I talked to Reds GM Walt Jocketty Friday afternoon. He was at the airport waiting for a flight to Chicago, where will be attending the GM meetings.

Among the topics:

* Catcher Ramon Hernandez is definitely not having his $8.5 million option picked up and will get the buyout for $1 million. The Reds want Hernandez back, however.

"We're not going to pick up the option," Jocketty said on Friday. "We have been talking with his agent and trying to negotiate a new deal. We're hoping he comes back."

Hernandez would be a Type B free agent on the market, which means the Reds would get a first-round sandwich pick if he's offered arbitration and signs elsewhere.

* When asked about the Brewers trading shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Twins for CF Carlos Gomez, Jocketty said the Reds had interest in Hardy.

"We talked to [the Brewers] several times," Jocketty said. "We didn't match up and they didn't want to trade within our division, which was understandable."

* Jocketty wants to retain catcher Corky Miller and outfielder Darnell McDonald after they were sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. Miller was signed to a 2010 contract with Louisville.

* As for arbitration eligible outfielders Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix, "we've talked a little bit," Jocketty said.

* In more moves revealed later, infielder Danny Richar was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, was outrighted off the roster and elected free agency. 1B Kevin Barker was outrighted off the roster and elected free agency; RHP Justin Lehr was signed to a one-year Major League contract through the 2010 season and then was outrighted to Louisville.

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The Reds sent catcher Corky Miller and OF Darnell McDonald outright to Triple-A Louisville. By my count, that puts the 40-man roster at 37 players with three more players (Volquez, Lincoln and Castillo) on the 60-day DL that still need to be added.

The Bill James Handbook 2010 is out and the respected baseball statistician has his Reds forecast for key hitters and pitchers.

Key Reds Hitters (by OPS)
Player        At-bats  R  HR RBI  SB  Avg. OPS
Joey Votto  502  80 27  90 7  .311 .947
Jay Bruce   574  92  38  95  10  .274 .877
Todd Frazier 507  61 17  69  9 .278 .807
B. Phillips   613  85  21  81  22  .269 .756
Drew Stubbs 544  76 11  51  51 .267 .726

Notice the No. 3 guy on the list -- James thinks very highly of prospect Todd Frazier. The infielder/outfielder could be an interesting subplot when Spring Training gets here.

Key Reds Pitchers (by ERA)
Player                IP  W L K  SV    ERA
Bronson Arroyo 210  11  12 144 0 4.11
Aaron Harang 211  11 12 179  0 4.18
Johnny Cueto 174 9  10 155  0 4.40

Apologies for the blog silence lately. There hasn't been much going on and I didn't want to waste your time by making stuff up. Once the World Series concludes next week, things should start ramping up.

In the meantime, here are some things to keep in mind:

Redsfest tickets go on sale on Monday...of course, they can be purchased at reds.com. It will be held on Dec. 4-5 at the Duke Energy Center.

Click here for more information:

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/fan_forum/redsfest.jsp

A list of players expected to attend isn't out yet but a majority of players under contract are usually on hand, as are several prospects and former players. In the past few years since Redsfest came back after a layoff, it's been a top notch event. If you like baseball and need an itch to scratch, check it out.

I've been getting e-mails about the releasing of a Spring Training schedule for the first camp at Goodyear. All I know is it's likely to come some time in November so keep checking back. Deposits for Spring Training season tickets are being accepted now.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/spring_training/tickets.jsp?c_id=cin

There should be another edition of the Reds Inbox next week. Feel free to click on the comment link below if you'd like to get a question in. You can also send them by e-mail or via Twitter.

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I'm sure the next time a sports fan in Cincinnati feels bad for one in Cleveland, it will be the first time. But you can't help but wince a little for Indians fans when seeing the World Series Game 1 starting pitcher match-up.

Cliff Lee for the Phillies vs. CC Sabathia for the Yankees. They were the last two American League Cy Young Award winners...for the Indians. Sabathia in 2007 and Lee in 2008.

Ouch.

Of course, the Indians just had a lousy season and face a long road back to contender status.

My prediction for what it's worth -- Phillies will win the Series in seven games even though I don't like the week-long layoff they'll get.

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The postseason has kept the news largely focused on the teams still playing and those with managerial vacancies. The Reds have been largely under the radar.

