in the minor-league system.

Bruce, who will turn 28 next April, is coming off a horrible season with the Reds. He had 21 doubles, one triple, 18 homers, knocked in 66 runs and hit .217 in 137 games with a .654 OPS.

In Bruce's previous four seasons, the Great American Ball Park couldn't hold the left-handed hitter. He averaged 32 doubles, 30 homers, 94 RBIs, a .262 batting average and an .826 OPS.

Bruce has a $12 million US salary next season, $12.5 million in 2016, and has a $13 million option in 2017 which includes a $1 million buyout.

The Reds are looking for "inexpensive major-league ready players" according to scouts from another team familiar with what the Reds are seeking in trade talks.

You mean someone like lefty Sean Nolin, who was at triple-A Buffalo this season?

"More than that," said the scout. "And the way I heard it ... there was an 's' on the word players."

If the Reds want any of the Jays' young arms such as Drew Hutchison, or Alex Sanchez, that likely would be the end of those talks.

All make $600,000 or less.

And the Jays have big plans for all three.

The Jays could use a left-handed hitter in left field. They are listing heavily to the right side since left-handed hitters Adam Lind, and Anthony Gose have departed.

Lind was dealt to the for Marco Estrada, Gose went to the Tigers for , and Rasmus remains a free agent.

Rasmus lost his job in September, but owned the centre field job for 19 of the 20 months he was in a Jays uniform.

Right now from the left side the Jays have Dirks, plus switch-hitters Jose Reyes at , Mississauga’s Dalton Pompey in centre field, DH Justin Smoak, and /DH Dioner Navarro.

The search continues.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Reds hire Kevin Towers as special assistant to GM ByJoe Kay The Associated Press

CINCINNATI — The Reds hired former Arizona general manager Kevin Towers as a special assistant for player personnel on Tuesday.

Towers spent the last four years as general manager of the Diamondbacks. He also was general manager of the Padres from 1996- 2009.

He replaces Bob Miller, who spent nine seasons with the Reds, most recently as vice president and assistant general manager to Walt Jocketty. Miller was hired by the Nationals as assistant general manager earlier this month.

The Reds also hired Jeff Schugel as a special assistant for pro scouting. Schugel was a special assistant with the Braves last season. He also has worked with the Twins, Rockies, Dodgers and Angels during a 31-year career.

TRANSACTIONS

11/25/14 signed free agent 3B Pablo Sandoval. signed free agent 1B Adam LaRoche. Boston Red Sox designated C for assignment. San Diego Padres sent Yeison Asencio outright to El Paso Chihuahuas. Milwaukee Brewers sent Ariel Pena outright to Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Minnesota Twins sent Anthony Swarzak outright to Rochester Red Wings. Los Angeles Angels sent Jackson Williams outright to Salt Lake Bees. Los Angeles Angels sent Michael Roth outright to Salt Lake Bees. Los Angeles Angels sent Alfredo Marte outright to Salt Lake Bees. signed free agent 3B Cord Phelps to a minor league contract and invited him to . Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent 3B Chris Nelson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent C Rene Garcia to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Detroit Tigers sent CF Ezequiel Carrera outright to . Chicago White Sox designated RHP Scott Carroll for assignment. Boston Red Sox designated 3B Juan Francisco for assignment. Boston Red Sox signed free agent LF Hanley Ramirez.