[jammin' jamey]

Can not sacrifice that young talent even if it would yield a good pitcher. Hamilton, Votto, Bruce and Kepp are the future, I do not see the Reds dealing them away.

Nobody is going to give up a good starting pitcher for anyone short of players you mentioned minus Keppinger. Kepp is still iffy with me because he's never been a starting position player for an entire season in the big leagues and really has been a journeymen, much like Ryan Freel was when he came to the Reds.

No way would I trade Bruce or Homer. Votto has a high ceiling and showed lots of promise. Hamilton also showed promise and talent when healthy. One thing about Hamilton is that he adjusted to the big leagues quickly considering that he hadn't played professional baseball for a full season in what almost 3 years? He's a quick study and excellent hitter/fielder. Votto is still a rookie, showed great promise though, but do you hang on to him like the Reds held on to Austin Kearns and wouldn't deal him away until his value was down?

Pulling off great deals that change the landscape of your team is all about timing. The timing is right for Hamilton or Votto - depending on what you get in return.