ST.LOUIS — Denny Neagle has a contract offer from the Reds. He also has trade rumors already swirling around him.

        Amid that maelstrom of possible distractions, Neagle intends to concentrate on his No. 1 priority — pitching — such as in tonight's interleague series opener against the Cleveland Indians. Neagle (7-2), who has won his last two starts, will oppose left-hander Chuck Finley (7-5).

        Reds management has offered Neagle a multiyear extension of unspecified length and value, though two baseball sources familiar with the situation said the proposal would pay Neagle little more than the $4.75 million he'll earn this year. For comparison, the Minnesota Twins' Brad Radke recently signed a four-year deal for an average of $9 million a year.

        Eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season, Neagle indicated that he'd prefer to keep his options open until the offseason. “It'll probably be something I'd like to focus on during the wintertime,” he said Thursday, though he noted that he and his agent, Barry Meister, are tentatively planning to discuss the matter with Reds general manager Jim Bowden after the All-Star break.

        Neagle said he feared a scenario in which he'd sign a deal with the Reds and then be traded anyway before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

        “That leaves me in an unfair situation. Then I would be selling myself short,” said Neagle. “So that's why we said, "Look, Jim, we'll get back to you after the break.'”

        By then, whispers of possible destinations for Neagle — Colorado, Atlanta, Boston, Oakland, Arizona, either New York team — may have grown to a shout. Particularly if the Reds show little or no sign of being able to climb back into serious postseason contention.

        “Right now, I'm still a Cincinnati Red,” Neagle said. “Technically, we still aren't out of the division (race), though we're making things tough on ourselves. All I can do is keep doing the same thing, which is going out one start at a time.”

        Having been traded three times in his career, including a stretch-drive deal in 1996 when he moved from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, Neagle is used to being mentioned in trade talk. “I think I can feed off that experience,” he said.

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