Pitchers and catchers have reported. Position players have reported. And now it’s time for the practice games.

The Cincinnati Reds kick off the Cactus League play this afternoon with a game against the Cleveland Indians.

The lineup was posted yesterday, and is sure to create lots of internet debate.

• Billy Hamilton
• Brandon Phillips
• Joey Votto
• Jay Bruce
• Ryan Ludwick
• Todd Frazier
• Zack Cozart
• Devin Mesoraco
• Brayan Pena

Alfredo Simon will start for the Reds. The game will be televised, albeit delayed, later this evening on MLB Network. But you can catch Marty and the Cowboy on 700 WLW. I know I’ll be listening.

If you’re unlike me and can’t wait to see what the 2014 Cincinnati Reds are going to look like on the field, then the MLB Network is the place you’ll want to tune into. The network announced they’ll be carrying 11 games during Spring Training, five of them tape-delayed.

I temporarily turned off my DirecTV during the off-season, and it won’t start up again until the middle of March, so I’ll miss the first few of these. The number is quite a step up from years past.

• Feb 26 at Indians (5 p.m., tape delay)
• Feb. 27 vs. Indians (5 p.m., tape delay)
• March 5 vs. Dodgers (9 p.m., live)
• March 9 at Angels (4 p.m., live)
• March 13 at Dodgers (4 p.m., live)
• March 15 at Brewers (4 p.m., live)
• March 17 vs. Indians (4 p.m., live)
• March 23 at Cubs (7 a.m., tape delay from game played March 22)
• March 24 vs. Indians (4 p.m., live)
• March 26 at White Sox (4 p.m., live)
• March 27 at Brewers (3 p.m., live)

I’m a little down on the Reds chances this year, and so far, I’ve not been that interested in baseball returning. Hopefully, tuning into some of these early broadcasts will change my feelings.

It went down to the wire, but the Cincinnati Reds avoided arbitration with their final player, homegrown starting pitcher Homer Bailey.

Bailey has agreed to a six-year, $105 million deal. Since this season was Bailey’s final one before becoming a free agent, this is effectively a five year extension. He will be 34 once the contract is up, and assuming he spends the entire time with the Reds, will have spent 13 years with one club. That sounds fitting for the first starting pitcher the team drafted and developed since Tom Browning.

As for the deal’s details, ABC News has that.

Bailey gets salaries of $9 million this year, $10 million in 2015, $18 million in 2016, $19 million in 2017, $21 million in 2018 and $23 million in 2019. In an unusual twist, much of the annual salary will be deferred until the November after each season.

Bailey will be paid in-season amounts of $3 million this year, $4 million next year, $11 million in 2016, $12 million in 2017, $14 million in 2018 and $15 million in 2019.

If he is traded, his new team would have to pay all of the salary amounts during the season. Also, the $5 million buyout would be paid when either side decides not to exercise the option rather than having it deferred until November 2020.

The November deferment is something I’ve never heard of a team doing before. Whatever makes it easiest for the team.

Overall, this seems like a good, fair-market deal. Bailey has improved every year in the majors, and he’s entering the prime years of his athletic career. With two no-hitters already behind him, I’m optimistic he can accomplish more. Plus, it’s nice to see the Reds actually do something, even if it is sign a player they already had.