Bronson Arroyo has ended up being 1/3 of the Holy Trinity (Phillips and Ross being the other two) that Wayne Krivsky can point to as his best moves. The outlook on Krivsky would be even bleaker if not for the Arroyo for Pena trade. It's funny to remember now how brilliant everyone thought Krivsky was after Arroyo's April. And he was at that point. Since ...
Anyway, I'm digressing from Arroyo. Bronson had an outstanding season in 2005, and he's a legit number two starter, and he's probably passable as a number one on a weaker team. Add that for a significantly below market contract and you've got one of the best values on the Reds roster.
The Reds really aren't that far from contention if they had someone in charge with a clue. They have two above average starting pitchers who aren't making much money, and on the offensive side of things they have some high value players as well. EdE, Denorfia, Freel, Dunn, and Phillips are all fairly cheap (some more than others) for what they provide.
The big question with Arroyo has to be whether he can continue what he did in 2005. The league change probably played at least a small part in his improved numbers, but he's also entering the prime age of his career so it's tough to tell. It's probably just as likely that he could improve even more as it is that he'll regress.
Questions to kick off this open thread:
- Since Arroyo is signed to a cheap contract his trade value is probably fairly high. If the Reds are out of it this July do you think they should trade him?
- Do you think Arroyo will be able to repeat his 2005 numbers?