Spring Training has begun, and the Reds have been busy.

For starters, Edwin Encarnacion avoided arbitration hours before his hearing by signing a 2-year deal worth $7.6 million. Personally, I’m a little surprised that the Reds are investing any money in offense. Their track record this off season has been anything but good in that regard.

In other news, the key player in the Adam Dunn trade, Micah Owings, seems to be ready to pitch this year. He was basically damaged goods last year when the Reds received him. Unlike the nefarious Gary Majewski, the Reds knew about this injury beforehand. Hopefully, he’ll rebound. However, even if he can’t pitch, there’s plenty of gaping holes in the Reds offense to find use for Owings’ impressive bat.

And lastly, the great vanishing shortstop Alex Gonzalez has actually spent time on the ballfield this year. Obviously, it can’t last long. For whatever reason, Gonzalez has seriously pissed off the great karmic powers of the universe. Should he last long enough to get a Reds bobblehead, they should have him seated on a horse with one leg in the air.