When the Reds sent left-handed starting pitcher Travis Wood along with two minor leaguers to Chicago in a trade in December of 2011 in exchange for Sean Marshall, I had my reservations.

Nothing against Sean Marshall, who has been solid as a late-inning setup man, but Wood was still under control for four more years at that point.

After some up and downs over the past two seasons, Wood has found his groove and once again emerged as one of the league’s solid young arms.

Following his win of the Cardinals on Tuesday night in which he only allowed a single run in 6 2/3 innings, Wood (3-2) now boasts a 2.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings this season. He currently ranks 11th in the NL in ERA.

As his breakdown on FanGraphs.com would indicate the past couple of seasons have been a roller coaster ride, but as he's becoming more consistent the wins are starting to pile up.

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Fresh off of sending four top prospects to San Diego to acquire starting pitcher Mat Latos, the Reds are now turning their attention to other areas of need.

The team is currently without a closer and needs to solidify its bullpen heading into 2010. Last year’s closer, Francisco Rodriguez, remains a free agent and could be resigned the team if the market for him remains low.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com report that the Reds are talking with the Cubs about acquiring reliever Sean Marshall. The deal reportedly revolves around Cincinnati sending 24-year old left hander Travis Wood to Chicago.

The deal is close, a source tells Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, and it includes the Cubs receiving two minor leaguers along with Wood.

Marshall, who has been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball the past two years, will earn $3.1MM in 2012 and is slated to become a free agent at season's end. He'll turn 30 in August.

Wood is a player Cubs president Theo Epstein liked last season when Epstein was still with the Red Sox, the sources tell FOXSports. In just about one full season of work - 35 starts, 208 innings over two seasons - at the Major League level, Wood has posted 6.99 K/9, 2.85 BB/9 and a tendency to produce fly balls (31.4% GB rate). 

Despite being under control of the club for four more years, Wood is expendable with Latos joining Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey, Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman as options for the rotation.

MY TAKE: Clearly the Reds are making a run at the division for this season and this trade would further indicate that as they would basically rent Marshall for one season. I have always been a big fan of Wood and think that despite last year's struggles his future is bright. Plus, I like the fact he throws from the left side. If he's traded Aroldis Chapman and Bill Bray will be the only left-handed pitchers left of the team's current 40-man roster. Marshall has been stellar the past two seasons, but is better suited to be a setup man rather than the team's closer.

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It became apparent that Travis Wood was running out of time to turn things around with Homer Bailey nearing a return from the disabled list.  The clock hit zero on Wednesday as the Reds optioned Wood to Triple A Louisville and recalled Sam Lecure, who was on a rehab assignment with the Bats.

Wood is 5-5 on the season with a 5.11 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 93.1 innings in 16 starts. Despite only suffering only two losses over his last 10 starts, the left-hander has struggled with control.

FANTASY TAKE: Wood is no longer a viable in year-to-year, redraft mixed leagues. However, he could still be worth holding onto in both NL-only and dynasty formats. Expect his stint in the minors to be temporary, assuming he can get things straightened out.  

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Coming into this season most thought the Cincinnati Reds would have one of the strongest starting pitching rotations in the National League, if not in all of baseball. However, before the season even began both Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey hit the disabled list. Both came back around the same time but Bailey has hit the DL once again and the rotation has been a revolving door with guys coming up from the minors to fill in gaps. Cueto, on the other hand, has been the shining light in the rotation as we enter the early part of June. He's silently been taking the mound and pumping out quality start after quality start.

Since coming off the DL on May 8th, Cueto has had 6 starts, all but one of them has been a quality outing. His record stands at 2-2 but could easily be 6-0 if either the offense hadn't failed him, or the bullpen hadn't given away games. He hasn't given up more than three runs in any game which has him leading the team with an ERA of 2.27, one of the best in the league. In 39.2 innings pitched so far this season he's only given up three home runs and has struck out 23.

In Cueto's outing yesterday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pitched a solid seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three. The Reds offense built a nice 7-2 lead for him only to see the bullpen blow it by giving up five runs in the eighth inning. What should have been a sure win for Cueto turned into an extra innings loss for the Redlegs. The bullpen was thought to be one of the strongest in baseball coming into this season but time and time again have blown games behind solid starting pitching. Cueto did what he had to do yesterday to get his team the win. He was taken out of the game after just 88 pitches. Hindsight is 20/20. With a 7-2 lead going into the eighth inning you would think, being Dusty Baker, that you could trust your bullpen to come in and close out the game. Unfortunately for Cueto, and ultimately the team as a whole, that was not the case yesterday.

