Fans on the street offer prescriptions for Reds

While the Bengals were preparing to lose their first game of the season last week, The Enquirer wanted to find out what Reds' fans think about the team's rebuilding building effort following its last-place finish in 2015.

The consensus view from the fan on the street: Reds' management should "implode" the team and start from scratch. Here are a range of viewpoints:

Ari and Jay Shifman (brothers)

Ari Shifman, New York City:

"There's no way they can contend next year, especially with how good the Cards, Cubs and Pirates are. They're at least a year away from being even a 500 team. I think they need to be rebuilding for 2017 or '18. I think we need to trade Aroldis Chapman, Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier, J.J. Hoover and Jay Bruce, preferably for positional prospects. Sign one or two veteran starters and relievers with the promise of playing time that we can flip at the deadline like the Cubs did with Scott Feldman a couple years ago. I would like Rich Hill personally based on his finish with the Red Sox and the fact that he'd come cheap, and maybe take a couple flyers on some quad A players and see what happens."

Arroyo says he would pitch for Reds again

Jay Shifman, Walnut Hills:

"In my opinion, there are two ways to improve a team.

The Royals/Cubs/Astros way: Completely tear it down. Suck for a while, like multiple years, rebuild and when you're ready add a few well-timed free agents. This way is tough for fans to take, but using those three examples alone, you can see how it pays off. The Reds kind of did this already and it gave us Bruce, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey.

"The Yankees/Red Sox/Angels way: Just keep pouring money down the hole and hope a few pay off to keep you in contention. This way works if you have the cash. You'll miss a year or two out of every five, but you'll also win a lot. The Reds can't and won't do this because they don't have the money.

"The Reds need to admit they missed their window and rebuild. To do this, they need to trade anything that has value. Chapman should be gone. I love him. I have a picture of him on my wall, but he should be gone by now. Frazier is awesome, love his enthusiasm, but sports are a business and he has value. Trade him.

"Honestly, trade Joey Votto. We're wasting him here. He's one of the top 10 players in the game and he's getting paid like it. I love him as a player. He's the best thing to happen to Cincinnati sports since the 1990 World Series. Trade him. So to actually answer the question, they shouldn't get better. They should get worse. A true fan like myself would rather watch a few years of a Triple A club trying their hardest than a patchwork team with a guy like Skip Schumaker starting in left field.

"Tear the thing down and rebuild. By 2019 or 2020, we'll be the Royals of this year, and that will be worth the wait."

Jim Alvis, Colerain:

"I'm in favor of imploding the team. Start with young talent, take three or four years and start from scratch. If everyone knows from the get-go we're going to rebuild it, you'll keep your fan base. At least we'll know that they have a goal -- if we can get rid of some of these big contracts and get some young guys in some trades and prospects and we build them up."

Larry Jarrett, Colerain:

"I'm not ready to wait three or four years. I think that we need to get rid of a couple people, some big players like Bruce. We need to keep Chapman. He needs to be one of our closers. We need to pick up a big hitter, at least one more big hitter this year. Right now, we have one or two guys that are consistent. We need to go out there an get a good hitter and maybe one good starting pitcher, and I think we're going to be good next year."

Lisa McClain, Groesbeck:

"I'm all about rebuilding. I don't want to wait three or four years, but I agree that it's time to get rid of some of the money contracts. As much as I love some of those players, they can be replaced for a lesser dollar amount where we can get some big hitters. That's our big thing, we do not have hitters. No hits, can't win a game."

Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals Judge Pat DeWine:

"They need to look long-term. I have hard time believing that they team's going to be competitive next year or the year after. I think they need to make some deals if they can that will bode well for the future. Unfortunately, trade some of the guys whose contracts are coming up soon and hope to get some young talent for that. They certainly need some more power in their line-up. It's hard to believe it makes sense for them to keep Chapman if they can find a good deal for him. If they can trade Bruce, if they can trade Phillips, that would be good."

Bob Crotty, Founder of Green Diamond Gallery:

"I think when the regime change was made, that's always a good opportunity to take a full inventory of the franchise and where it is in terms of its competitiveness on the playing field.

"We’re blessed as a city to have franchise ownership as passionate as we have. It’s got to be top of the charts. The ownership down there, they wear it on their sleeve. They’re proud people. They want to win as much as anybody.

"It’s an industry that pays the talent evaluators and the talent developers, as far as scouting and player development, peanuts. I would view that as a great opportunity to lay a foundation.

"This is just my opinion. If I took the same amount of money that was spent on one big contract and went out and did a true scouting report on the scouts and the player development people, I could probably recruit, hire and attract the best talents in those areas in this industry.

"I would also tilt it toward to probably most precious commodity in the game. They’re good in having an eye for and developing all facets of the game, but I would be more concerned with procuring and developing pitching. He who has the pitching owns all the cards. I don’t think you’re ever going to attract a top-flight pitcher to come here and pitch at Great American Ball Park. Not only do you have a small market team, you have a ball park environment that I don’t think you’re going to attract a lot great free agent pitchers. But what are you going to do? Pitching is the name of the game.

"We’ve got to develop a Reds way. That has to be a system of responsibility and accountability all the way through. Once a kid is signed, how are we going to move him through the system and what do we expect of him?

"To do what I’m describing now is like starting over. That is extremely painful. It would take two years before the average fan or common fan would even know that anything is happen. You’re not going to see the result of everything I just described until about four or five years down the road, but to get to the other side of the river, sooner or later you have to dive in and start swimming.

"Be honest with your fans. Just say, 'We do have a plan. We know what were doing. We know in the long run we’ll be a much better team for it. We’ll be in contention on a more consistent basis if we go down this route. We are asking our fans to see this through with us.'

"You don’t want to end up with a lot of payroll, a lot of long contracts and a pile of Band-Aids and a losing record."