30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fred Lewis has elected to become a free agent. Lewis played in 81 games for the Reds last year and he was 42 for 183 (.230 avg, .638 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers, 19 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 517 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 412 for 1,542 (.267 avg, .751 OPS) with 259 runs scored, 27 homers, 136 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. This isn’t much of a loss for the Reds.

The Reds have five potential free agents to decide on after the World Series. Here is a look at who I see staying and leaving among this bunch:

Ramon Hernandez: 35-year old righty swinging catcher Ramon Hernandez played in 91 games for the Reds last year and he was 84 for 298 (.282 avg, .788 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 12 homers and 36 RBIs. The Reds will be looking to the kids behind the plate in 2011. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Brandon Phillips: 30-year old righty swinging 2B Brandon Phillips played in 150 games for the Reds in 2011 and he was 183 for 610 (.300 avg, .810 OPS) with 94 runs scored, 18 homers, 82 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. The Reds hold a club option on Phillips valued at $12 million bucks with a $1 million dollar buyout. PREDICTION: STAYING

Edgar Renteria: 35-year old righty swinging SS Edgar Renteria played in 96 games for the Reds last year and he was 75 for 299 (.251 avg, .654 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 5 homers, 36 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He is running out of gas. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Dontrelle Willis: 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis pitched in 13 games (all starts) for the Reds in 2011 and he was 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Francisco Cordero: 36-year old righty closer Francisco Cordero pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Reds in 2011 and he was 5-3 with 37 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. The Reds have a club option on Cordero for 2012 valued at $12 million bucks with a $1 million dollar buyout. PREDICTION: STAYING

29-year old righty reliever/starter Chad Reineke has elected to become a free agent. He pitched in 2 games (1 start) for the Reds in 2011 and he was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Reineke also pitched in 25 games (22 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 9-7 with 1 save, a 3.84 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. This isn’t much of a loss for the Reds going forward.

UPDATE: (11/28/2011) - The Reds have brought back Chad Reineke on a minor league deal.

The Cincinnati Reds fell off in 2011 after winning the N.L. Central in 2010. They finished 2011 with a 79-83 record which had them in 3rd place in the division, 17 games behind the Brewers. Here is a look at the things that stood out about the Cincinnati Reds in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 28-year old lefty swinging 1B Joey Votto had a nice follow-up season to his 2010 N.L. MVP year. He played in 161 games in 2011 and he was 185 of 599 (.309 avg, .947 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 29 homers, 103 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. His numbers were a little down in 2011 because opposing teams were pitching around him a lot, resulting in him accepting 110 walks.

BEST PITCHER: 25-year old righty starting pitcher Johnny Cueto was incredible when healthy for the Reds in 2011. Cueto pitched in 24 games (all starts) for the Reds last year and he was 9-5 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He only gave up 123 hits in 156 innings last year while whiffing 104 batters and only walking 47 batters.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 28-year old lefty reliever Bill Bray really turned into a very solid reliever in 2011. He pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-3 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Bray only gave up 35 hits in 48 1/3 innings for the Reds in 2011 while whiffing 44 batters and walking 17. He was impressive.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Every time I watch Josh Hamilton swing a bat in the playoffs, it makes me think of 28-year old righty starting pitcher Edison Volquez (they were traded for each other). Volquez pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He only gave up 106 hits while whiffing 104 batters in 108 2/3 innings last year, which is impressive. But 19 of the hits were homers and he also walked 65 batters, which explains his ERA and WHIP.