Retooling Reds missing big bopper

CINCINNATI -- The Reds have been methodically crossing off items from their offseason list, but the one need that was once identified as the most pressing remains unchecked.

There is no veteran right-handed presence to wedge between lefty hitters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. No big-bat wielding left fielder. No consummate cleanup hitter.

If this week's signing of super-utility player Jerry Hairston Jr. is the final significant move made this offseason, the Reds could be heading to Sarasota, Fla., next month with an assembled puzzle still missing a piece.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty seems prepared for that possibility.

"We're still looking, but we may just go to camp with what we have," Jocketty said on Wednesday after Hairston's signing was announced. "We are certainly open to what develops or shakes out at Spring Training. A lot of guys are still not signed and may go unsigned for a while."

Free agent left fielder Pat Burrell was scooped up by the Rays earlier this week, and Rocco Baldelli joined the Red Sox on Thursday. The list of righty-hitting outfielders drops off big time from there, with names such as Eric Hinske, Jonny Gomes, Craig Monroe and Gabe Kapler. There seems to be little interest in the lefty-hitting free agents such as Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson, Cliff Floyd and former Reds player Adam Dunn.

On the trade market, the Yankees have a surplus of outfielders and could be willing to deal either Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady, with Nady being the most likely to be moved. The Yankees need starting pitching in return and probably wouldn't settle for anyone less than a Reds veteran such as Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang.

Hairston, Chris Dickerson, Norris Hopper, and possibly non-roster invite Laynce Nix, are the main in-house options for left field. Dickerson, a lefty hitter, impressed as a late-season rookie, but the Reds want to see more. Hopper missed most of last season with an elbow injury, and Hairston could still be needed at shortstop if Alex Gonzalez isn't ready.

Without Dunn, the Reds currently have just one hitter -- Brandon Phillips -- that scored 100 runs during a season, and just two guys that have ever totaled 90 RBIs for a season in Phillips and new catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Run production was a big problem in 2008 for Cincinnati, which was ranked 12th out of 16 National League teams in runs scored. The Reds' .240 average with runners in scoring position was ranked at the league's bottom.

With Votto being 25 years old and Bruce 22 on Opening Day, they'll be under the type of heavy pressure that usually comes with being the biggest bats on the team. And that could be a lot to ask of younger guys. The 2005 Twins, coming off three straight division titles, tried to press forward without signing a big right-handed bat and relied heavily on young lefty hitters Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Minnesota had trouble scoring runs all year and missed the postseason.

Phillips, who had 30 homers two seasons ago, seems to be the Reds' likely choice for cleanup hitter. Although the 27-year-old projects more as a sixth hitter because he's an RBI guy with a lower career on-base percentage, he's a decent cleanup hitter when a lefty is on the mound. Phillips' on-base-slugging percentage is an average of 257 points higher vs. lefties than righties.

If scoring runs is an issue, so could be getting men on base to set up scoring chances. The Reds' team on-base percentage of .321 was tied for 13th in the NL. Free-agent center fielder Willy Taveras was signed to bolster the leadoff spot, but he had an OBP of just .308 last season, and in 538 plate appearances, walked just 36 times. He did lead the Majors with 68 steals.

The Reds will need Taveras to be closer to the player he was in 2007, when he had a .367 OBP and beat the ball on the ground for infield hits. Hairston was optimistic about the current makeup of the Reds' lineup, which could be the first small ball and speed team regularly deployed at the home run haven known as Great American Ball Park.

"Just being part of that lineup with Willy and myself, two guys that can run and get on base, for guys like Joey Votto and Jay Bruce -- that really appeals to me," Hairston said Wednesday. "I'm definitely excited about being in that lineup."

But will it make the Reds more appealing in the standings? That question will be answered in a few months.