Here's a 27-man roster that the Reds could put together for just under $50 million (two of these players would start in the minors). Four free agents - Mike Lowell, Eduardo Perez, Kent Mercker and Scott Sullivan - are examples of what the flexibility in the budget could land the Reds:
Lineup
D'Angelo Jimenez, 2B
$400,000
Juan Castro, SS
$800,000
Mike Lowell, 3B
$7M
+Ken Griffey Jr., CF
$12.5M
Austin Kearns, RF
$400,000
+Sean Casey, 1B
$6.8M
Adam Dunn, LF
$500,000
Jason LaRue, C
$2M
Bench
Ray Olmedo, INF
$325,000
Ryan Freel, INF/OF
$325,000
Eduardo Perez, INF
$750,000
Corky Miller, C
$325,000
Wily Mo Pena, OF
$325,000
Reggie Taylor, OF
$400,000
Russell Branyan, INF/OF
$550,000
Rotation
+Paul Wilson
$3.5M
Jose Acevedo
$350,000
Aaron Harang
$350,000
Brandon Claussen
$300,000
+Jimmy Haynes
$2.5M
Bullpen
+Danny Graves
$6M
Chris Reitsma
$500,000
John Riedling
$500,000
Ryan Wagner
$300,000
John Bale
$350,000
Scott Sullivan
$2M
Kent Mercker
$700,000
+Under multiyear deal. Other salaries are educated guesses.
