The official press releases on three player moves are now posted to the Reds' official website:

Alex Gonzalez, SS, and Mike Stanton, P, are signed to free agent contracts. The official press releases state “terms of the deal were not disclosed”.

However, the deal for Gonzalez is being reported as threee years, $14 million with a $6 million mutual option for a fourth year (and a $500,000 buyout). The deal for Stanton is being reported as two years, $5.5 million, with a vesting option for 2009.

The third deal is Jason LaRue to Kansas City for two minor league mascots and an autographed picture of Jim Sundberg.

Just kidding. It's LaRue to the Royals for a player to be named later. Some reports say no cash was involved, others say the Reds included an undisclosed amount of cash in the deal. If I had to guess, the deal LaRue signed under previous GM O'Brien was a two-year, $9.1 million contract. Since he was traded after Oct. 15, his 2007 salary would jump from $5.2 million to $5.45 million. My best guess would be that the Reds might have made up the difference. And, presumably this cements Javy Valentin's position as the backup to David Ross, which ought to brighten RHM's day.

Anyway, it's official - in with Gonzo and Stanton and out with LaRue. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit back and wait for RHM to post something on these moves before I comment further. After all, it's her blog. :-)

HMZ

Marc says (and a Royals press release confirms) that the Reds have traded Jason LaRue to Kansas City for a player to be named later:

According to a baseball source, the Reds are on the verge of trading catcher Jason LaRue to the Kansas City Royals. The Reds will receive a player to be named later. No cash involved in the deal.

Of course you know I favored the idea of trading David Ross for something over trading LaRue for nothing, but without knowing what the demand was for Ross, it's hard to complain. Anyway, I supposed that could still happen. Probably not, though, because Krivsky has already demonstrated an obvious distaste for anyone he didn't personally bring into the organization.

The good news: LaRue gets to hang with Luke Hudson again. We at RHM wish LaRue the best of luck.

Marc and others are citing a report on FOX Sports that the Reds will announce a deal with left-handed reliever Mike Stanton:

The Reds, moving to reinforce their bullpen, have reached agreement on a two-year contract with free-agent left-hander Mike Stanton, FOXSports.com has learned.

The deal, pending a physical, will include a vesting option for a third season.

Stanton, 39, pitched for both the Nationals and Giants last season, finishing with a 3.99 ERA in 672/3 innings.

A two year contract for a 39-year old pitcher? I know he's left-handed, but gosh. And does this mean the Reds will discontinue trying to sign Scott Schoeneweis? He is the devil we know, after all.

Marc also mentions another FOX report that the Cubs are close to finalizing a deal with Alfonso Soriano:

Soriano, 30, is believed to be seeking an eight-year deal for approximately $17 million per season, which could put the total value of his package in the range of $135 million.

A MLB source told the Associated Press on Sunday afternoon that the two sides had reached a preliminary agreement on a deal that is contingent on Soriano passing a physical.

Soriano AND Marquis? Those Cubs are out of control!

It's time once again to unveil the Red Hot Mama year-end book, and again it's just in time for your stocking stuffing needs. And I say that phrase entirely without double entendre because this year's book is free from provocative cover art, dirty words, and rehashed material. This year I'm pleased to present

Red Hot Mama's Super Fun Activity Book For Kids

Reds General Manager Wayne “Kriv-dawg” Krivsky isn't talking yet, but Peter Gammons has reported that the Reds have signed a 3-year, $14 million deal with Alex Gonzalez. (Via Marc)

As should be no surprise given Krivsky's priorities, Gonzales is hot with the glove, not so much with the bat. There is an upside to having a shiny new 100-strikeout kind of guy on the team, though: he can take some of the pressure off Adam Dunn.

More on this as the story develops.