By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Reds' news Monday - signing veteran John Vander Wal - wasn't going to upstage the Houston Astros' news of the day - signing pitcher Roger Clemens.

But signing Vander Wal to a one-year deal worth $700,000 was indication that the Reds haven't written off 2004.

Vander Wal is one of the game's premier pinch-hitters, and thus a very nice piece to the team's overall puzzle.

"I know in the late innings when I look down and see him, I'm going to be glad he's on our side," manager Dave Miley said.

"This is a big (signing)," general manager Dan O'Brien said.

The Astros, a National League Central Division rival, announced Monday they had lured Clemens out of retirement with a one-year, $5 million deal. So there are big signings, and then there are big signings.

"Kudos to the Astros," O'Brien said. "We have to be respectful of what they're doing. But this is a tough division. We have to fortify our club."

The Reds, however, are trying to fortify things on a very limited budget. The Vander Wal signing puts the club in the $46- to $48 million payroll range.

O'Brien would not say the Reds are finished with free agent signings. Two spots remain on the 40-man roster.

"We are still talking to people," he said. "How productive that will be, we don't know."

If the Reds sign any other players with major league experience, O'Brien said, it will probably be to minor league contracts.

Vander Wal, 37, is a veteran of 13 big-league seasons. He hit .257 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 327 at-bats with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. He is fifth on the all-time pinch-hit list with 125, and third all time with 17 pinch-hit home runs. His best year was 2000, when he hit .299 with 24 home runs and 94 RBI in 384 at-bats with Pittsburgh.

"You look in the dictionary under 'professional hitter' and you see John Vander Wal's picture," O'Brien said.

Vander Wal can play left field, right field or first base. With the departure of Reggie Taylor, Russell Branyan and Ruben Mateo, Vander Wal becomes the fourth outfielder.

Vander Wal talked to several other clubs before agreeing to sign with the Reds.

"My priority was to stay in the Midwest," said Vander Wal, who is a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., and still makes his home there.

He and his wife, Deb, have twins - daughter Courtney and son Jacob.

Vander Wal's analysis of the Reds: If they get decent pitching, they could have a decent year.

"Offensively, this team has a lot of capability," he said. "Last year was a fluke year with all the injuries. If we stay healthy, there's not a lot of teams with that kind of lineup.

"If we get any kind of quality starting pitching, there's no telling what we can do - especially in the Central."

The Astros and Chicago Cubs have distanced themselves from the rest of the Central with their offseason moves.

The Reds are Vander Wal's eighth club. He knows that the best teams on paper aren't always the best teams on the field.

He saw that in 1999 when he was with the San Diego Padres and they came to play the Reds.

"That was the team that lost right at the end (in a one-game playoff)," he said. "To see the emotion they played with was awesome. We talked about it. That's the way it should be."

Payroll deduction

The Reds aren't revealing what their payroll will be this season. But it's safe to say it will be in the $46- to $48 million range, barring any last-minute major signings. That's about 12 million less than last year's. Consider:

The Reds have $40.65 million committed to 11 players: Ken Griffey Jr. $12.5 million, Sean Casey $6.8 million, Danny Graves $6 million, Paul Wilson $3.5 million, Cory Lidle $2.75 million, Jimmy Haynes $2.5 million, Jason LaRue $2.6 million, D'Angelo Jimenez $1.6 million, Juan Castro $1 million, Barry Larkin $700,000, John Vander Wal $700,000.

Another $2 to $3.5 million will go to the two arbitration-eligible players, Chris Reitsma and John Riedling, and the two young regulars, Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.

Another $3 to $3.5 million will go to the other 10 players, all of whom will be working for baseball's minimum wage of $300,000.

What arms race?

The Houston Astros added Roger Clemens to their already formidable starting rotation Monday, and would appear to have a staff to rival their NL Central rivals, the Cubs. Here's a look at projected rotations, including the Reds.

Astros

Pitcher	W-L	ERA
Roy Oswalt	10-5	2.97
Andy Pettitte	21-8	4.02
Roger Clemens	17-9	3.91
Wade Miller	14-13	4.13
Brandon Duckworth	4-7	4.94

Cubs

Pitcher

W-L

ERA

Mark Prior	18-6	2.43
Kerry Wood	14-11	3.20
Carlos Zambrano	13-11	3.11
Matt Clement	14-12	4.11
Juan Cruz	2-7	6.05

Reds

Pitcher

W-L

ERA

Paul Wilson	8-10	4.64
Cory Lidle	12-15	5.78
Jose Acevedo	2-0	2.67
Jimmy Haynes	2-12	6.30
Aaron Harang	4-3	5.28