That's an awful "matter-of-fact" statement for someone who doesn't work in the Reds front office, and therefore has little to no idea what they would consider. How do you know what the Reds would do? It's a fact that the Reds want pitching. It's a fact that to get a #2 starter, you will have to give up value. It's a fact that releasing Ryan Freel in no way fetches you anything at all in return. So, again, how can you be so certain as to what the Reds would do? Perhaps my language was inexact. "I believe there is a greater chance that the Reds release Ryan Freel than trade Hamilton for the proposed package." I am flattered that you take my posts so seriously. I was under the impression that this was a fan's board. The tenor of your reply indicates that I am under some obligation to check with the Reds' front office, assuming I do not work for them, before publishing such a post. Maybe one of the moderators can clear that up.