Jon Heyman grades the offseasons of each of the Major League teams. How does our favorite division, the NLC, do? Not good.

The Cubs are the top of the division’s class at number 9 on Heyman’s list, due largely to the signing of Japanese import Kosuke Fukodome. I don’t know. I’ll believe that’s a good signing once I see him play.

The rest of the division was in the bottom third. The Brewers and Reds were numbers 20 and 21 respectively, with the Cardinals close behind at number 24.

The big news, I think is that the Pirates weren’t last in something. No, they were ranked 28th. The last place finish goes to the Houston Astros.

30. Astros. How does anyone get Tejada just hours before Mitchell takes the podium? Good grief. F

Good grief, indeed.

SARASOTA — The Cincinnati Reds and 2B Brandon Phillips have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a four-year contract through the 2011 season with a club option for 2012. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Phillips, 26, last season received votes for the National League’s Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and Most Valuable Player awards while earning the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds’ Most Valuable Player.

In 158 games for Cincinnati he hit .288 with 30 HR, 94 RBI and 32 stolen bases in becoming only the second second baseman in Major League history to produce at least 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season.

While establishing single-season franchise records for a second baseman in total bases (315) and home runs (30), in 2007 Phillips also led all National League second sackers in fielding percentage (8e, .990), total chances (782), putouts (341) and assists (433).

Among all Major League second basemen Phillips ranked in the Top 3 in almost every major offensive category. He led the Reds in games (158), runs (107), hits (187), total bases, triples (6), stolen bases and multi-hit games (56).

Yes, you read that right: MLCWSTI. I told you last Sunday that there would be a quiz on this. No, it’s not a date in Roman numerals, or the bottom line on the chart you have to read when you renew your drivers’ license. It’s an acronym I invented specifically for RHM, and it stands for Minor League Contract With Spring Training Invitation. This is what major league teams do with a veteran player they want to sign on the cheap and have him join them in Arizona or Florida so the staff can see if he’s still got enough left in the tank to at least help the AAA team, or for a kid from the minors who they want to have hang around, act like a prospect, and chase down the fly balls that are hit by the real prospects.

Since it’s time for another look back at the NLC player transactions for the past week, I thought I’d just remind you what a MLCWSTI is before getting started. And now, let’s go to the tape…

The Cardinals kicked things off on Monday (2/04/08) by signing RHP Cliff Politte (a former Cardinal, born in old Saint Lou and now back home again after spending several years bouncing around with three other clubs), C Gabe Johnson, C Matt Pagnozzi (nephew of longtime Cardinal Tom Pagnozzi) and OF Juan Gonzalez to MLCWSTIs. Minor leaguers LHP Jaime Garcia, RHP Clayton Mortensen, RHP Adam Ottavino, RHP Chris Perez, RHP P.J. Walters, C Bryan Anderson (not the same Bryan Anderson the Reds had in the minors a few years back), C David Carpenter, C Nick Derba, C Brandon Yarbrough, 3B David Freese, OF Amaury Marti, OF Colby Rasmus and OF Nick Stavinoha were also invited to spring training.

For those of you who are keeping score at home, Leatherpants Vampire signed two more former Reds on Tuesday. Rob Bell was among several players signed to MLCWSTIs by the Nationals, as was former Reds farmhand Charlie Manning. Also on Tuesday:

• The Pirates inked IF Freddy Sanchez to a two-year contract with a club option for the 2010 season that could be worth about $19 million over those three years.
• The Brewers signed RHP Dave Bush to a one-year, $2.55 million contract, avoiding arbitration.
• The Reds signed veteran free agent RHP Mike Lincoln (a former Pirate and Cardinal) to a MLCWSTI.

On Wednesday, the Pirates first outrighted LHP Sean Burnett to Triple-A Indianapolis, and then signed him to a MLCWSTI.

On Thursday, the Astros signed C Joshua Johnson to a MLCWSTI.

On Friday, the Reds signed free agent LHP Kent Mercker to a MLCWSTI, and the Brewers (as previously reported here by my RHM colleague, Zeldink) in all likelihood extended their continuing also-ran status in the division for another year by exercising a club option on manager Ned Yost for the 2009 season.

Finally, the Reds provided the NLC transaction action for the weekend – and incidentally, insured that we could save the best for last this time around – with the signing of OF Craig Wilson (a former Pirate) to a MLCWSTI on Saturday. While some have interpreted this move as an indication that Joey Votto is soon to be gone in a rumored trade involving pitcher Joe Blanton of the Oakland A’s, I’m inclined to agree with what my RHM colleague BubbaFan opined here when first reporting the deal, namely, insurance. In case Votto struggles or gets hurt, Wilson becomes this year’s Jeff Conine, a righthanded hitter to provide power off the bench and platoon with Scott Hatteberg at first base. The only thing concerning this move about which I disagree with BF is that I was expecting this deal – last year!!!

🙄

The Brewers announced this weekend that they have picked up the 2009 option for manager Ned Yost.

No doubt, the upper management was feeling empowered by Yost’s successful drive to second place this past season. It’s a bit easy to make fun of Yost, considering his losing record as a manager and how he failed to hold an 8 1/2 game lead over the Cubs. However, that might be a touch unfair. I mean, he was a catcher when he was a major league player, and those guys are always great managers.

Last year, a lot of people here were hoping the Reds could get Craig Wilson. Well, this year, we got him. Though he may be playing in Louisville. He signed a minor league deal.

I wasn’t expecting this, I must say. Last I heard, it was the Mets who were going to sign him.

Wilson was traded to the Yankees in 2006, in part because he was about to become a free agent, and Pittsburgh expected him to get $5 or 6 million a year – more than the notoriously cheap Pirates wanted to pay.

But he never played well for the Yankees. In 2007, he signed with Atlanta for only 2 million – less than half of what many expected him to get. He was truly awful, and they released him in May. The White Sox then signed him to a minor league deal. He was awful for the Charlotte Knights, too…but it turns out there was a reason. He had chronic shoulder tendinitis. In June, he finally had his right shoulder roto-rootered. The surgery ended his season.

If he can bounce back to be anything like his former self, this is a bargain for the Reds. He could be the replacement for Jeff Conine: righty bat off the bench, half of a first base platoon, occasional corner outfielder. Wilson actually came up as a catcher, so he could be an emergency catcher, too. Maybe the Reds wouldn’t have to carry three catchers!