The Cincinnati Reds didn’t merely sit idle and twiddle their thumbs during the free agency period. Not at all. The managed to keep Scott Rolen until 2012, which freed up some $6 million in money to pursue other options.

February found the Reds signing Orlando Cabrera, getting rid of Willy Taveras and re-signing Jonny Gomes. But those transactions pale in comparison to the signing of the Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman. We have him for 6 years, $30 million. The architect of this renovation? Team general manager Walt Jocketty.

He’s been here just shy of two years, and it can be said that he has made a positive imprint on the club. Earlier this wek, Jocketty and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com discussed the club and his thoughts on the upcoming season:

MLB.com: With Mike Leake having no professional experience, were you surprised he put himself in position to be a finalist for the fifth spot?

Jocketty: Nope. I’ll tell you why. When we drafted him last year, we drafted him with the idea that he’ll come fast — not necessarily this fast. He pitched well enough in the [Arizona] Fall League. He’s pitched at a very high level in college competition. He’s done a lot of things. Would we like to see him out pitching in a five-man rotation for a while? Sure. We could probably control that at the Major League level, too.

MLB.com: How has Aroldis Chapman handled himself in camp with all the attention, the questions and the learning curve?

Jocketty: I think he’s done well. Like Dusty [Baker] said early on, the fact he doesn’t understand English has probably helped somewhat with not realizing all the hype that’s been going on. He’s done extremely well. I’m very happy. He’s progressing some with his English. You can say a few things to him.

MLB.com: How much do you take into consideration where Chapman starts the season with all of the external stuff besides baseball?

Jocketty: A lot. I think that’s something we’re still going to meet on, depending on where we send him and where is the best place to send him to get started.

MLB.com: Are you happy in general with the level of competition you’ve had in this camp? It seems to be one of the deeper camps here in years.

Jocketty: I have been. The toughest thing we’ve faced in the past week — I’ve met several times with Dusty and his staff and my staff — is trying to figure out the final pieces of the puzzle. There’s so much competition, so much talent that there are plusses and minuses for each person we’re considering, whether it’s the bullpen, rotation or the bench.

MLB.com: Is there a point where you wonder where the runs come from? It hasn’t been a good spring for hitting.

Jocketty: We’ve had a few guys that we’ll rely on during the season that haven’t had great camps. I don’t think Brandon [Phillips] will hit under .200 this year. I don’t think Rolen will hit like he has. I’m not that concerned right now. If we get a week or two into the season and it’s like that, then I will be concerned.

MLB.com: If the Reds are competitive into the summer, do you have the ability and clearance to make additional moves and add players if needed? Or does everything you have for the whole season already have to be here in camp?

Jocketty: I think if we’re in position to do something during the year, we’ll find a way to do it. We’ve been pretty creative so far. As long as I can keep Bob [Castellini] happy.

MLB.com: After the year Jay Bruce had last season, how important is it for him to be a more complete hitter this season?

Jocketty: I think that’s one of the guys I think will be a big part of our offense this year. If he continues to grow like he did at the end of the year and improve, he should have a very good year. I think he played at the end of the year like we thought he’s capable of doing. I think with these young guys, the more they play, the more experience they get, the better they’re going to get. He’s certainly one that falls into that category.

MLB.com: Is this a team built to win right away or down the line? Is it both?

Jocketty: We’re trying to build a team that will be competitive for a long period of time. Part of that is building with young players from the organization. But you have to supplement that with veteran, experienced players that will help lead the way, so to speak. The guys we’ve added are all strong character guys and quality players that have been through the championship wars and know what it’s like. To answer the question, it’s a club built to contend this year, and hopefully in the years to come.

MLB.com: What do you consider, for this year, to be an acceptable outcome to the season? Is it focused solely on the playoffs, or is a winning season where it starts?

Jocketty: I don’t want to make predictions. I don’t want to say “If we don’t get into the playoffs, it’s disappointing.” I want to say “If we play the way we’re capable of playing, and stay competitive, I think we’ll have a very good year, a successful year.” When we get towards the end, we’ll see what happens. The idea is to keep the team in contention going into September. It’s a big month where you can break loose and take the finish line. Obviously, we’d like to have a winning season. That is first and foremost. It’s been a long time.

MLB.com: Do you sense the frustration from fans, especially talking to them on caravans and Redsfest, over how long it’s been?

Jocketty: Yeah, but I also sense they are very excited about this team and the direction this organization is going. I think they’re probably impatient because they haven’t won in a while. As long as they see some progress and a chance to keep getting better, I think they will be happy. That’s what it’s going to take to get our fan base back. We’re going to have to be competitive for a long period of time, not just one year. You have to prove to them you are going in the right direction.