Some stuff to think about in the coming weeks:

The 40-man roster has to be set by Nov. 20. Among the prospects that will need protection are Chris Heisey, Travis Wood and Chris Valaika. Players drafted and signed at age 19 or older get four years in the minors before they have to be protected on a 40-man roster. The wait is five years for players taken at age 18 or younger. That means the Reds can wait one more year on Todd Frazier, who taken out of college in 2007.

"We're in the process on developing a plan," Reds GM Walt Jocketty said on Thursday. "We have a number of players to protect on our 40-man roster, which means we have a lot of tough decisions on guys to keep on the roster or not."

The $8.5 club option ($1M buyout) must be exercised or declined on catcher Ramon Hernandez. That doesn't have to be decided until soon after the World Series. My take: the Reds won't pick up the option but will try to re-negotiate for a lower-priced deal.

The shortstop situation is still fluid. Look for the Reds to scan the trade market.

Here are some other key dates:

Dec. 1, 2009
Last date for former Club to offer their free agents salary arbitration to receive compensation.

Dec. 7-10, 2009
Winter Meetings, Indianapolis. The Rule 5 Draft is Dec. 10 before everyone bugs out.

Dec. 12, 2009
Tender deadline

I was out of town when Bryan Price was named the pitching coach on Saturday. It sounds like a decent hire to me. Price was in Arizona with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren (and Micah Owings) and was in Seattle when young ace Felix Hernandez came to the Majors.

Jocketty liked Price's ability as a teacher of young pitchers that can also handle the veterans well.

"He has experience teaching at the minor league level as a coordinator and coach and he's had success at the Major League level," Jocketty said. "He's not a household name but once people see the work he does and how he relates with the pitchers, they'll see why we liked him."

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My Milwaukee colleague Adam McCalvy first reported this but the Reds have now confirmed on Friday that they received an undisclosed amount of cash from the Brewers to complete the Aug. 9 trade for reliever David Weathers.

Now 40 years old, Weathers posted a 3.92 ERA in 68 games combined with the Reds and Brewers this season. Milwaukee holds a $3.7 million option on Weathers for 2010.

Considering I had to wear a pink construction helmet and duck machinery the last time I was out there in May, I'm liking the pictures I'm seeing from the Reds' new facility in Goodyear, Ariz. Instructional league is underway and the Reds are holding their formal "ribbon cutting" on Friday. There are also open houses on Friday and Saturday so if you're in the vicinity, stop over.

In the meantime, check out this photo gallery. Spring Training is around the corner, sort of.

Also -- Reds assistant director of media relations Jamie Ramsey has become the latest to start a Reds blog, Better Off Red. When you have a chance, check it out.

In a compliment that is in no way a shameless attempt to gain favor, Jamie is a great guy to work with and his wit shown in the minor league report has become appointment reading for people in the press box. His ongoing fashion jabs at Thom Brennaman's pants could one day result in a battle royale that will be folklore through the generations. Is that an enticing promo or what?

As I wrote in a story on Monday, the Reds efforts to hire a new pitching coach are reaching the interviews stage some time this week while Walt Jocketty presides over meetings in Goodyear, Ariz.

A defined list of candidates isn't known and unlike the Astros, which revealed their candidates for their managerial vacancy and the schedule for the interviews, Jocketty and the Reds aren't likely to be as open about the process and will say little until there is a hire.

"We don't have a timetable but we want to get it done sooner than later," Jocketty said on Monday. "When we find the right guy, we'll move on it."

There isn't a shortage of pitching coaches without teams --- former A's and Mets coach Rick Peterson expressed his interest already. Former Diamondbacks coach Bryan Price is also out there. As is Chris Bosio, who was the Brewers interim coach this season and until a couple of years ago, was in the Reds minor league system as the coach with Double-A Chattanooga. To the best of my knowledge, former Braves pitching guru Leo Mazzone hasn't worked in baseball since he was let go by the Orioles. Carl Willis was just fired by the Indians but once presided over pitchers like Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.

Of course, everyone is waiting to see what Dave Duncan does with the Cardinals.

Inside the organization, Ted Power worked with several members of the staff already at Triple-A Louisville. There is pitching coordinator Mack Jenkins. And then there is Mario Soto, who is well liked but has previously resisted the idea of being a full time coach in the Majors.

Of all the candidates, Duncan would likely be the most costly. It'd be like shelling out millions on a free agent player. You have to wonder what implications that would have on the payroll and the ability to add or keep players. Would that be worth it to you?

In the latest installment of "Fans play the GM," who would you hire?

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