Cincinnati Reds Tickets

It was another long year for the Cincinnati Reds and their fans in 2008, and nothing the team has done this offseason inspires confidence that the club will be much improved heading into 2009.

The Reds lost some firepower in the offseason, allowing outfielder Adam Dunn to sign with the Washington Nationals.

The hope is that some of the young position players will be ready to pick up the slack for the loss of Dunn's production. Players like outfielder Jay Bruce and first baseman Joey Votto have big futures ahead of them.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez has missed nearly a year with a serious knee injury but is inching closer to a return. He will serve as the designated hitter through spring training before eventually getting work at his position.

The Reds traded away super utility man Ryan Freel in the offseason for Baltimore Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez. They hope that Hernandez will be re-energized by a change of scenery.

It is worth mentioning that the starting rotation has a significant amount of talent and could become one of the best in the National League once some of the younger pitchers gain more experience.

The most exciting part of this team is likely young, developing ace Johnny Cueto. Cueto came over in the trade that sent outfielder Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers and had flashes of brilliance last year.

His goal is 2009 is to become more consistent and show that he has the durability to pitch well in the second half of the season.

Speaking of pitchers, the Reds will be looking for a bounce-back season from ace Aaron Harang. Harang didn't pitch all that poorly last year but was the victim of some bad luck.

Edinson Volquez was impressive as well and should become a mainstay in the starting rotation. He and Cueto are the future of this team.

Bronson Arroyo is a solid No. 4 pitcher, and the team traded for Micah Owings in the offseason. He has a lot of talent but struggled with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. He should be the No. 5 starter.

The back end of the bullpen is phenomenal with closer Francisco Cordero closing things down. Veteran David Weathers is solid out of the setup role.

There is some talent on this team and I wouldn't be surprised if they hang around for the first half of the season. It may just take a couple more years before they can start seriously contending for a postseason berth.