Fay: With no quick fix, Reds should stay course

MILWAUKEE — The most significant thing Reds owner Bob Castellini said when I talked to him the other day is that Reds manager Bryan Price will have his job through the end of the year.

But the more significant thing may be what Castellini did not say.

Asked if the Reds could contend in 2016, he made no promises.

“We’re down but not out,” he said. “I don’t think next year will be a waste. We don’t have the mindset that we’re not going to contend. We’re not giving up on the year.”

A couple years ago, I’m guessing Castellini would have said: “We’re going to win next year. We’re going to turn this thing around.”

Castellini has never been long on patience. He wanted to turn things around quickly when he took over the club. He eventually did, but it took longer than he expected.  He learned that this baseball business is a difficult one. And sometimes, you have to be patient.

The worst thing the Reds could do long-term is try for a short-term fix in 2016. Signing or trading for a bat like they did with Marlon Byrd this offseason is the baseball equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a gaping chest wound.

A player or two isn’t going to fix this year.

The Reds have to stick with the plan and hope the young players develop. If young pitchers find success earlier than expected, there’s a slight chance that the Reds contend in 2016.

If the pitchers don’t come around, you’re probably going to see a slightly better version of 2015 in ’16.

But the Reds have to continue to work the rebuild — or reboot. They have to look at trading Jay Bruce and Aroldis Chapman this offseason. They have to listen to offers on Todd Frazier.

And they’d be wise to go to Brandon Phillips and see if he’d accept a trade to a contender.

If the Reds could add three or four position player prospects, a major turnaround by 2017 or ’18 is feasible. They will have a new local television contract by then, thus more to spend on free agents.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I thought that next year’s success depended completely on the pitching. I’ll take a mulligan on that one.

The ink wasn’t dry on it when Frazier and Bruce both went into monster slumps. Frazier’s come out of his somewhat, but Bruce continues to scuffle mightily.

When those two don’t hit, the Reds' offense is woeful. It’s not all on them. The Reds have been using a lineup with four Opening Day starters lately because of injuries and trades.

The offensive struggles coupled with an all-rookie rotation and a patched-together bullpen have led to probably the worst period of Reds baseball in my years on the beat. The 2001 team lost 96 games, and Elmer Dessens (10-14 with a 4.48 ERA) led the team in WAR.  But that club never lost 13 of 14 as this year’s team had going into Saturday.

So, again, a quick fix is nearly impossible. Castellini said the Reds would look at everything after the season. That might mean Price won’t be back. That might even mean Walt Jocketty is not back — although I’d be shocked if he isn’t.

But staying the course on the rebuild is more important than who manages the team and sets the roster in 2016.

By not making promises for next year, Castellini seems to be on board with that. He’s done well in his 10 years as owner. But when you’re a small-market club, you have to occasionally correct the course.

The Reds have started that with the trades of Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Byrd. Now they’ve got to resist the temptation to try to speed the rebuild along.