The rosters for the World Baseball Classic were released yesterday, and Brandon Phillips will be playing for Team USA.

Phillips was hesitant, at first, but manager Joe Torre convinced him.

“My conversation with Joe Torre convinced me to really do it. I wanted to do it the past. But some of the players got hurt and started off real slow in the season. Talking to Joe Torre, he said representing the country was something I could always say to my kids — to say I played for the country.”

Phillips is the only member of the Cincinnati Reds named to any of the WBC teams. Neither Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto were on their respective country’s rosters. At first, I wondered what the deal was. It’s not like there are any Canadian first baseman blocking Votto.

But it turns out that both Votto and Cueto, because of their injuries during the 2012 season, are on a chronic injury list. That means that the two must pass physicals before being cleared to play.

I wouldn’t mind if neither of them didn’t end up playing in the WBC. I understand there’s some national pride involved in playing for your country, but I’d hate to see any player get seriously injured playing a meaningless game.

The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of who was voted in by writers on Wednesday of this week. Of the 37 former players on the ballot, seven of them have ties to the Cincinnati Reds.

• Lee Smith
• Reggie Sanders
• David Wells
• Jeff Conine
• Royce Clayton
• Todd Walker
• Mike Stanton

Of these players, Sanders is the only one anyone would consider a Red. Sanders was drafted by the Reds in the 1987 draft and played his first eight Major League seasons for Cincinnati.

For the most part, the others were all with the Reds towards the end of their careers, long after their most effective seasons. Smith was traded to the Reds in 1996 for a portion of the season. The Reds traded for Wells to help them down the stretch in their division-winning 1995 campaign. Although I don’t remember it, Conine was with the team for most of 2007 before being traded to the New York Mets. Clayton was, of course, received during former general manager Wayne Krivsky’s horrible trade of 2006. Walker was the team’s second baseman for 2001 and 2002. And Stanton was another one of Krivsky’s horrible moves. Stanton was signed for 2 years for what would be his age 40 and 41 seasons. He last just one of those years before being released.

Of these players, the only ones with any real Hall of Fame chances are Lee Smith and Reggie Sanders, and neither are likely to make it. Smith held the record for the most career saves for many years, but the voters still haven’t realized that closers, much like designated hitters, are legitimate baseball positions that deserve representation in the Hall. That’s unlikely to change this year.

As for Sanders, he was an accomplished player, but is likely resigned to the Hall of Very Good. Over his career, he accumulated an average of .267, an on-base percentage of .343, and a slugging percentage of .487. Not bad, but not Hall of Fame caliber. His best years was 1995 when he hit 28 of his 305 home runs, and helped the Reds win the Central Division.

So no players who played for Cincinnati are likely to be voted in this year. But then, if you believe what Deadspin says, it’s likely that no players will be voted in.

When the news broke of Ryan Freel’s suicide last week, it made for a very sad evening at the RHM household. During Freel’s time with the Cincinnati Reds, he was the most entertaining athlete on the field and a joy to watch. The news of his passing just before Christmas was difficult to handle.

Some good news has come out of the tragedy, though. The Reds fan forum RedsZone has organized an effort to raise funds for the Cincinnati branch of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Ryan Freel’s recent death has shocked Reds nation and affected many individuals, both in the Reds family and elsewhere. Ryan Freel was a beloved member of the Reds family, and gave fans a reason to cheer at every game. From his diving catch in GABP to rob Pujols, to his fearless vault into the stands of Coors field, to the game where he stole second, third, and home, he always gave his all to help the team.

So, in his honor, RedsZone.com would like to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Cincinnati Branch, so that Freel’s tragic death doesn’t have to be in vain. From Christmas Eve to the end of January, donations of any amount will be accepted and then 100% of the money will be given to AFSP-Cincinnati.

Donations can be made online through YouCaring.com.

Here are a few photos taken at the Cincinnati Reds’ fan festival at the beginning of December.

The event wasn’t nearly as crowded as in years past, due in large part to the discovery of another floor in the convention center. It was there that the kids section was moved to, and it was much better than any year before. With the additional room, there was space for some new attractions, including trampoline basketball and human bowling.

Wow. Just like last year’s trade for Mat Latos, I did not see this one coming. Today, the Cincinnati Reds traded Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorius to the Cleveland Indians for Jason Donald and Shin-Soo Choo, solving the lead-off problem.

“It was very difficult giving up home-grown talent, but we think Choo can fill the missing parts in our lineup both offensively and defensively,” Jocketty said. “He is an exciting player, and we expect him to set the table for Phillips, Votto, Bruce, Ludwick and the rest of our run producers.”

Following the trade with the Reds, the Indians flipped Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were in need of a shortstop. Arizona also received left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson, while the Indians received right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers, and Bryan Shaw.

But the most exciting part about this is the Reds’ side of the deal. Right now, I see no down-side to this deal. Stubbs had shown that he wasn’t suited for the lead-off role where the Reds needed him. And with Zack Cozart under team control for the next 4-5 years, Gregorius, who was already knocking on the Major League door, was expendable.

General Manager Walt Jocketty has done an amazing thing here. The Reds managed an on-base percentage barely over .200 last year. With the acquisition of Choo, the team has almost doubled the on-base percentage from that spot. For his career, Choo gets on base at a .381 clip.

Not to mention the fact that for the first time, the Reds will have a lineup that’s totally Dusty Baker proof. In Baker’s world, the speedy center fielder leads off, regardless of his skills. Stubbs was ill suited for that role. Choo is perfect for it.

The whole lineup looks very potent right now, too.

1. Shin-Soo Choo
2. Brandon Phillips
3. Joey Votto
4. Ryan Ludwick
5. Jay Bruce
6. Todd Frazier
7. Zack Cozart
8. Ryan Hanigan

That’s a damn fine-looking lineup. Perhaps the best one the Reds have fielded since they started winning again.

Choo has one year before he’s a free agent, but after that the Reds expect Billy Hamilton to be ready. So basically, they turned Stubbs and Gregorius, players who aren’t expected to have positions in the lineup in 2014, into a rental center fielder for this season. And one of the best parts is that Jocketty didn’t have to trade away any pitching.

When does Spring Training start? This has me getting excited.