By John Fay and Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERIES

Photos of Tuesday's game

Dave Miley's first day

The Reds refused to term it a salary dump.

But the trade that sent relief pitcher Scott Williamson to the Red Sox late Tuesday for a minor league pitcher, a player to be named later and at least $1-million in cash certainly looks that way.

"Salary dump is a little strong," Reds chief operating officer John Allen said. "We've got to look at the long term and short term."

Williamson, who was making $1.6 million this season and led the Reds with 21 saves, is arbitration eligible and likely to receive a hefty raise this off-season.

Reds players felt the move may signal only the beginning. The non-waiver trade deadline is Thursday.

"They want to get rid of payroll," Reds pitcher Ryan Dempster said. "I've been through it before with the Marlins.

"I hope it's not to that extreme, but it's unfortunate when you have a brand-new stadium."

Said first baseman Sean Casey: "You could see it coming. That's the direction they're going in."

With an eye re-focused on 2004 and beyond, Tuesday's trade came one day after the club fired its general manager, Jim Bowden, field manager Bob Boone, and two coaches.

"We have to take into account the long-term viability of the franchise and what we can do to improve our chances in the future," Reds assistant general manager Brad Kullman said.

"We're not just going to move players for financial considerations. We did this because it was a good baseball deal long-term. Short term, there are obviously some things that are going to help us out as well."

Letting Williamson go, Kullman said, was difficult considering the Reds have had so much trouble developing homegrown pitching talent.

Cincinnati drafted Williamson in the ninth round of the 1997 draft. In 1999, he was the National League's Rookie of the Year.

"(Trading him is) not something we were really excited about," Kullman said.

In left-hander Phillip Dumatrait, who was 7-5 with a 3.02 ERA for Single-A Sarasota of the Florida State League this season, the Reds feel they got a pitcher who can be a No. 3 starter in a couple years.

The 22-year-old, selected 22nd overall in the 2000 draft, likely will be assigned to Single-A Potomac. If he performs well in his first outing, the Reds probably will move him to Double-A Chattanooga.

"He's a guy our scouts like a lot, and it's a guy we feel could be a young arm and help us in the future," Kullman said.

The player to be named later is expected to be another left-handed pitcher.

To fill Williamson's roster spot, but not necessarily his role, the club recalled John Bale from Triple-A Louisville. The left-hander, who has made 17 career major league relief appearances, was 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA with four saves for the Bats.

Indications are the dealing is not over.

"We've got a lot of people with a lot of skills that are working on different angles of these deals," Kullman said. "So we're working on some other stuff as well. Something else may come to pass. Something may not."

Before the trade, a sense of normalcy had returned Tuesday.

Kullman and Leland Maddox, the Reds assistant general manager/director of scouting, are sharing the duties once held by Bowden. They spent most of Tuesday calling every general manager in baseball with hopes of making a trade or two.

While Maddox and Kullman are negotiating trades, they don't have the final authority to make them.

"We'll look at it and we'll give the ideas to John," Maddox said. "John and (chief executive officer) Carl Lindner will make the final decisions as to what we do."