I think we should go after a guy like Brandon Phillips. I do understand that we have Barney and a lot of other holes, but Phillips plays with a certain passion that makes it hard for anyone who loves the game not to like him. He is always smiling and loves competing to win. And what a great guy to "mentor" Castro up the middle. I think it would be huge towards Castro's development.

Phillips is Gold Glove defender and can hit with the best of the second basemen in the league. It is his contract year and I'm not sure if the Reds have the cap to resign him with all of their young assets. Also, like I said earlier, Phillips could teach Castro the right way to play. With a guy like Castro, who has all of the potential in the world, it can be very easy for him to play half of the game hard like a lot of guys do (I.E. Aramis). It would be an excellent move to not spend most of the money we have this offseason on one guy and get other options like some pitching (Left Handers for sure).

I'm curious to what you guys think and if you have watched a lot of Philips play. My brother is a huge Reds fan, so I get stuck watching them a lot. Phillips also hates the Cardinals, if you can recall last years playoff race. I'm sure he's not a big fan of the Cubs, but maybe his hate towards that Cards could bring him to Wrigley. Also, maybe Barney could be a platoon guy at third base if Aram walks(I'm not sure about his arm strength). Tell me what you think. Thanks Guys.