I'll be hosting Sunday Morning Sportstalk on 700 WLW this Sunday, starting at 9 AM EDT. If you live outside the greater Cincinnati area, you can catch me on XM 173. One of the topics I'll be dealing with is the realistic chance the Reds can better themselves in 2008.
The only realistic way they get better, is to find better pitching. And the list of potential targets is slim.
Listen to the top names: Paul Byrd, Matt Clement, Bartolo Colon, Josh Fogg and Carlos Silva. Impressive, right?
Byrd is 36 and though he went 15-8 with Cleveland this year, he cost $7 million. Fogg won ten in the rarified air of Denver and made 27 starts. His ERA is under five. He made $3.7 million. Silva made 33 start, won 13 of 27 decisions and put $4.35 in his pocket. Clement didn't pitch this year, recovering from shouldar surgery and Colon was told to get elbow surgery last fall, didn't, rehabbed his arm and managed a 6-8 record and 100 innings for the Angels. All he cost that team was $14 million.
You think it's any better in the bullpen? The top three candidates are Todd Jones, Francisco Cordero and Scott Linebrink. Jones saved 38 for the Tigers, exactly one less than every year of his life. Jones will turn 40 in April. Linebrink is a set up guy. Cordero 'closed' for the Brewers, saving 44 and pulling down $5 million. He could double that salary now on the open market.
Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. The latest "Bengals Report Podcast" is posted on the front page. Marc Hardin and I recap that awful Monday Night loss by the Bengals. But hey, we make it interesting!
THE BROO VIEW: Cincinnati's Legendary Sportscaster Offer His Thoughts On The Ever Changing World Of Sports
