How would you fix this pitching staff?
 

Lets say theyre not going to fire Narron or remove Dick Pole or bring up Bailey, so if you were able to get inside Narron's head how would you fix this staff? It looks like he's smoked Arroyo's and Harang's arms already and we've only made it thru 2 months. He's gotta refreshen those 2 somehow right? Cant seem to get to the ninth with any type of a lead. Your 3 and 4 starters are losing confidence like a busted hot air balloon. How do you fix all of this?

Re: How would you fix this pitching staff?
 

Longer term: I think the Reds, like most MLB teams, could benefit from more agressive scouting of the independent leagues. The Angel team that won the series a few years back had a couple ex-indie guys making the minimum salary that solidified the bullpen. That allowed a lot more payroll flexibility to meet the team's other needs.

Longer term: You have to non-tender the Kyle Lohses of the world in the off-season. Committing payroll to guys like that, who have a proven record of mediocrity prevents your ability to fill holes with above-average players.

Shorter term: Keep your eye open for waiver wire fodder. If a guy has more upside than Mike Stanton, pick him up and cut the Mike Stantons of the world.

Shorter term: Keep Homer in the Minor leagues. He's not dominating at triple-A yet (although doing very well for his age). He won't make a difference up here. You don't want to accelerate his arbitration clock for no appreciable gain. You'd prefer not to bring him into a culture of losing.

Shorter term: Don't get tempted to trade away your above-average players in quality-for-quantity trades (like the Majewski debacle of last year)

Re: How would you fix this pitching staff?
 

You simply can't fix it for 2007.

Going foreward hopefully the GM will see the IP/PAB's piling up on Harang and Arroyo and trade them before their arms fall off to get more talent similar in age to HB, Bruce and Votto.

Re: How would you fix this pitching staff?
 

2007 is a wash, I'd use the rest of the season to limit Harang and Arroyo to about 110 pitches max per outing, and start calling up some unknowns from AAA, see who might be for real and who's more of the same.

Re: How would you fix this pitching staff?
 

Bullpen guys like Burton, Salmon, Cooter should get a shot at late inning relief even shots at closer right?