Most may disagree with me but here is what I think the Reds need to do in the offseason.

NOTHING!

Lets break down position by position

Starting pitching:

Harang
Arroyo
Volquez
Cueto
Rameriez/Bailey/Thompson/Owings

The Reds do not need to sign a 5th starter this year, ie another Josh Fogg.  If they are going to add anohter starter then it needs to be someone along the lines of a top line starter such as Sabathia.  Otherwise let the young guys fill the 5th role.

Relief pitching:  Again unless its a top reliever go with the young guys, maybe resign Alfeldt.

Outfield:
Bruce
Dickerson
Harriston Jr. 


1B  Votto
2B  Phillips
3B  Encarnarcion
SS Gonzalez
C   Hannigan

Bench:
Ryan Freel
Jeff Keppenger
Backup catcher - maybe a signing is needed here

Unless the Reds are signing top teir talent at the starting positions, they need to avoid more Corey Patterson type signings and go with the youth movement.  The guys are playing hard and deserve the chance to continue playing.  Any thoughts?

As a season ticket holder the Reds have allowed me to offer discounted Reds tickets for Friday & Sunday's Reds/Mets game this weekend in field box, outfield terrace & view level sections saving up to $10 off face value.  If you are interested email me dsb90@aol.com and I'll email you the coupon email from the Reds. 

Scott

Ok, so I've been talking about how to fix the Reds attendance problems.  Like everything else wrong with the team it can't be done overnight.

1. Redo the price structure for 2009.  Its too late to do so for 2008 and still be fair to the season ticket holders though it is obvious to anyone who knows economics that the Reds prices are too high for the demand in most sections of the ballpark outside of opening day and special series such as the Red Sox, Indians, etc. 

           a.  Go back to the 2003 price structure and sections with one exception, instead of the left and right upper deck corners being the $5 seats, have the top 6 rows as $5 seats and only sold day of the game unless there is a sell out.  
           b.  Continue to price for demand. In other words keep the normal, select, premeir series packages.  Opening day, Cubs series,  and if we play the World Series champs should all be at premeir pricing.  Most divisional games and the Indians series should be at the select pricing. 
           c. Dump sportservice and operate the concessions from internal.   My educated guess is food prices could be lowered and more revenue could be generated than what the current system provides.   Yes I know no one else does that in the majors but that is not a legitimate reason not to be different.
           d.  Continue and expand the all you can eat sections/ticket options.  I suggested in a blog comment that it should be for any section, though would be tough to police one person buying for his entire gang unless you made it mandatory when ordering the all you can eat pass that you had to have one pass per seat you purchased and p**** would need to be bought along with tickets.

2.  Now that we covered pricing, lets cover promotions and marketing.  I'm not talking about the free trinket giveaway's either.  What can the Reds do to make them the happening place to be when they are in town.

I had written a blog earlier but somehow it got lost when I hit back by accident on my browser.  Anyway welcome Jay Bruce, lets hope the adulation you are receiving now continues through your career, Reds fans are fickle and pessimistic and will be ready to turn on you the moment you struggle. 

I'm hoping Patterson will be cut though it will probably be Hatteberg who has been basically been unused most of the season. 

Looking at 2009 salary wise, Stanton and Castro make up  just under 2 million dollars of the payroll.  It will cost 4 million to not take Griffey's option next year, my guess is if they can't trade him they try to work out a Larkin like last year contract.  Alex G. is set to make 5.3 million next year.  Also receiving big raises will be Harang, Cordero, & Arroyo.  Freel also will make 4 million next year.  However gone will be Todd Coffey's near million dollar contract, Corey Patterson's 3 million dollars, Weather's 3.3 million, Fogg's 1 million, and more than likely Belisle's 1.2 million.  Will be an interesting offseason for sure, I still say try to work out a 2 year deal with 1-2 year option for Dunn for next year, at least until Drew Stubbs is ready to join the MLB team.