Cincinnati Reds

Johnny Cueto has reportedly provided a deadline for the Cincinnati Reds to discuss a contract extension.

Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty finally made a significant play on the last day of the winter meetings, flipping Alfredo Simon for two of Detroit's top-10 prospects before swapping Mat Latos for two promising young talents from Miami.

When you also consider the departures of other names such as Jonathan Broxton, Ryan Ludwick, Jack Hannahan, Logan Ondrusek and Chris Heisey, in total, the Reds have shed about $30 million in payroll.

The Cincinnati Reds made headlines Thursday with two big trades in which they parted with two of their five starting pitchers from the 2014 season.

In the early a.m. on Thursday, I gave Walt Jocketty a C- for his participation in the winter meetings. This was clearly before Mr. Jocketty's phone went nitro and things started to move.

With an array of talented pitchers eligible for free agency next season, the Cincinnati Reds—unlikely to re-sign them all—are a logical trade partner for teams looking to improve their staff.     

Unsurprisingly, Johnny Cueto, the man at the top of Cincy's rotation, is the most desirable. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal has the newest rumor: 

With executives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams in San Diego for the winter meetings, eye-opening names were bound to be discussed. The Cincinnati Reds have apparently decided to stoke the hot-stove fires by adding closer Aroldis Chapman to their list of available talent.     

Coming off a 2014 season that was disappointing for both the Cincinnati Reds and Jay Bruce, it's being reported the club might be dangling the two-time All-Star outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The Cincinnati Reds may have had a disappointing season on the field, but that doesn't mean ownership has lost faith in the work of general manager Walt Jocketty. 

Per Major League Baseball's official Twitter account, Jocketty has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Cincinnati through 2016. 

The Cincinnati Reds are wrapping up a disappointing 2014 season, and there are a few things the organization must do this offseason in order to make sure next season goes much better.

Bryan Price's first season as manager didn't go as planned. Fans can put the majority of the blame on injuries, but there is no question that the team could use some help even when its healthy.

The to-do list for the 2014-2015 Cincinnati Reds offseason seems to grow by the day as more and more rumors surrounding the dealing of Aroldis Chapman, Brandon Phillips and others circulate. And while a 72-84 record is bad enough to make the short to-do a whole laundry list of items, the truth is, there is still real talent on this 2014 product beyond the obvious talent.