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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — New uniforms are nifty, and a Disney-like Redsfest was neat, but cosmetics aren't what baseball is about. Fans appreciate one thing, a three-letter word: W-I-N.

As baseball's winter meetings drag into the final hours, the Cincinnati Reds haven't added much to a winning menu — re-signing relief pitcher David Weathers doesn't have fans pitching tents to buy tickets.

It isn't that General Manager Wayne Krivsky isn't trying or that owner Bob Castellini doesn't want him to try. Not much is happening on any front among the 30 teams. And if Krivsky doesn't make a significant trade, he will accept it.

"There are so many ways you can improve your team," he said. "Make a trade, make a free agent signing, claim a guy off waivers, pick up a guy in the Rule 5 draft, sign nonroster guys who come in and make your team.

Some of the lesser moves, like trading for (catcher) David Ross, sometimes work out well. That was viewed as a lesser trade."

Former Cincinnati manager Lou Piniella, a man Castellini wanted to bring back to Cincinnati, was hired recently by the Chicago Cubs and is bubbling with enthusiasm over working for a team that spends money as if it comes out of Chicago waterworks taps.

"I love that new owner in Cincinnati," said Piniella, acknowledging that he talked to Castellini. "The timing wasn't right then, and that's too bad. But I love a guy like that because he really wants to win, and he'll do something about it. I like the GM (Krivsky), a good baseball man. Things should get better in Cincinnati."

Other than re-signing 37-year-old right-hander David Weathers and 39-year-old left-hander Mike Stanton as possible co-closers and the addition of shortstop Alex Gonzalez, the Reds remain basically vanilla.

They'd like to acquire a closer. They'd like to acquire another starting pitcher. The rotation is Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Eric Milton, Kyle Lohse and somebody probably to be identified later — and that name isn't Homer Bailey.

Said manager Jerry Narron, "I have no timetable on Bailey. I'm looking forward to seeing him in the spring. If he shows he can make pitches, not just throw a lot of fastballs and try to throw the ball past guys, he'll be in the big leagues and be successful."

Narron said Bailey still has to learn to attack hitters with command, location and off-speed pitches, rather than rely solely on fastballs, as he did in Class AA Chattanooga last season. "We had to talk to him about using something other than fastballs. We know he can throw the ball past hitters (in Class AA)."

Most likely Bailey will start at Class AAA Louisville and earn his big-league promotion.

Of shortstop Gonzalez, Narron said, "His defense is huge. How many times did you see last year when we didn't turn a double play and the next guy hit a home run? I think it was five times."

Tuesday at the winter meetingsOutfielder J.D. Drew and the Boston Red Sox culminated weeks of negotiations by reaching a preliminary agreement on a $70 million, five-year contract.

Drew will receive $14 million annually in the deal, which is subject to his passing a physical.

Pitcher Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres neared agreement on a $10 million, one-year contract.

The deal for the four-time Cy Young Award winner would contain a $6 million player option for 2008. The price of the option would increase incrementally up to $10 million if Maddux pitches 200 innings.

The Red Sox also reached a preliminary agreement with shortstop Julio Lugo that would pay him $36 million over the next four years.

— Associated Press