(Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)

As Spring Training creeps ever closer, however, it would appear as though Rolen has yet to formally make an announcement about his future and, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the team is essentially ready to move on at this point. The team will likely install Frazier as their everyday third baseman. The soon-to-be 27 year old hit .273/.331/.498 over 465 plate appearances this past season, finishing 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The Reds also signed Jack Hannahan as a free agent and acquired Jason Donald from the Cleveland Indians to give them added depth at the position.

If Rolen does call it a career he’ll finish with a .281/.364/.490 batting line, with 316 HR and 1,287 RBI. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies, won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, and appeared in seven All Star Games. Rolen also won eight Gold Gloves at third base in his career, trailing only Brooks Robinson (16) and Mike Schmidt (10) at the position.

Hannahan lands with Cincinnati after Cleveland cut ties. Image: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE

Hannahan gets a one-year, $2 million deal from the Reds and figures to be used as a backup at the hot corner behind Todd Frazier. Hannahan is an elite defensive third baseman, but is not a tremmendous hitter. In parts of six big league seasons, Hannahan has mustered a .234/.316/.355 line. He has just 28 career home runs in over 1450 career at bats.

In addition to Hannahan, the Reds could have even more third base help on the way. Veteran Scott Rolen has indicated to the club that he’d like to come to Spring Training in hopes of playing one more year. The Reds seem more than willing to give him the opportunity to do so and Danny Knobler says Cincinnati thinks Rolen can still be a useful player on the field and in the clubhouse.

Rolen will be 38 in April and has been limited to just 157 games over the past two seasons. He’s posted a combined OPS under .700 in those campaigns.

Frazier isn’t a natural third baseman, but did play 73 games at the hot corner last season. He wound up with a third-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting after a 2012 season that saw Frazier club 19 home runs and post a .273/.331/.498 line in 128 games. Frazier has major league experience at all four infield positions, plus both corners of the outfield.

UPDATE (12/13): Hannahan actually gets a two-year deal with a club option for a third year. Quite a nice contract for the career journeyman.

Frazier leads NL Rookies in RBI. Image: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

One of the biggest reasons the Reds were able to extend their lead in the NL Central sans Votto was the play of Todd Frazier. Frazier burst onto the scene earlier in the year and filled in admirably for Scott Rolen at third base. With Rolen healthy (always a relative term with him) and Votto out, Frazier simply slid across the diamond and the Reds didn’t miss a beat.

Frazier is one of the top two or three candidates for National League Rookie of the Year and aside from maybe Jay Bruce, is probably the most valuable member of the 2012 Reds. Through 400 plate appearances this year, Frazier is sporting a robust .882 OPS. Rolen, meanwhile, has played at a considerably lower level; posting a .721 OPS this season.

Rolen is 37 years old and is still an above average defender at third. But his shoulder is more troublesome than ever, it seems, and Frazier has been just about league-average at third base with the glove. It’s pretty obvious that Frazier is the better player this season and at this point in their careers, that’s unlikely to change going forward. The only question is whether manager Dusty Baker will have the courage to move away from the veteran Rolen in favor of giving at bats to Frazier.

Votto will likely get some extra days off going forward, as he’d like to be as close to 100 percent by the playoffs as possible. It is on those days that Votto rests that Rolen should be seeing the field. Frazier has proven so far this season that he’s superior to every rookie hitter not named Mike Trout. He’s proven this year that he’s superior to a broken-down version of Rolen. He deserves full-time at bats down the stretch and into October.

For more on the Reds, see Blog Red Machine.

Not so long ago, Votto, hitting .342, was talked about as the National League MVP for 2012. Then he twisted a knee and has been out of the lineup since July 15. He is due to begin a rehab assignment in the minors shortly and then return to Cincinnati when ready. But the remarkable thing about the heat of the summer is that the Reds haven’t missed him. They’ve been playing better since Votto got hurt sending shivers throughout the Great American Ball Park stands, than they were when he was in the lineup every day.

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That’s with MVP candidate and leading hitter Joey Votto on the disabled list for most of it. Thursday, that was with second-base star Brandon Phillips sidelined with a minor ailment, too. These are not the Three Musketeers, the Reds are more like the 25 Musketeers. Oh yeah, some guys are hot like outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who has almost been matching Albert Pujols’ recent surge in average and power.

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A twisted left knee necessitated arthroscopic surgery Tuesday and doctors say he will be on the shelf for three weeks to a month. That’s recovery time. Not included is time spent regaining his sharpness. Votto is the Reds leader on the field, even if he is quiet in the clubhouse, and no one player is going to replace his production.

Rolen turned in his first big game for the Reds in Friday night’s 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins after coming off the disabled list earlier in the week. He was his vintage self with three hits in four at-bats, scored a run and knocked in two runs. It should only be that way every day. But it hasn’t been.

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After a recent game when Frazier stroked a key double to enable the Reds to make a comeback, the future permanent Reds starter at third, was batting .875 as a pinch-hitter for 2012. He was seven-for-eight coming off the bench for a solo try at giving the club a lift. It’s no wonder that Reds manager Dusty Baker has confidence in his second-year player.

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