"About the time Jorge Cantu shot his third or fourth double of the series in the left-center when you had to wonder: How in the wide world of sports did the Reds let this guy go?

Cantu looked like the perfect No. 4 hitter in Florida's four-game series against the Reds. Cantu had a hit and a RBI in every game.

The Reds had Cantu briefly in 2007. They got him in a trade from Tampa Bay for left-hander Brian Shackelford. Cantu started his stint at Louisville, then hit .298 with a home run and nine RBI in 57 at-bats with the Reds.

"We liked him," said third base coach Mark Berry. "He could hit. He was a good clubhouse guy."

But the Reds released Cantu on Dec. 5, 2007.

The reason they gave at the time was they wanted to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to take right-hander Sergio Valenzuela from Atlanta in the Rule 5 draft.

Valenzuela was so unimpressive early in spring training that he never even made into a game before the Reds offered him back to the Braves. That was clearly a scouting mistake. That happens to a lot of Rule 5 picks."