The first advice the Reds would like newly hired special adviser Walt Jocketty to give them is this:
Where can we find our Chris Carpenter?
Jocketty signed Carpenter in 2002 after he went 4-5 with a 5.28 ERA for Toronto. Carpenter was also hurt.
He sat out all of the 2003 season but came back better than ever. He went 51-18 from 2004-06.
The Cardinals won two National League pennants and a World Series title in that span, thanks largely to Carpenter.
Carpenter was a once-in-a-lifetime find, but Job One for Jocketty is to help the Reds plug a veteran into the pitching rotation.
There are two means of getting a starter: trade or free agency.
The Reds made a bid for Baltimore left-hander Erik Bedard.
And they've had some preliminary discussions with Oakland about right-hander Joe Blanton.
Neither is likely to end up a Red, unless the Orioles or A's back off their demands. The Reds won't trade top prospect Jay Bruce, and they aren't keen on giving up more than one of their other top prospects: Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto and Joey Votto.
That leaves free agency.
Without talking specifics, general manager Wayne Krivsky says the Reds are active on that front.
"We're having lots of discussions," he said.
The top pitcher left might be former Reds right-hander Kyle Lohse. But he's coming off a 9-12, 4.62-ERA season. He's wildly inconsistent, and he's likely to get a lot of money.
Right-hander Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93) is also available. He pitched a lot of innings (2041/3 last year), but he gives up a lot of hits (247) and home runs (34). That's not the formula for success in Great American Ball Park.
The best way to go might be to take a risk on someone coming off an injury.
Right-hander Jon Lieber, 37, was limited by a foot injury to 12 starts last season. But he's a guy who went 17-13 with a 4.20 ERA in 2005.
It's hard to say if he'll return to that form again, but if he does, he'll make the Reds' rotation much better.
You can be sure Krivsky will be getting Jocketty's scouting report on Lieber and Co. over the next couple of days.
That's one of Jocketty's strengths.
"He's a tremendous talent evaluator," said Jeff Brantley, who played for Jocketty in St. Louis. "He sees the positives and the negatives. He's not afraid to take a chance."
If Bedard and Blanton are out, the Reds are in a position where they have to take a chance: a chance on a free agent, or a chance that two of their four young pitchers are ready.
Given Jocketty's history, the Reds are more likely to go the free-agent route.
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Originally Posted by redsmetz
