USATODAY.com - Last-place Reds fire manager Dave Miley

USATODAY.com - Last-place Reds fire manager Dave Miley

Their best player, Adam Dunn, was unhappy after management cleaned house by releasing Danny Graves and demoting D'Angelo Jimenez and Austin Kearns who happens to be Dunn's good friend.

I would expect an uptick in performance and will not be surprised to see Kearns recalled.

Whether the GM and owner can make moves necessary to put a winning team on the field is another issue.

Maybe they should entertain dealing Wily Mo. He is their most marketable player by far and could bring the motherload in return - a major-leaguer and a top hitting and pitching prospect.

What does Cincinnatti need? Edwin Encarnacion is in AAA and should get the first shot at 3B next season. Lopez has SS covered. Ryan Freel is currently at 2B but could continue as a super-utility so 2B is open. 1B is covered by Casey and will be manned by Dunn. Larue catches but he has been doing it for a while so getting an up-and-comer at C would be wise. If Dunn moved to 1B, an OF spot would open, and obviously, pitchers.

Pared down, the Reds could target propsects at C, 2B, OF and pitchers.

Which teams could use a masher in the OF and have the excess to meet the Reds needs?

Texas seems perfect as there are a couple of good middle infielders in Ian Kinsler (14 HR at AAA) and Joaquin Arias (.289 AVG 8 SB in AA). C Gerald Laird is doing well at AAA (.289 11 HR), and the arms in the minors are getting lots of hype (Tom Diamond is lights out at High A and John Danks is doing well at AA). With Hidlago on a one-year contract, there is an opening in the Texas OF.

With Soriano a free agent after this season, Texas may not be interest in dealing Kinsler, and their never-ending search for pitching may cause them to balk on dealing an arm. However, Pena is already major-league proven and would provide quite a bookend to Mench in the OF.

The Yankees would be a good fit with Cano and Wang, and a desparate need to get younger - anywhere, but I doubt the Reds would make a trade that helps the Yankees.

Toronto is a good fit also. Sending Orlando Hudson, Gabe Gross and a young arm would be fair (Bush or League).

Whehther any of this can be done is a different story, but Wily Mo's age and talent open almost any possibility.