Reds New Manager? | jhorten9's Blog

03:07 PM ET 10.09 |

The Cincinnati Reds manager search should be in high gear right now. The front office is tight-lipped about such things which doesn't really bother me too much. There are several teams looking for managers right now, why tip your hand?

Of the teams now hiring, the Reds have to be an attractive option. Plenty of young talent and an owner committed to winning and doing it the right way. That way is by developing home-grown talent, while be willing to open the wallet for the short-term. This year's short-term options did not work out, but the farm system appears to developing talent.

1B/OF Joey Votto had a successful Sept call-up. OF Jay Bruce is universally recognized as the Minor League Player of the Year. Starting pitchers Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto are close and are considered top-of-the-rotation starters. There are also several players in the lower levels who will be prospects in the coming years.

As far as the big club goes, there is young talent to build around. 2B Brandon Phillips is one of the best in the game at his position. 3B Edwin Encarnacion had a brilliant second half. Aaron Harang is an ace and Jared Burton is a burgeoning talent as a setup man and potential closer. OF Josh Hamilton is a spectacular talent.

So who is going to get a shot to manage the team? Here is my wish list:

1) Joe Torre. Please Georgie, please cut loose the talented leader while you are off looking for calzones with Costanza. Torre's best years with the Yanks, his championship teams, were based on baseball players, not how many all-stars you can try to juggle....while ignoring the pitching staff.

2) Pete Mackanin. He did a great job as the interim and deserves a shot to manage on a full-time basis. His work speaks for itself. The club played hard and he got great results from several players who were languishing through the first 82 games. The club was 31-51 and finished 41-39 under Mack with a ton of injuries late to snuff out opportunities for more wins.

3) Anybody but Tony LaRussa. I have never liked LaRussa. He is considered a genius and the best thing going on the bench. He doesn't have Bobby Cox's record run of championships and Torre (4) has more World Series wins than LaRussa's two.