If I were running the Reds, all I would be trying to do this winter is improve the pitching staff. With that in mind, here are the three free agents I would try to sign if I were running the Reds:

1. Javier Vazquez - Righty starting pitcher Javier Vazquez is a workhorse and he was the best pitcher in baseball after the All-Star Break in 2011. He would slot either #1 or #2 in the Reds’ rotation.

2. Ryan Madson - Closer Ryan Madson would be the perfect replacement for Francisco Cordero at the end of games for the Reds.

3. George Sherrill - Lefty reliever George Sherrill got his career back on the right track last season. He would be a nice addition to the pen to team with Bill Bray.

28-year old lefty swinging 1B Joey Votto finished 6th in the voting for the N.L. MVP Award. Votto played in 161 games for the Reds last year and he was 185 of 599 (.309 avg, .947 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 29 homers, 103 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has now played in 617 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 696 for 2,225 (.309 avg, .947 OPS) with 369 runs scored, 119 homers, 401 RBIs and 36 stolen bases. Votto was the MVP of the N.L. in 2010 and he will be a threat to win another one for the foreseeable future.

The Reds have signed 24-year old lefty swinging outfielder Daryl Jones to a minor league deal. Jones played in 100 games in AA+AAA-ball last year for the Cardinals and he was 69 for 265 (.260 avg, .760 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 7 homers, 35 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 658 games in his first seven years in the minors and he is 563 for 2,191 (.257 avg, .724 OPS) with 360 runs scored, 41 homers, 222 RBIs and 86 stolen bases. The Reds will be banking on a change of scenery sparking Jones in the near future.

30-year old righty reliever Jared Burton has elected to leave the Reds in free agency. Burton pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. He has now pitched in 164 games (0 starts) in five years with the Reds and he was 10-3 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Burton will definitely get a chance to make a new team next spring.

The Reds have picked up 30-year old righty swinging 2B Brandon Phillips’ option for 2012 valued at $12 million bucks. Phillips played in 150 games for the Reds last year and he was 183 for 610 (.300 avg, .810 OPS) with 94 runs scored, 18 homers, 82 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He has now played in 906 games in his first six years with the Reds and he is 997 for 3,565 (.280 avg, .779 OPS) with 524 runs scored, 124 homers, 486 RBIs and 135 stolen bases. This was a good move as Phillips is still one of the best all-around 2B in all of baseball.