Looks like we'll be treated to the defensive styling of Juan Castro a little while longer. According to Marc, the Reds have inked him to a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2009.

I expect this is just the first of many, many similar deals we'll see before spring training 2007 and beyond. Before we know it, the Reds will be known as the Equipo de Oro. Whether they'll be the Equipo de Ganar is yet to be determined.

According to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online, David Bell is not likely to be back with the Brewers next season. Given the proud Reds-Bell tradition, along with my prognostication that Wayne Krivsky will overstock on third basemen this off-season, I think we could be seeing David in a wishbone C before the end of the year.

Furthermore, a story on DenverPost.com mentions, way down at the bottom, that Ray King is unlikely to return to the team next season. Now that Austin Kearns is out of the way, it's the perfect opportunity to add one more veteran left-handed reliever to the long list of left-handed relievers that have already passed through the Reds' organization under the tenure of Wayne Krivsky.

Crack Technical Staff heard it on the radio, but I'm citing Marc on the fact that the Reds just picked up Sun-Woo Kim from the Rockies. Kim is a right-hander who turned 29 yesterday.

Marc says that he's made six relief appearances with the Rockies and seven starts with the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox. In his time with the Rockies, he was 0-0 with a 19.29 ERA in seven innings. Seventeen hits, two home runs, eight walks, and a hit-by-pitch.

At least it's a small sample size.

For Kim, the Reds give the Rockies cash and some mysteriously worded “future considerations.” Not the secret Skyline recipe! Anything but that!!

Somehow the Reds did not end up with David Wells, who, according to ESPN was traded to the San Diego Padres last night for a minor league catcher.

Man, the Reds totally could have given the Red Sox that.

I don't think people were super-psyched about the idea of picking up Wells, anyway. Bill at Redleg Nation said, “Does anyone think trading for Wells is a good idea?” (and this is the same guy who thinks we shouldn't have traded Williams.) JD said “I guess it worked ten years ago.” And, perhaps most tellingly, my Boston-fan boss said, “I don't know why anyone would give 50¢ for him right now.”

Hopefully he's not worth 50¢ because the way the Reds have been playing lately, they couldn't score on a two-bit pitcher. Wells will make his debut against the Reds on Sunday.

The Crack Technical Staff turns 30 later this month, so I've been doing 30 gifts/events, one on each of the days leading up to the big day. Fun, sure, but has totally distracted me from keeping up with the copious transactions of this team. Not just on the blog, either: I actually am not sure who's on the roster these days.

Add that to the fact that I haven't actually seen any of the west coast games, there are probably current major league Reds whom I could totally walk past on the street, oblivious to the fact that I should be begging them to be on the podcast.

All that's just an unnecessarily long way of saying, “let's review.” According to the transaction page on Reds.com, there were 14 transactions in August. At least Kriv-dawg isn't gun-shy, huh? You know, unless you count the nothing that happened last night.

• 8/31/06--Optioned RHP Matt Belisle to Class A Sarasota and recalled INF Brendan Harris from Triple-A Louisville. I didn't get the Sarasota thing at first, but they weren't making a statement. AAA Bats are contending for the play-offs and AA Dragons are already there, but the season is nearly over in Sarasota. He doesn't have to spend 10 days at a team that doesn't have 10 days left before being called back up, so there you go. I wonder if he actually gets to visit Siesta Key before coming back to Cincy.
• 8/30/06--Signed RHP Jason Johnson to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Louisville. This is the guy that Marc called “a colossal bust for two teams already this season.” Sounds like our fifth starter! Or our fourth!
• 8/29/06--Optioned LHP Chris Michalak to Class A Sarasota; Recalled OF Chris Denorfia from Triple-A Louisville. Michalak will be back in time to make the start on Tuesday, if they're inclined to give him a try.
• 8/28/06--Agreed with C Javier Valentin on a one-year contract extension through the 2007 season with a club option for 2008; Acquired RHP Tim Bausher and cash from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for RHP Mike Burns. The Javy thing I did know about: a girl's got to have her priorities. Bausher's at Louisville, so I may see him at the game tonight.
• 8/25/06--Outrighted RHP Mike Burns to Triple-A Louisville.
• 8/23/06--Reinstated LHP Chris Michalak from the bereavement list and optioned OF Norris Hopper to Triple-A Louisville. Before this, Hopper got to play in two games for Cincinnati.
• 8/20/06--Placed LHP Eddie Guardado on the 15-day disabled list; Reinstated RHP Matt Belisle from the 15-day disabled list; Placed LHP Chris Michalak on the bereavement list; Purchased the contract of IF/OF Norris Hopper from Triple-A Louisville; Designated RHP Mike Burns for assignment.
• 8/16/06--Acquired LHP Scott Schoeneweis from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash; Transferred LHP Kent Mercker to the 60-day disabled list; Optioned LHP Brian Shackelford to Triple-A to Louisville; INF William Bergolla cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.
• 8/13/06--Optioned RHP Elizardo Ramirez to Triple-A Louisville; Recalled LHP Brian Shackleford from Louisville. I bet Love Shack didn't think he'd be bouncing between Cincinnati and Louisville so much. He must feel like a freaking ping pong ball.
• 8/12/06--Purchased the contract of LHP Chris Michalak from Triple-A Louisville; Placed LHP Kent Mercker on 15-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation; Designated INF William Bergolla for assignment. I'm not sure I understand the machinations with Mercker on the DL. He's definitely done, right? His next job is more likely to be sitting next to Marty than sitting in the bullpen. Then again, I guess there's no Still-Under-Contract-But-Definitely-Done List, so I suppose the Disabled List will have to do.
• 8/10/06--Optioned OF Chris Denorfia to Triple-A Louisville.
• 8/9/06--Acquired OF Todd Hollandsworth from the Indians for a PTBN; Transferred LHP Brandon Claussen from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Yeah, even three weeks later I still don't get the Hollandsworth thing. There are times I think that Krivsky shops for players the same way my mom shops for clothes: getting crap they don't really need just because they're a good deal.
• 8/7/06--Acquired RHP Ryan Franklin and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later; Activated LHP Kent Mercker from the 15-day disabled list; Placed RHP Gary Majewski on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder; placed RHP Jason Standridge on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms. Marc sez that Majewski and Standridge will be with the team today, along with Love Shack. May they take a complete change of pace with them.
• 8/1/06--Optioned LHP Brian Shackelford to Triple-A Louisville; OF Dewayne Wise cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Louisville. Seems like a long time ago now, doesn't it?