From Boston.com: (Thanks for the heads up to Lance’s blog.)
Bronson Arroyo, RHP, Reds: One of the hot rumors among the scouting community is that the Reds are dangling one of their veteran pitchers in an effort to get younger and reduce payroll. Arroyo, whose name has come up in the past, is earning $9.5 million this season as part of a two-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $11 million next season and has a $2 million buyout on an $11 million option in 2011. With starting pitching hard to find, the Reds could get a decent return.
I have no problem with the Reds looking to make a deal (and IMO, you have to give up something and Arroyo or Harang make the most sense to get anything worthwhile in return), but I have a problem with the article’s reasoning…”to get younger and reduce payroll”?
Hasn’t the question been whether ownership would add to payroll in order to make a run? And how much younger do we want to get? With Bailey, Stubbs, and maybe Dorn, Heisey, or Frazier (and maybe some others) having a reasonable chance to make this team next year, how much younger do you want to be?