Just in time for spring training, The Redleg Annual is a collection of many insightful (and just one, provided by yours truly, goofy) columns about this upcoming season and team.

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In today’s first live batting practice session, Joey Votto hit a home run off Carlos Contreras.

Now that might not seem all that special. It’s only batting practice and it’s only Spring Training, but this is a guy coming off a bad knee injury last season. It was an injury that kept him from hitting a home run since June. And he hit a home run today.

Votto took Contreras’ first pitch.

“Too low,” he said.

The next one was a strike. Votto crushed it, sending over the fence in center.

“Tweet that, John,” Jay Bruce said. “He’s back.”

Consider it done, Jay.

The Cincinnati Reds and Homer Bailey have avoided arbitration. The two have reached agreement on a one-year contract. The amount isn’t available yet, but Bailey asked for $5.8 million, while the Reds offered $4.75 million. It’s likely somewhere between there.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said it was toughest year he’s ever had as far as arbitration.

“Absolutely,” he said. “With the numbers of cases and quality of players. We came very close to going to the hearing with (Mat) Latos. We’re all very happy to have it behind us.”

That ends the Reds dealings with arbitration for the year. They managed to sign all of their players before a hearing was required. That’s good, because no employee responds well to hearing their employer tell people how much they suck.

Even though Bailey’s deal was for one year, the Reds will be pursuing a multi-year contract at some point in the future.

Shin-Soo Choo, the Reds biggest off-season acquisition, reported to camp yesterday and was tailed by 25 members of the South Korean media.

They followed his every move — from the batting cages for early work to outfield practice to batting practice on the field. Most of the contingent will spend five days in Goodyear. During the season, however, only one reporter follows Choo.

Only one during the season? That’s good. I mean, unless Rob Butcher knows how to read and speak South Korean, he’d never be able to determine how easy the South Koreans were to control.