This week the Cleveland Indians signed former first round draft picks Austin Kearns and Travis Buck to one-year contracts. Kearns, who posted a .746 OPS in 461 plate appearances for the Tribe and New York Yankees in 2010, signed to a tune of $1.3 million and figures to be the team’s fourth outfielder in 2011 behind Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and Michael Brantley.  A former first round pick of the Reds in 1998, Kearns, now 30, has never panned out to be the well-rounded hitter that was supposed to complement Adam Dunn in the Cincinnati lineup. In fact, he’s been the exact opposite.

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• There’s no better holiday present than the Chicago White Sox new ticket package, “The Ozzie Plan.” Better yet, there’s no better way to promote it than with a commercial featuring the man himself.

• I was happy to hear that the Reds’ decided to extend Jay Bruce’s contract, which of course means that Mevs was beside himself with excitement.  Be sure to read his sincere thoughts on the Bruce’s new contract and the impact it will have on the organization.

• Speaking of extensions, the folks at Splashing Pumpkins analyze the risks of locking up the Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, with a contract extension.  Although the idea is beyond tempting, it might be potentially detrimental to the development of the entire organization.

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This morning on The Baseball Show, Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I discussed the following:

– Carl Crawford to the Red Sox. Ramifications of having too many starting outfielders?
– Jay Bruce‘s contract extension
– Mark Reynolds to the Orioles–is this the beginning of the end?
– Carlos Pena to the Cubs
– Possible landing spots for Derrek Lee
– I talk about my work on Prep Baseball Report
– As always, much more!

The Golden Sombrero presents Rookie Card Corner: Adam Dunn 1999 Bowman

Fun Fact: In 2009, Adam Dunn was the worst fielder in the Major Leagues with a -35 UZR/150.

[courtesy of @CincinnatiReds]

On Monday afternoon, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named the 2010 National League MVP after receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes.  For those who watched Votto closely this season, the prestigious recognition comes as no surprise considering that he was the most impressive hitter in the NL and arguably in all of baseball.

Nobody covers the Reds like my man Clint over at Diamond Hoggers, and here is what he had say after Votto was announced as MVP:

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