C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

Even with recent trades to cut the Reds' record $114 million 2014 payroll, it will still increase in 2015, said general manager Walt Jocketty.

"Our payroll has increased every year, despite what some people are writing or thinking, our payroll is increasing again this year," Jocketty said. "It's not increasing to the level it would need to have been able to keep the guys we traded. It's still increasing quite a bit over last year, but everyone's salaries are jumping up. We knew that going into last year."

The Reds traded starters Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon last week on the final day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego. Those two moves, along with the trade of Chris Heisey and the non-tendering of Logan Ondrusek, cut a projected $18 million from the 2015 budget. All four of those players were arbitration-eligible, and using MLBTradeRumors.com's arbitration projections, Latos would have made $8.4 million, Simon $5.1 million, Heisey $2.3 million and Ondrusek $2.3 million.

The team still has five arbitration-eligible players on the roster for next season: Mike Leake ($9.5 million projected), Aroldis Chapman ($8.3 million projected), Zack Cozart ($2.3 million projected), Todd Frazier ($4.6 million projected) and Devin Mesoraco ($2.8 million projected). That's a total of $27.5 million added to the 11 players already under contract, who are due a total of more than $75.5 million, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. That doesn't include the $6.5 million in buyouts to Jack Hannahan ($2 million) and Ryan Ludwick ($4.5 million). Those 16 players, along with the payments to the players no longer on the team, raises payroll to $109.5.

That total doesn't include the nine other players on the roster, which at the bare minimum would be more than $4.5 million, giving the team somewhere around last year's payroll.

And all of that is before the team adds a left fielder.

There are still more than two months before Reds position players report to Goodyear, Ariz., but there's still no clear indication of who will be in left field for the Reds when the team does report.

What we do know at this point is who it won't be, as most of the top free agents at the position have signed elsewhere: Michael Morse (Marlins), Michael Cuddyer (Mets), Torii Hunter (Twins), Alex Rios (Royals), Nelson Cruz (Mariners), Nick Markakis (Braves) and Melky Cabrera (White Sox).

Jocketty had reported interest in Morse, Cuddyer and Hunter, as well as Nori Aoki, who is still a free agent. But at this point, Jocketty said, the team's next left fielder is more likely to come from a trade than a free agent signing.

"Those were guys we targeted, but they weren't as high on the list as people thought," Jocketty said. "We're still looking at a couple of possibilities in free agency, but we're probably looking more at trades."

If the team does make a trade, it's unlikely to be from its major-league starting pitching staff. Jocketty shopped his starters, ultimately receiving right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and minor-league catcher Chad Wallach in exchange for Latos and right-hander Jonathon Crawford and shortstop Eugenio Suarez for Simon.

Those two deals leave the Reds with a front of the rotation including Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake. That's unlikely to change, Jocketty said.

"I think the reason we kept those three was they were the three most reliable we had," Jocketty said. "We knew we were going to have to deal one or two of them and it just worked out the way we had hoped with those two guys. I think to answer your question, at this point we'd like to preserve the pitching we have unless we get more pitching back."