Newest Reds pitcher Bruce Chen, acquired in a trade with the Montreal Expos. (AP file photo) | ZOOM |

        Newest Red Bruce Chen, who was 3-2 with a 6.99 ERA for the Montreal Expos, isn't the kind of impact pitcher Reds fans were clamoring for. But the Reds think he can be.

        The Reds acquired Chen, a left-hander, for right-hander Jim Brower on Friday.

        “We took a chance,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “He's 24 years old, he's left-handed and he's had some success in the big leagues.”

        Chen is the type of pitcher for whom the Reds could afford to trade. He makes $300,000, only slightly more than Brower ($250,000). That the Reds can't take on added payroll makes it nearly impossible to trade for an established veteran.

        “This isn't a sure thing,” Bowden said. “But we're getting a young left-hander.”

        Chen gives the Reds two left-handers; Gabe White is the other. Chen will go into the fifth starter spot, which was unoccupied. The last two pitchers tried there — Jose Rijo and Carlos Almanzar — are on the disabled list. No one in the minors was ready to help.

        “We needed starting pitching,” Bowden said. “We have some guys in Double-A, but players like Ty Howington aren't ready. Lance Davis has struggled. We sent him back to Double-A. It hasn't worked out with Brian Bohanon.”

        Reds manager Bob Boone thinks the risk could have its reward. In other words, the Reds think they can get more out of Chen than the Expos were.

        “We saw a couple mechanical things,” Boone said. “We'll see if we can or can't fix them.”

        Reds pitching coach Don Gullett is noted for his ability to turn around pitchers' careers.

        “Pete Schourek didn't have a very good record when we got him,” Bowden said. “He turned it around. When Don Gullett sees something in a pitcher he likes, it's worth the risk.”

        That Chen is left-handed was particularly appealing to the Reds.

        “That's big for us,” Boone said. “There are teams that are vulnerable to that.”

        The St. Louis Cardinals have a heavily left-handed-hitting lineup. But Chen will have to show he can pitch effectively to keep his spot in the rotation.

        “It depends on how he does,” Boone said.

        Chen, who turns 25 next week, throws 89 to 91 mph. Chen first made it to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves in 1998. He went 2-0 with a 3.98 ERA in four starts that year. He was 2-2 with a 5.47 ERA the next year for Atlanta, and 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA in 22 relief appearances in 2000 before being traded to Philadelphia.

        Philly converted him back a starter (3-4, 3.63 ERA).

        The trade turned out to be the start of Chen's travels. The Phillies traded him to the New York Mets in July 2001. He was traded to Montreal in a seven-player deal April 5.

        Brower, 29, was the long man in the Reds' bullpen. That meant he pitched mostly in mop-up situations. He was 2-0 with a 3.89 ERA.

        Brower had nothing but nice things to say about the Reds.

        “They've given me a chance at a career,” Brower said. “The year and a half I spent with the Reds was a blessing. If it wasn't for them, I might be back in Minnesota (out of baseball).”

        The Reds obtained Brower from Cleveland in the Eddie Taubensee trade Nov. 16, 2000. Brower went 7-10 with a 3.97 ERA in 46 games for the Reds last season.

        Bowden has said the Reds probably won't make any blockbuster trades. The Chen trade and the Russell Branyan-for-Ben Broussard trade with Cleveland are examples of the kind of roster-tinkering Bowden said he would do.

        “I don't think you're ever done tinkering,” Bowden said. “We'll make deals if we can improve the club. But we're not looking to trade anybody on our 25-man roster.”

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