Reds looking for a new catcher?

The oh so honest media has come up with a new rumor that the Reds are looking for a new catcher! And that the Reds may be willing to part with players such as Freel and or Belisle to get one. The catchers that have been thrown around have been

1) Micheal Barrett- 344 abs, .244avg 9hrs, 41rbis 19walks 57k's

2) Bengie  Molina- 497abs .276avg 19hrs 81rbis 15walks 53k's

3) Ramon Hernandez- 364abs .258avg 9hrs 62rbis 36walks 59k's

4) Gerald Laird- 407abs .224avg 9hrs 47rbis 30walks 103k's

I think the Reds DO need a new catcher is Ross isnt healthy, Valentine IS a servicable backup cather but he isnt one id watch behind the plate on a day to day basis. The best player on this list is Molina by far! Molina is just what the Reds need a guy that can call a decent game, is able to keep runners from advancing from 1st to 2nd on will, and is a guy that that dosnt give free outs while he bats, he dosnt walk very much but he does make the other teams work to get him out. Molina is very good at allowing players on base to advance to the next base so our big 3 Phillips Giffey and Dunn can drive them in!

CentalCal,

What kind of prospects do you think the Giants are seeking?  I am assuming you are a Giants fan.  The Reds are definitely not going to trade Bruce and they probably wouldn't trade Votto or Bailey either straight for Molina. 

Are the Giants looking for AAA players on the verge of breaking into the majors, AAA players like our bullpen pitcher Roniecke who throws in the high 90's and could be in our bullpen this year. Our AA pitcher  Darryl Thompson and AAA pitcher Matt Maloney who are a year or two away from making our rotation but has a high ceiling for potential.

I believe guys that are in AA that have a high ceiling will be players that would be targeted to be brought in.  There would not be a chance to get your top prospects of Joey Votto, Homer Bailey, or Jay Bruce even though i'd love to have either of them but realistically that will never happen.  The main would be to rebuild our farm system with talent that is a year or two away as AA propsects or high A prospects.  I think these two teams could work out a deal as your team obviously has the prospects with a good farm and we have a player that could help your team be a contender.

I don't understand why they did not show any interest in Johnny Estrada this off season.  Somehow the Nationals thought it would be bright to sign Paul LoDuca for 5 million a year and then go out and get Estrada.  How come a team destined to be in the basement in the east can go out in one off season and acquire two catchers better than our starting catcher.

David Ross is completely overrated.  He is all or nothing at the plate and with him in the 8 hole you might as well say two straight outs.

At this point I don't know what the options are.  Ryan Freel is going to be hard to trade since he is owed 7 million over the next two years.  Most likely if they are going to be able to do this, they will have to eat part of his salary.

The Giants freed a lot of salary by de-Bondsing themselves, but they didn't spend much of it did they ? They must not intend to win right now, if it costs them much...They're only paying Zito HUGE bucks, and Aurilia was an overspend too, because they are stuck with theor contracts, and NO ONE is taking them.

Freel at $7 mil / 2 years isn't a lot of money, in fact it's only about 1/2 mil/yr less than Molina makes....the Giants do have some promising young pitching on the roster, that needs a good veteran catcher (like Molina) for a couple of years....why would they trade Molina for Freel ? The answer is, they wouldn't, unless there is a lot more to the deal.

A MLB team needs 3 catchers like you and I need 3 thumbs.  Ross is hurt, but will be back, I think. He has a good arm, is above average with the mitt, but calls a poor game. He has 20 HR power in GABP, 10 HR anywhere else, and hits at the Mendoza line. Valentin is a good lefty pinch hitter with below average power and a bad mitt, calls a worse game than Ross, and has the arm of a 9 year old girl. Bako is what they used to call a "pug"...he calls a MLB game, has a below average arm, and can't hit a barn with a bat, in other words, he's a career 3rd catcher you don't need. 

The Reds DO have a need behind the plate, but I don't think trading Freel is an immediate answer to that need.

If a Triple-A catcher is out there that is READY for MLB, and isn't already IN MLB, he must be playing behind Martinez, Mauer, Martin, etc...and if you can get him for Freel and a minor league pitcher, that's great.... I'm skeptical our GM can find such a deal..... If Freel is traded for a MLB catcher, it's going to be one that is as disfunctional as what we have, OR he may be in single-A.

You know the best way to hide a weak catcher ?

Pitch better.