The Reds' awkward managerial search was only a warmup act for their off-season of penny-pinching.

        To be fair, general manager Jim Bowden faces some thankless decisions as he strives to deal with the impossible combination of a fixed payroll and 11 players eligi ble for salary arbitration.

        Bowden will enter the next phase of trade discussions, which began at the World Series, during the major league general managers' meetings that began this weekend in Amelia Island, Fla.

        Finding more pitching is an eternal concern for the Reds, who continue to believe they can build a decent staff through bargain-hunting. Bowden and his advisors also will look for another hard-hitting outfielder to complement or upgrade the right-field platoon of Alex Ochoa and Michael Tucker.

        Any trade talks the Reds en gage in would likely involve players in their arbitration-eligible group who must go if the Reds are to keep their payroll in the $45 million range. Early speculation has linked reliever Scott Sullivan to the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ron Villone to the Baltimore Orioles.

        Though first baseman Sean Casey, relief ace Danny Graves, second baseman Pokey Reese and left fielder Dmitri Young are in line for big raises through arbitration, they appear safe because they're too valuable to trade. That being said, Bowden would listen to offers for Young, who never seems to stray too far from the trading block.

        Arbitration-eligible Reds more likely to change addresses are right-hander Steve Parris and utilityman Chris Stynes, besides Sullivan and Villone.

        Right-hander Osvaldo Fernandez, left-hander Dennys Reyes and Ochoa also are eligible for arbitration. Each must be kept if the Reds are to maintain any semblance of depth.

        Sullivan's departure is considered a foregone conclusion. He earned $1.1 million last year and is bound to at least double his pay through arbitration. The late-season emergence of right-hander John Riedling made Sullivan expendable in management's view. In the Reds' rosy scenario, they'll save around $2 million while maintaining their bullpen strength.

        Of course, it's easy to question the wisdom of entrusting the crucial set-up role to a rookie while shipping out Sullivan, who has the guts of a Purple Heart winner on the field.

        The Braves, who have plenty of minor-league talent to trade and always seem to be rebuilding their bullpen, would love to acquire a reliever of Sullivan's caliber.

        The Orioles, who have little left-handed depth and whose mediocre pitching overall will become even worse if free agent Mike Mussina bolts, would welcome a starter-reliever such as Villone. Like Sullivan, Villone is likely to receive a significant raise from his 2000 salary of $1.6 million. The Orioles are among the few teams that can accommodate high-salaried players.

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