Some former Cincinnati Reds made the transaction news today, one of them more thankfully former than the rest.

First off, the replaceable Willy Taveras should give his agent a raise. Taveras signed with the Colorado Rockies today. Sure it’s only for a minor league deal, but Taveras has not been productive in the majors for a long time, despite his young age of 29. This marks Taveras’ fifth organization since being a blocker on the Reds in 2009, including the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and the Washington Nationals.

Next up, Micah Owings, a player the Reds never figured out exactly what to do with, returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Owings signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and received an invite to Spring Training. Arizona plans to use him as a pitcher and as a power bat off the bench. I still can’t help but feel that Owings would be better off focusing on hitting. He has so much power.

Lastly, the one and only Todd Coffey sprinted from somewhere to the nation’s capital to sign with the Washington Nationals. Coffey’s deal with the Nationals is the only one of the bunch that’s a major league deal. Coffey will apparently get a chance to compete for the closer’s role. I wish the big guy the best of luck. As goofy as his sprint was, seeing it always brought a smile to my face.

This past weekend, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America held their annual gala to honor the best baseball players of the previous season. Joey Votto and Reds fan BubbaFan were there.

I’d never heard of this awards celebration, but then, that might be because the Reds have been out of the realm of “good” for so long, let alone this strange, uncharted territory of “great” that they seem to be flirting with. Votto was introduced to the black-tie optional crowd by Barry Larkin. Votto then stepped up to the podium.

“I’d especially like to thank [writer] Joe Strauss from St. Louis, who didn’t vote for me,” Votto quipped. “Guess who he voted for? As if Albert [Pujols] didn’t have enough MVP Awards already.”

Ah, Joey. How awesome you are.

BubbaFan was able to capture a few photos of Votto in his tuxedo. As someone who recently purchased his first tuxedo, Votto’s is nice-looking. I love that he’s wearing a bow-tie. It’s a touch big, though, and makes him look a bit like a boy at a wedding. Check out the rest of the photos over at RedReporter.

• 5 days till the Reds Caravan kicks off (7 till it makes it to Indy)
• 25 days till pitchers and catchers report
• 37 days till the Reds’ first spring training game
• 69 days till Opening Day

I think it’s about time for some baseball.

If you’re like me, you love thinking back fondly on all the great memories of the great Reds teams from 2010. And now, you can relive them thanks to Fox Sports Ohio and Reds Rewind.

FOX Sports Ohio will televise five (5) Reds games from the unforgettable 2010 season. FOX Sports Ohio debuts the return of this entertaining series Thursday, February 3rd at 7pm, with new episodes every Thursday.

Here are the five games you can look forward to seeing again, for the first time.

• February 3: June 6, 2010 – Reds at Washington Nationals. After trailing 2-1 at the top of the 9th, Scott Rolen pinch hits a 2-run HR to take the lead. The Nationals tie it up in the bottom of the 9th, but Drew Stubbs hits an RBI single in the 10th to win.
• February 10: July 4, 2010 – Reds at Chicago Cubs. FOX Sports Ohio and the Reds salute our troops during this blowout game when the Reds beat the Cubs 14-3 with 16 hits. Drew Stubbs hit 3 HR and had 5 RBI.
• February 17: July 17, 2010 – Reds vs. Colorado Rockies. Edinson Volquez returns to pitch 6 innings, striking out 9 Rockies for the 8-1 win at Great American Ballpark.
• February 24: August 31, 2010 – Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers. This memorable game features the debut of Aroldis Chapman. The Reds defeat the Brewers 8-4 at Great American Ballpark.
• March 3: September 28, 2010 – Reds vs. Houston Astros. Jay Bruce’s walk-off HR gives the Reds a 3-2 victory over the Astros and clinches the NL Central title.

All joking about the silliness of being nostalgic about last year aside, this will be a great way to whet the appetite for baseball this season. I’m hoping for even more awesome moments than last year.

The Cincinnati Reds have avoided arbitration with right-hander Johnny Cueto by signing him to a four-year, $27 million contract. This deal will take care of Cueto’s contract situation for all of his arbitration years plus one year of free agency.

It’s the deal that we wanted for Joey Votto, though I’m pretty darn happy to have it for Cueto as well.

Maybe the most surprising part of all is that it is announced on Reds.com the same day that it appeared in other news media:

Cueto and the Reds have reached agreement on a four-year, $27 million contract extension, according to a report on ESPNDeportes.com on Thursday night. The Reds did not immediately confirm the report, which said the agreement is pending a physical examination.

It’s an exciting time for the team. They’ve been growing these players for ever-so-long, and now we’re getting to enjoy the fruits of their labor as all these pieces come together at the same time. Could be a helluva year.