In a season that has seen it share of ups and downs already for the Reds, especially when it comes to the pitching, the one constant has been Cueto so far. Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo and Edinson Volquez (who was sent down to the minors to fix himself and set to come back tomorrow night possibly) have been inconsistent all season, to say the least. Cueto has stepped up and at this point has become the ace of this pitching staff. Coming into the season the thought was, if he could stay under control and stay focused, he could be one of the best starters in the rotation, if not in the league. He has, and he is. If the Reds are going to get back to the playoffs this year they are going to need Cueto to continue to do what he's doing. More importantly, they're going to need some of what he's been doing to rub off on the rest of the rotation.

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Despite a solid 6-3 start to the season the Reds have a few areas of concern surrounding the team early on with its starting rotation.

While starters Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey continue to work towards a return from the DL by month’s end, the current staff is not doing a great job of eating up innings.

That has put an early tax on the team’s bullpen and it showed this weekend as the team dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks in Arizona with bullpen proving ineffective.

Only twice has a Reds’ starter gone seven innings through nine games:

3/31 MIL - Edinson Volquez (6.0 innings)
4/2 MIL - Travis Wood (7.0 IP)
4/3 MIL - Bronson Arroyo (7.0 IP)
4/5 HOU - Mike Leake (6.0 IP)
4/6 HOU - Volquez (5.0 IP)
4/7 HOU - Sam Lecure (5.0 IP)
4/8 @ARI - Wood (5.0 IP)
4/9 @ARI - Arroyo (6.0 IP)
4/10 @ARI - Leake (4.2 IP)

It is a bit early to get too worried, but if the trend continues look for some worn out arms in the bullpen sooner rather than later.

COMPLETE PITCHING STATS (CBSSports.com)

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After watching the Reds complete the sweep of the Brewers and seeing the Cardinals get out to a slow start it’s hard not to start thinking Wire to Wire.

Of course, the 1990 Cincinnati Reds were the first team to accomplish that feat over a 162-game schedule so we all know it has been done before.

I’m not sold on the Brewers as being a true contender.  Despite their poor start and a mounting list of injuries, the Cardinals will remain the top contention for the Reds inside the division until proven otherwise.

Here were five things that stuck out from the team’s opening weekend to me...

DEFENSE - The Reds had it and the Brewers didn’t. The box scores will only show that Milwaukee made two errors to the Reds’ one miscue, but while Cincinnati’s infield fields the ball as smooth as silk the Brewers struggled mightily. How many runs did Casey McGehee cost his team in this series? Scott Rolen may have more than a decade on him, but his glove is far superior.

CATCHER PLAY – Not even the great Johnny Bench ever produced a three-game series stat line that the Reds’ backstops delivered in the opening weekend. Ryan Hannigan followed up Ramon Hernandez 4-for-5, walkoff homerun performance in the first game by 5-for-7 with a pair of homeruns (both on Sunday) and 4 RBI over the next two.

STUBBS PRIMED – Early on Drew Stubbs is living up to some of his off-season hype.  The centerfielder kicked off his sophomore campaign by finishing the weekend with a .455 average, 1 HR, 3 RBI, and 1.538 OPS. He has struck out once in each game, but has drawn a pair of walks. If he can produce like that at the top of the order there’s no telling how many runs this team is capable of scoring.

WOOD IS THE ACE – Edinson Volquez may have gotten the Opening Day start and Bronson Arroyo the big new contract, but rest assured Travis Wood is the ace of this staff. His performance Saturday night was nothing short of brilliant as he went seven innings while allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven and not walking a batter. He retired the first 11 batters and used just 83 pitches (66 strikes) to get thru seven.

CRAZY CORDERO – After blowing eight saves a year ago and finishing the season shaky, veteran closer Francisco Cordero didn’t do much to evoke confidence. He picked up his first save of the year on Saturday night, ceding one run on two hits before finishing out the ninth inning. With Aroldis Chapman and his 105 MPH fastball waiting in the wings, Cordero will be on a short leash.

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700WLW's Lance McAlister breaks down the candidates to be in the Reds' playoff rotation:

TRAVIS WOOD
Plus: He's the only LHP

Questions: He's been very hittable in the last month. He's already blown past his career high in innings

Last 5 starts: 1-2, 3.54 ERA, .297 BAA. 28 innings, 33 hits, 11 ER, 7 BB, 26 K

vs potential playoff teams in '10
Phillies: 9 ING, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, ND, 0.00 ERA
Rockies: 11 ING, 8 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 12 K, record 0-1, 3.27 ERA

EDINSON VOLQUEZ
Plus: Has best stuff of the candidates. Seems to have worked out issues at Dayton. Dominant last two starts.

