Major league front offices apparently don’t like taking time off, so there were a bunch of transactions today while you were busy not being on the internet.

The Phillies trade outfielder Marlon Byrd and cash to the Reds for pitcher Ben Lively
The Reds continue their quest to be stuck in the middle, and I have to say, it’s going great for them. Byrd will help keep the ship afloat, and he is certainly an upgrade over Ryan Ludwick. Then again, that’s not saying much, as Ludwick was one of the worst players in baseball in his final two years with the Reds. Byrd isn’t going to move the needle for Cincinnati — they would have had do something bold like trade for Justin Upton if they wanted to appreciably improve their chances in 2015 — but he shouldn’t torpedo them the way Ludwick did.

What the move says about Cincy in the bigger picture is that they still think they can put together a competitive team in 2015, but that if they do so it will be largely with players returning to form. Between Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce, the team has no shortage of players who could be expected to do just that. Hoping for them all to do it at once and counting on players like Devin Mesoraco and Billy Hamilton to simultaneously worth three WAR or better again…let’s just say it isn’t a plan with very high odds of succeeding. All of which I’m sure is not much of a surprise to Reds fans, who are likely used to the lack of imagination from their front office at this point.

As for the Phillies, they keep on doing what they are supposed to be doing, even if they did get the ball rolling a year or two too late. Lively had a pretty decent season last year, and could be expected to contribute to a big league rotation in the near future. Here is what Kiley McDaniel had to say about him back in November, when he tabbed him as the 13th-best prospect in Cincy’s system:

13. Ben Lively, RHP Video: Lively was a 4th round pick out of UCF in 2013 and has beat expectations so far, with 79 stellar innings in the hitter-friendly Cal League this year before 72 more solid innings in Double-A.  Lively’s performance may overstate his raw ability a bit; he’s a back-end starter that sits 90-93 and hits 95 mph with four average-ish pitches, led by a slider that’s a 55 at times.  There’s deception and about average command; Lively’s delivery isn’t great but he manages to make it work for him and he throws strikes.

Rockies sign catcher Nick Hundley
Looking at our handy Free Agent Tracker, you see that this was about the best the Rockies could do if they wanted to add another catcher. And adding one certainly is a decent idea for Colorado. Now they have some options with respect to Wilin Rosario. Hundley is never going to be much with the lumber — his slugging percentage actually went down when he was traded from Petco Park to Camden Yards last season — but he earns good enough marks with his defense to be worth a roster spot.

That’s where things get a little interesting. The Rockies have to figure out what to do with Rosario. They can either keep Hundley, Rosario and Michael McKenry on the roster — with Rosario filling more of a first base/designated hitter role and catching only occasionally to stay fresh — or they can trade Rosario. Certainly, Rosario is a better hitter tha he showed last year — both Steamer and ZiPS expect a rebound from him offensively in ’15 (with Steamer more bullish than ZiPS). And even last year, he was mashtastic against lefties (156 wRC+ in 107 PA) so there can still be a role for him in Colorado.

No matter what, the Rockies won’t have a true starting catcher next year, but with three decent options, they won’t necessarily be punting the position either.

Cubs sign outfielder Chris Denorfia
In the past, Denorfia has down two things with aplomb — play defense and hit left-handed pitching. He only did one of those things well last season, so the deal is a bit of a risk. But if he does hit like he has in the past, he will make a great platoon partner for Chris Coghlan in left, and serve as a security blanket for Arismendy Alcantara and Jorge Soler in center and right. For $2.5 million, it’s certainly a gamble worth taking, and a nice bit of fine tuning for the Cubs roster.