36-year old lefty swinging Paul Bako has been awesome so far this season for the Reds. Bako has taken advantage of Dave Ross’ injury this season to show that he can still play. Bako has played in 25 games for the Reds this season and he is 25 for 80 (.313 avg, .920 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 homers and 11 RBIs. Bako came into this season having played in 646 games in his major league career and he had a .233 career batting average with a .621 OPS! So his hitting has been a huge surprise this season and he has done a good job with some of the young pitchers on the Reds.

The Reds have recalled IF/OF Jerry Hairston from the minors to replace the injured Norris Hopper on the roster. Hairston is off to a hot start with the Reds this season. He has played in 4 games for the Reds this season and he is 7 for 15 (.467 avg, 1.000 OPS) with 3 RBIs and a stolen base. Hairston earned his promotion by dominating AAA competition this season. In 14 AAA games this year, Hairston was 24 for 57 (.421 avg, 1.222 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 15 RBIs and 1 stolen base. At worst, Hairston will platoon in CF with Corey Patterson but he could just beat him out for the full time job if he keeps hitting like he is right now.

The Reds have signed 4 players who are at least 30 years old to minor league contracts. Andy Phillips (30) played in 61 games last season for the Yankees mostly as a first baseman. He was 54 for 185 (.292 avg, .711 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 2 homers and 25 RBIs last year. He has played in 203 games in his major league career and he is 121 for 479 (.253 avg, .678 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 11 homers and 60 RBIs. 35 year old righty reliever Jim Brower might have a decent chance to stick in the Reds bullpen if he has a good Spring. Brower pitched in 3 games last season for the Yankees and he was 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. Brower has now pitched in 354 games (28 starts) in his major league career and he is 33-32 with 5 saves, a 4.67 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. 30-year old righty swinging reserve infielder Andy Green last played in the majors in 2006 with the Diamondbacks. He has played in 136 games in his major league career and he is 45 for 226 (.199 avg, .545 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 2 homers and 12 RBIs. 35-year old righty swinging Jolbert Cabrera hasn’t played in the majors since 2004 with the Seattle Mariners. He has played in 561 games in his major league career and he is 333 for 1,291 (.258 avg, .667 OPS) with 172 runs scored, 15 homers, 145 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.

The Reds will pay Adam Dunn $13.5 million bucks for the 2008 season but he’s worth it. He played in 152 games last season for the Reds and he was 138 for 522 (.264 avg, .940 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 40 homers and 106 RBIs. Dunn has now played in 973 games for the Reds and he is 833 for 3,354 (.248 avg, .900 OPS) with 620 runs scored, 238 homers and 572 RBIs.

The Indians got tired of waiting around for Brandon Phillips to live up to his potential so the Reds got him for pennies on the dollar. All he did in 2007 was become a 30/30 man for the Reds as he cranked 30 homers and stole 32 bases! In two seasons with the Reds, Phillips has played in 307 games and he is 335 for 1,186 (.282 avg) with 172 runs scored, 47 homers, 169 RBIs and 57 stolen bases. The Indians have to be sick to their stomachs as they had issues at second base this season.