By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Five big questions the Reds face.

1 Who's the GM? This is the biggest question the Reds have faced in years. Whoever gets the job will shape the club for years to come, because the Reds are in the early stages of a rebuilding job. He'll also be the face of the organization. The Reds could sorely use a Marvin Lewis figure to say all the right things and get a little positive publicity. Omar Minaya would do this. Wayne Krivsky and Al Avila, the other two candidates to interview, have strong backgrounds in player evaluation.

2 Who's the manager? The Reds could have answered this a long time ago by naming Dave Miley. It seems unlikely that any of the GM candidates would make naming the manager a deal breaker. The Reds aren't going to get a "name" manager because they aren't going to pay a lot and they're rebuilding. Miley's success with young players - he won at a .570 rate in the minors - makes him a natural.

3 What's the payroll? The Reds could bring back Bob Howsam and he'd have trouble winning in 2004 with a $40 million player payroll. The Reds have $32.3 million committed to five players - Ken Griffey Jr. ($12.5 million), Sean Casey ($6.8 million), Danny Graves ($6 million), Paul Wilson ($3.5 million), Jimmy Haynes ($2.5 million) and Juan Castro ($1 million). So if the payroll is $40 million, the other 19 guys all will be around the minimum. With a payroll of $50 million, a lot of holes can be filled through free agency.

4 Who plays on the left side of the infield? Juan Castro, Brandon Larson, Tim Hummel and Russell Branyan all have gotten trials at third since Aaron Boone was traded. None was successful. D'Angelo Jimenez might end up at third, with Castro at short and Ray Olmedo at second. But the Reds would be wise to address third or short through free agency.

5 Who pitches? Let's see, you have Paul Wilson, Jose Acevedo and Aaron Harang in the rotation. You have Chris Reitsma, Danny Graves, John Riedling and Ryan Wagner in the bullpen. That leaves four or five spots open. Young arms obtained in trades will fill one or two of them. The Reds would be wise to sign a free agent or two to help the bullpen (Scott Sullivan and Kent Mercker, perhaps?). The answer to question No. 3 will determine if they can do that.

HOW to win back the fans in one move

Kevin Millwood (14-11, 3.38 ERA), Greg Maddux (15-11, 3.97), Javier Vazquez (13-12, 3.24) and Bartolo Colon (14-13, 3.90) are free agents. Sign any of the above and watch the season-ticket renewals start to come in. Any of the four would be the Reds' No. 1 starter and an example to the young staff. But the price tag for any of them is going to be out of the Reds' range.

CARPE DIEM

Three Reds who have made the most of their chances.

Ryan Wagner: The first-round pick in this year's draft assured himself of a spot on next year's staff by putting up sensational numbers following his call-up after only nine games in the minors. Wagner was 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 13 hits allowed in 21 2/3 innings. The question is whether to convert Wagner or leave him in the bullpen. The Anaheim Angels left postseason sensation Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen. He is 8-3 with a 3.11 ERA this year.

Ryan Freel: He has played extremely well (.286, four homers, 11 RBI, nine steals in 133 at-bats). He has been good defensively in center and can play infield and outfield. Freel provides a spark and is the perfect guy to have on the bench.

Wily Mo Pena: The little-used, much-rushed, five-tool youngster played well once he got the chance. He started 22 straight games entering the weekend. Over that time, he hit .280 with five home runs and 12 RBI. That projects to 36 HR and 80 RBI. The problem: Can he get enough playing time to stay sharp? If OFs Austin Kearns, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn stay healthy, that's unlikely. Pena also needs work defensively.

Contract stuff

Barry Larkin is the Reds' only significant free agent. Looks like he's going to walk. Nine players - Ryan Dempster, Ruben Mateo, Seth Etherton, John Riedling, Chris Reitsma, Luke Prokopec, Jason LaRue, D'Angelo Jimenez and Russell Branyan - are eligible for arbitration. All, except LaRue and Dempster, are in their first year of eligibility, so they won't break the bank. There's a chance some will be non-tendered, particularly Dempster and Prokopec, who are injured.