By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BOSTON - The search for the Reds' new general manager is expected to begin shortly, chief operating officer John Allen said Wednesday.

Though he did not specify potential candidates, Allen would like the hiring process to be done as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

"I think it's one of the most important decisions this organization will have made in a long time," he said prior to the start of owners meetings at The Ritz-Carlton. "It's very, very important that we have the right individual in there."

Since the Reds fired Jim Bowden as general manager July 28, Allen has been inundated with phone calls. Industry colleagues have recommended at least 24 people.

"It's important to hire a general manager that can take what we have and hopefully make some moves and make us better," he said.

"We certainly plan on competing in 2004."

The right candidate, he added, would possess a strong knowledge of the game and adhere to the Reds' belief that player development and scouting are crucial components to athletic and financial success.

"We're not going to be able to go out and have a team made up predominately of free agents," Allen said. "That's not to say we're not going to have some free agents in the mix. But certainly our key to success is developing as much of our own talent as we can.

"So it's got to be somebody that ties into that philosophy and somebody that hopefully has some type of track record in being associated with that in one way or the other."

Per baseball's hiring guidelines, the Reds are required to interview at least one minority candidate.

"We will follow all those initiatives and guidelines," Allen said. "Even if those weren't the commissioner's initiatives, those are certainly the Reds' initiatives."

While assistant general manager Leland Maddox is likely to receive consideration, one other possible minority candidate getting media attention is Expos general manager Omar Minaya.

Richard Levin, Major League Baseball's senior vice president of public relations, said the Reds first would have to call the commissioner's office to gain permission to speak to Minaya about the vacancy.

Whoever gets the job will take over a team reshaped by trades in recent weeks.

The Reds traded relief pitcher Scott Williamson (Red Sox), outfielder Jose Guillen (A's), third baseman Aaron Boone (Yankees), relief pitcher Gabe White (Yankees) and relief pitcher Kent Mercker (Braves) for several young pitchers.

"It's a tough business," Allen said. "We understand the fans are our lifeblood and without the fans we're not going to succeed.

"But by the same token, we can't just spend ourselves into oblivion."

Cincinnati began the season with a $60 million player payroll. The trades saved the Reds $3.2 million in salary and brought in $2.65 million in cash.

Whether that money is applied to next year's team is unclear.

"It all goes into the overall financial picture," Allen said. "We'll worry about next year's budget at the appropriate time."