It's not the Weaver some people want, but in a story on DallasNews.com, Evan Grant hypothesizes that Jered Weaver could land with Cincinnati:

Jayson in Arlington: Do the Rangers go after Jared Weaver if they fail to lure the Rocket to Arlington? Or do they really need to take a risk on him? I think Rupe or Dominguez would be just as good, if not better bets. Thanks Evan. Great work.

Evan Grant: I don't think so. It sounds to me like Weaver will end up with the Los Angeles Angels or Cincinnati. The Rangers would be willing to make a pitch for Clemens because, well, he's Clemens and he'd basically pay for himself in increased revenue. Weaver would not. It would not be quite the no-risk situation of Clemens.

If he hadn't just been drafted in 2004 and with the flurry of activity we've seen out of our team the last few days, they almost could have already gotten young Weaver and snuck him through between Quinton McCracken and Tuffy Rhodes while everyone was making more Bong jokes.

Happy almost Valentine's Day: Dunn is signed. As usual, Marc has the details:

Adam Dunn has agreed to a two-year deal with a club option for 2008. Dunn will get $7.5 million this year, $10.5 million in 2007 and $13 million if the option is picked up. The buyout of that year is $500,000.

Thank goodness. He'll be able to afford that splint now.

According to an article on the official site, the Reds have signed free agent Scott Hatteburg to a 1-year contract:

Krivsky's latest move was adding veteran first baseman Scott Hatteberg, who agreed to terms with Cincinnati on a one-year contract on Sunday. Terms were not immediately revealed.

Hatteberg, an 11-year Major League veteran, batted .256 with seven home runs and 59 RBIs in 134 games last season with the Athletics. A lifetime .268 hitter, the 36-year-old spent the last four years in Oakland, and was with Boston from 1995 to 2001.

The article says that Hatteberg will back up Dunn at first base, but I think that has to be crap. Valentín, LaRue, Cruz--Hell, even Griffey--could back up at first occasionally. I think the Reds only sign a major league first baseman if they're going to need a starting first baseman.

That would make sense if the corresponding roster move that's to be announced tomorrow will be a trade. According to Joel Sherman in the New York Post, Kearns is ripe to be traded for young arms this spring, but I'm not sold. Outfielders we have, and trading Kearns wouldn't mean Dunn would have to move back to left field.

I'm also highly suspicious that Dunn isn't signed yet and that Krivsky's answers to questions about his contract in the Q&A in the Enquirer today are almost O'Brien-ian in their avoidance of actual information.

Then again, after the way Kullman made it sound like the team would bend over (backward) to avoid an arbitration case, maybe Krivsky is just trying to take back a little of team's advantage.

I guess time will tell. In the mean time, I'm perfectly happy to have Hatteburg on board. He's sure to be in the running for the Hottest Red Award in 2006.

Nobody asked me for an audio recap of this week in Redsland, but I put one together anyway. It's pretty much just an opportunity for me to practice and try some stuff out. So, if you're in the mood to sit through about two minutes of Reds news you already knew while I struggle to come to terms with the sound of my own voice, then by all means click here.

Red Hot Mama Reviews Reds News for February 11, 2006. (1.34 MB, 1:55)

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No sooner has General Manager Wayne Krivsky fired his interim predecessor, but he's wowed us with two huge signings: Timoniel Perez and Michael Gosling.

Perez is a 28-year old outfielder who has played for the Mets and White Sox. He signed a minor-league contract with no invitation to spring training.

Gosling is a 25-year old LHP whom the Reds picked up off waivers from the Daimondbacks. The Reds DFA'd Luke Hudson to make room for Gosling on the 40-man roster, and rumor has it that Gosling will be in the thick of the competition for our highly contested fifth spot in the rotation.

Oh yeah! Can you tell how excited I am?? Woo-hoo!

Aw, you see right through me.

It's nothing against Perez and Gosling. These are perfectly adequate moves. It's just that my expectations are unrealistically high. After the way Castellini swooped in and changed the face of the team so abruptly, I guess I was hoping his man make similarly spectacular moves. Maybe land Clemens like Chad at RLN (and the Reds Choose-Your-Own-Adventure) suggests.

In the meantime, I'll work on getting genuinely excited. After all, the Power Pack went on sale today.