The Cincinnati Reds should accept assignment to Triple-A for their own good. If they got relegated, they would be forced to trade everyone making more than a couple of million of dollars. This would make them rebuild.
Joey Votto? Traded. Homer Bailey? Gone. Brandon Phillips? Released. Devin Mesoraco? Sold. Zack Cozart would be right on the edge. This is how the Reds should be viewing a rebuild.
When you do it this way, you can immediately see what a rebuild ought to look like. While guys like Alfredo Simon and Ross Ohlendorf don’t exactly fit, having them around isn’t as damaging as having Bailey and Mesoraco injured and getting paid.