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.

The San Francisco Giants are desperate for a starting caliber catcher and they really like Ramon Hernandez of the Reds. With the Reds starting to fall out of contention, it would be smart for them to deal Hernandez if they can get a nice return for him. Hernandez has played in 66 games for the Reds so far this year and he is 66 for 224 (.295 avg, .846 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 11 homers and 29 RBIs. The Reds’ #3 prospect, 23-year old righty swinging catcher Devin Mesoraco is likely ready for the majors. He has played in 99 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 111 for 369 (.301 avg, .863 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 11 homers, 60 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Reds are still in range in the N.L. Central but they need to make some improvements and they have the needed prospects to achieve their goal. The Reds are looking for a leadoff type hitter to play LF. B.J. Upton, Chone Figgins, Melky Cabrera, Coco Crisp and maybe even David DeJesus make sense. The Reds also need a good starting pitcher and that’s gonna cost them. James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie, Edwin Jackson, Doug Fister, Hiroki Kuroda, Brett Myers, Ted Lilly, Wandy Rodriguez and Jason Vargas all make sense. Shields might cost too much prospect wise but the other guys on this list are fair game. If the Reds pull off a couple of nice deals this week, they will be right in the mix for the playoffs the rest of this year.

The Cincinnati Reds need to make a bold move to help both the offense and the defense. With that in mind, I think they should offer 3B/OF Juan Francisco, 2B Chris Valaika, SS Zack Cozart, lefty starting pitcher Travis Wood, righty reliever/starter Sam LeCure and lefty starter/reliever Matt Maloney to the Mets for SS Jose Reyes, righty reliever Jason Isringhausen and infielder Justin Turner. The Mets would make this deal in a New York Minute as they would be getting qauntity as well as quality back from the Reds. But, Jose Reyes is the best shortstop in all of baseball right now and he would make a dynamic double play combo with Brandon Phillips. Reyes would also give the Reds a legit leadoff hitter due to his game altering speed and outstanding hitting. Isringhausen would give the Reds another live arm for the bullpen and Turner would really help out the bench as he can play almost anywhere.

The Reds are really getting nothing offensively out of the SS or the LF this year and that needs to change. The Reds can kill two birds with one stone by placing a call to the San Diego Padres. SS Jason Bartlett and LF/RF Ryan Ludwick are going to be available. The Reds should be all over adding both of these guys to the fold. The Padres will likely want young hitters back. They probably would have interest in both Chris Heisey and Juan Francisco. I think there is a deal to be made there if the Padres also kicked in one of their relievers (like Chad Qualls). The Reds need to be the first and most aggressive team to call the Padres to get a deal done because they are going to get a lot of calls starting soon.