Questions: Can he stay consistent?

Last 2 starts since Dayton: 13.2 ING, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 17 K, 1.98 ERA, .149 BAA

vs potential playoff teams in '10
Braves: 5 ING, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 1.80 ERA, Win
Giants: .2 ING, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 225.0 ERA, Loss
Rockies: 6 ING, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2.00 ERA, Win

HOMER BAILEY
Plus: When he gets rolling he can be very good

Questions: Can he be consistent? Any worries over issues of dizziness?

Since Aug 15 (came off DL): 2-1, team 7-1 in his 8 starts 46.1 IP, 44 H, 20 ER, 15 BB, 43 K, 2 HR, 3.88 ERA, .251 BAA

vs potential playoff teams in '10
Padres: 6 ING, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K,6.00 ERA, Win
Giants: 5.1 ING, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 8.82 ERA, No decision

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Peter Gammons is reporting that the Reds level of interest in acquiring Cliff Lee is high. And can you blame them? Imagine the stud lefty anchoring the #1 slot in this rotation. However, the alarming thing was the one name bantered about in this potential deal – Travis Wood.

I would ask if the Mariners would be interested in Homer Bailey and Yonder Alonso and name a mid-level prospect for Lee. If I were Walt Jocketty, I would make sure that neither Leake nor Wood are included in any trades this year. But, imagine, adding two All Stars in Lee and soon-to-be-off-DL Edison Volquez to this rotation. Acquiring Lee would send the message to the Cardinals and more importantly, the fans, that this team is for real.

That type of deal would allow Aaron Harang to slide into the bullpen (and be an injury-replacement starter) and could sure up the still-shaky bullpen. Then imagine this rotation for the second half:

--Cliff Lee

--Edison Volquez

--Johnny Cueto

--Bronson Arroyo

--Mike Leake

***
Wow! Can you say October baseball in the Nati??

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It’s beginning to sound like a broken record, but Aaron Harang is no longer the innings eater he once was.  His run of “bad luck”, as he referred to it to beat writers after his latest debacle on Wednesday, is beginning to look more and more like an end of a career.

Consider since May 25 of last year the right hander has managed just one win in 14 decisions while posting a 5.44 ERA while allowing 146 hits and walking 34 batters in 119 2/3 innings of action.

He’s off to a 0-3 start this year and currently sports a 8.31 ERA. The league is currently hitting .319 against him.

After his latest blow-up in Wednesday’s loss to the Dodgers (7 runs, 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings) there is growing concern. How many more times can the Reds continue to trot him out there? He’s killing the bullpen and not keeping the team in games.

The team is off on Monday, his next scheduled start day so they could skip him if they opted to. However, that is a short-term answer. A better option could be a move to the bullpen.

After watching the Cubs send Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, anything is possible. Harang has proven to be more effective early in the game, often getting tattooed by opposing batters the second and third time around the order. The numbers back it up. Here’s a look at what hitters are batting off him within a pitch count:

Pitches 1-15: .158
Pitches 16-30: .348
Pitches 31-45: .292
Pitches 46-60: .421
Pitches 61-75: .600

The Reds have options (Travis Wood, Arodolis Champan, and Matt Maloney to name a few) in the minors to come up and fill the spot in the rotation. They are not going to cut Harang and eat that hefty salary. They shopped him in the off-season and there were no takers.  The bullpen seems like the only option.

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After being named the Reds' fifth starter, Mike Leake became the 13th pitcher and 21st player overall to be selected in the First-Year Player Draft and skip the Minor Leagues completely. He beat out both Travis Wood and Aroldis Chapman, who was slowed by injury, to claim the job.

The team's first-round pick in 2009, the 8th overall selection, will make his major league debut on April 11 verus the Cubs (tentative).

In six games this spring, including two starts, the right-handed Leake went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA while allowing 16 hits, four walks and striking out 10 batters over 18 innings.

"We're very confident in his ability to pitch at a high level. He demonstrated that this spring," general manager Walt Jocketty told reporters. "We drafted him with the idea he was going to be a guy that would get to the big leagues quick. We didn't figure it would be this quick."

The Reds also optioned both Chapman and Wood to Louisville along with RHP Jared Burton, LHP Matt Maloney, and IF/OF Drew Sutton. They reassigned to Louisville RHP Justin Lehr, C Wilkin Castillo and IF/OF Chris Burke. The team also released RHP Kip Wells on Friday. In addition, they optioned to Louisville RHP Carlos Fisher; reassigned to minor league camp C Corky Miller.

The spring training roster is at 28 players, including non-roster invitees RHP Mike Leake, IF Miguel Cairo and OF Laynce Nix.

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