Can Aaron Miles Increase his Value with the Reds?

When Aaron Miles was traded to the Athletics, I thought he would be in line for a boost in playing time. But today, Miles was traded to the Reds, which could be disastrous for his value moving forward:

The Cincinnati Reds acquired infielder Aaron Miles in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, swapping young infielder Adam Rosales and outfielder Willy Taveras.

The Reds also will get a player to be named or cash, according to sources.

Miles, 33, was a disappointment with the Cubs last season, hitting .185 in 74 games -- and likewise, the 28-year-old Taveras struggled with the Reds, hitting just .240 in 102 games.

Assuming that Miles stays with the Reds and is not dealt again in the near future, I'm struggling to see where he will find playing time. Miles has primarily played shortstop and second base throughout his career, but with Orlando Cabrera (160 games played in '09) and Brandon Phillips (151 games played in '09) manning shortstop and second base respectively, playing time will be scarce for Miles. For a guy coming off a terrible season, this is not exactly the ideal situation for Miles, who will be a free agent after the 2010 season.

If Miles stays with the Reds, he will have to find ways to make himself valuable in order to earn at bats and playing time. Miles needs to be ready to play all over the infield and even the outfield as needed for the Reds and show some value as a pinch hitter. There's always the chance that someone gets hurt so that Miles will get some more playing time, but right now, Miles has to hope the best and prepare for the worst.

The best case scenario for Miles and his upcoming free agency is that the Reds release him and give him a chance to compete for a job elsewhere where he will play more.

Joe Mauer Close to a Deal? Maybe?

So much for a bidding war for Joe Mauer next winter. Well, not officially. But it certainly doesn't look like Mauer will become a free agent next winter. Not if the Twins have their way:

Everybody I spoke with during TwinsFest believes the team soon will have Joe Mauer signed to a contract extension. Two people (on the fringes), who have their own information pipelines, claimed that the deal's basic framework -- the number of years and guaranteed money -- is already set, with the sides negotiating things such as deferred payments, etc.

Our best sources on this subject, however, insisted there wouldn't be news of an extension all weekend, and they were right. (Clarification: It's important to emphasize here that we have not confirmed that the framework is done. Fringe sources might think so, but those closest to the talks haven't confirmed. The spirit of this blog post was "gut feelings and hot tips," but some media outlets are running with this as hard information.)

Mauer said Friday he doesn't want his contract to become a distraction for the team. But there is hardly widespread panic that the Twins are going to lose him to free agency.

I'm confident an extension is coming. It's a matter of when, not if.

Any predictions about what Mauer's extension might look like? I'm sticking to my 6 years/$120 million dollar prediction.