Tonight I finally emerged from my Harry Potter novel, bleary-eyed and squinting in the bright-light that is the baseball world, to chat with the CTS about the goings on of our favorite team. The conversation meandered quite a bit, but I’m sure we covered the basics:

• The deal that sent Brian “Love” Shackelford to Tampa Bay in exchange for Jorge Cantu
• The deal that sent Kyle Lohse to Philly in exchange for Matt “Abalone” Maloney
• The likelihood of anything else happening.
• The rise to prominence of some familiar fan faces in the Cincinnati media
• The standings in the NLC

Episode 69: The Day Before the Deadline (22.0MB, 32:07)

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Paul Daugherty is painful to listen to, but you need to do it anyway. Joel's on the show!
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Also read the story in The Enquirer that started this off. If they were to trade Bronson Arroyo, what would become of David Ross?

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Reds executive vice president and general manager Wayne Krivsky today announced the acquisition of LHP Matt Maloney from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for RHP Kyle Lohse.

Maloney, 23, this season at Philadelphia's Class AA Reading affiliate went 9-7 with a 3.94 ERA and 1 complete game in 21 starts. He allowed just 117 hits while striking out 115 batters in 125.2 innings. He leads the Eastern League in innings pitched and ranks fourth in strikeouts.

The Phillies' third-round draft pick in 2005, Maloney entered this season rated by Baseball America as the ninth-best prospect in the Phillies' organization. In 2006, in just his second professional season, he was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year after going 16-9 with a 2.03 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 27 starts and 168.2 innings pitched for Lakewood. He led the SAL in victories, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Maloney will report to Class AA Chattanooga.

Lohse, 28, this season went 6-12 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts. In his 21 appearances, the Reds went 8-13.

The Reds have acquired IF Jorge Cantu, OF Shaun Cumberland, and cash from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for P Brian Shackelford, P Calvin Medlock, and future considerations.

The key to the deal for the Reds would be Cantu, who is 25 years old and has played mostly 2B and 3B in the majors, with a handful of appearances at 1B and one at SS. In 2005, his best season with the Devil Rays, he put up .286/.311/.497 BA/OBP/SLG with a 112 OPS, hitting 40 doubles, 28 HRs, and collecting 117 RBI. The writers in Tampa voted him the D-Rays' MVP that year.

The following year was an injury-plagued letdown, and although he hit a respectable .255 this spring he was beaten out by B.J. Upton and ended up being one of the final cuts in spring training, reportedly due in part to being defensively suspect. He was not happy and let it known that he wished to be traded. He did get called up several weeks later, but mostly sat on the bench, and a week ago Thursday was sent to Class-AAA Durham. He again asked to be traded, telling reporters in St. Petersberg, “I'm not a minor league player. I think a change of scenery would be best” and “I don't have anything to prove down there. I guess I have to go.”

His agent is Steve Canter, who has compared Cantu's situation to Milton Bradley and Shea Hillebrand and characterized Cantu as “an experienced second baseman with a power bat.”

The Reds, of course, already have one of those in Brandon Phillips, so it remains to be seen what the future holds for Cantu with the Reds' organization. He's on the 40-man roster but will be assigned to Louisville.

I would be remiss in my duties as Crack Hard Facts Staff if I were to fail to report that Cantu also has, or had, his own blog. Although there hasn't been a new entry since August 23, 2006, you can get a glimpse of Cantu up close and personal by visiting Jose Cantu's World:

http://jorgecantu.mlblogs.com/

Shaun Cumberland is 22 years old with no major league experience. He'll be assigned to Chattanooga. He was playing at Class-AA Montgomery, where he was hitting .246 with half a dozen dingers and 34 ribbies. Last season he was at Class-A Vidalia California League), where he hit .258 with 16 homers and a hundred ribbies and swiped 28 bases, but struck out 133 times in 530 at-bats.

My first week on the new job has kept me pretty busy, so I'm a little late sending some love to my homeboys in Redsland.

Deaner at Blue Collar Baseball makes an argument for moving back the walls at Great American Ball Park. I can't agree with the part about slugging being expensive--the Reds can't drop a series without hitting a cheap up-and-coming slugger with it--but the unwillingness of good free-agent pitchers to come to town seems relevant.

Redleg Nation has started a Reds podcast. Welcome to the party, boys!

I love to see the phrase Latin Love Machine popping up again. Thanks, Shawn.