I had this e-mail from the Reds awaiting me when I got home from work:

Cincinnati Reds chief executive officer Bob Castellini today announced Wayne Krivsky as the club's general manager. Krivsky signed a two-year contract through the 2007 season with two one-year mutual options.

Castellini will introduce Krivsky, who has 30 years of front office experience, at a 6 p.m. ET press conference tonight in the field level interview room at Great American Ball Park.

Krivsky joins the Reds from the Minnesota Twins organization, where he had been the special assistant or assistant GM to Terry Ryan since 1994.

Just hours before, my boss had read that Beattie was a shoe-in for the position, probably from the increasingly-desperate-to-get-the-scoop Hal McCoy, and came by to tell me that he used to play pick-up basketball with Beattie in college. I was so excited.

Oh well. I guess a candidate that's a better evaluator of talent is worth giving up my in for.

This is exciting. I wonder what Krivsky will be able to get done before spring training. So many possibilities.

According to Marc:

The Reds and Felipe Lopez have agreed to terms on a $2.7 million contract for this season, avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for next Wednesday. Lopez had asked for $3 million in his arbitration filing and the Reds had offered $2.15 million.

I was starting to wonder whether the Reds' fabled ability to avoid arbitration was a casualty of the ownership change. Now there's just one left: Mr. Dunn. What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall at that arbitration case.

The Reds began interviewing General Manager candidates today and continue all this week. The list of candidates is up to seven:

1. Brad Kullman, Reds interim GM and Director of Baseball Operations
2. Johnny Almarez, Reds Director of International Scouting
3. Leland Maddox, Reds Special Assistance to the General Manager
4. Jim Beattie, recently-hired Special Advisor to Bob Castellini
5. Wayne Krivsky, Assistant GM for the Minnesota Twins
6. John Mozeliak, Assistant GM for the St. Louis Cardinals
7. Mike Arbuckle, Assistant GM for the Philadelphia Phillies

I'd like to give more information on these guys, but I just don't know it and I'm running out of time to do research before the decision is made. Nevertheless, I'm sure it'll be an exciting contest.

UPDATE 2/1/2006: I purposely delayed putting up this post in hopes that the public list would be stable, so now they've added a new name:

8. Frank Wren, Assistant GM for the Atlanta Braves

Marc says:

Veteran reliever Rick White has agreed to a one-year, $600,000 major league contract with the Reds. He also could earn up to $300,000 more in performance bonuses.

White, 37, is a lifelong resident of Springfield, Ohio. He made 71 appearances for the Pirates last year, going 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA and picking up a couple of saves. He has 520 career big-league appearances for the Pirates, Devil Rays, Mets, Rockies, Cardinals, White Sox, Astros and Indians.

The Reds will have to make a move to free up a slot on the 40-man roster. Could this be the end of the Bubba Nelson era?

I don't know about a 37-year old pitcher, but it's hard to quibble about the price. And with Gabe White gone, Rick White will fill that gaping White-Guy-Out-of-the-Bullpen hole that he left behind.

Former Expos and Orioles general manager Jim Beattie started as special advisor to owner Bob Castellini today. Beattie is one of the potential candidates for the GM position, along with our own interim GM, Brad Kullman.

Redleg Nation linked to a two part interview with Kullman on Baseball Prespectus. I didn't read it all, but I was very surprised to see someone from the Reds organization actually give details. It was sort of…thrilling. Like being let in on a big secret. Ooh!

Just for that, he has my early support.

Speaking of Reds General Managers, Dan O'Brien offered his final words about his tenure with Cincinnati to the media today. You can read them over here. As far as parting shots go, they're not parting shots at all. Did he storm about losing his job at all or is O'Brien really this mature? Perhaps he should consider a career as a high school guidance counsellor; he's got the patience for it and he's certainly used to taking the crap.

In other Reds news, former Reds pitcher Ted Power joined the management as the organization's Pitching Rehabilitation Coordinator. I've never heard of a Pitching Rehabilitation Coordinator, but if there's one team that needs one, it's the Reds. Plus, Power provides the ever-important opportunities for headline puns, so this is clearly an all-around good move.