Montreal traded LHP Bruce Chen to the Reds for RHP Jim Brower on Friday. The Expos were unhappy with the way Chen had performed for them since his acquisition from the Mets in the Scott Strickland trade in the first week of the season. Cincinnati wants to try Chen as their fifth starter.

When Chen arrived in Montreal after the trade, the Expos had to stretch him out in the pen before they could move him into the rotation as he'd been preparing for a role out of the Mets' bullpen in Spring Training. After a series of short appearances and then two extended outings of 4 and 4.1 IP respectively, Chen moved into the rotation. He continued to post good strikeout numbers but his walks, hits, and particularly his homers allowed rose as a starter. His poor performance and general inability to pitch deep into games put a toll on the bullpen and the Expos moved him back to relief work.

Even discounting his disastrous mop-up work when the Phillies humiliated the Expos 18-3, he wasn't pitching well in relief and Montreal was already overworking their starters due to distrusting their pen. Chen arrives in Cincinnati after allowing 48 H and 9 HR in 38 IP with a 43:23 K:BB. However, he could still easily pitch well for the Reds, who have been searching for a fifth starter for some time due to injuries and other problems in their rotation.

Jim Brower has improved his control and G-F ratio this season, allowing him to post good numbers in the pen. In 39.1 IP, he has a 24:10 K:BB while allowing 38 H and 2 HR. The 29-year-old right-hander should be a quality addition to the Expos' pen provided he continues his current trend, although Montreal should not experiment with him in the rotation as he has proven to be a much better reliever than starter.

Concurrent with the trade, Montreal called up Zach Day and demoted Britt Reames. The Expos had experimented with Reames as their fifth starter after bumping Chen from the rotation. I believe Montreal wants Reames to work on his starting skills in the minors. Day will now move into the rotation.

Day isn't particularly dominant but his skills are generally solid. He spent most of last season in AA with a short time in AAA. At AAA Ottawa this season, he has a 50:25 K:BB in 68 IP and has allowed 55 H and 4 HR. I'm concerned his strikeouts may drop below acceptable levels in the majors, but he should be able to provide the Expos with decent starts at the bottom of the rotation this season.

While I think the Expos likely gave up on Chen too quickly, they had other options for their rotation and he seems best suited to starting. If Chen breaks out, the Reds will easily win this trade but that's been said of every team acquiring Chen in the last three years and he still hasn't fulfilled expectations. The Reds have a strong pen and can therefore afford the loss of Brower. Chen also adds another lefty to a pitching staff, with Gabe White as previously the only southpaw on the team.

Cincinnati placed Jose Rijo on the DL last week and gave the open roster spot to the newly acquired Russell Branyan. The Reds claim the 37-year-old Rijo has a tired arm, which is likely true though the move is as much to remove him from the roster as it is due to a real injury. I don't expect Cincinnati to recall Rijo until they can no longer keep him in the minors on rehab assignment.

Carlos Almanzar, who had replaced Rijo in the rotation, went on the disabled list Tuesday with a fractured ring finger on his right hand. Cincinnati expects Almanzar to miss 2-4 weeks with the injury, so Bruce Chen should have at least that long to solidify himself in the rotation.

John Riedling replaced Almanzar on the roster. Riedling missed most of the spring with a shoulder injury. I'm concerned he may have some difficulties when he first returns to the pen, but if he's fully recovered from his injuries, Riedling should easily be able to replace Brower.

When the Reds promoted Almanzar in late May, they demoted Ruben Mateo. Mateo was called up to replace Griffey on the roster when Junior went on the disabled list. While in the majors, Mateo hit .277 with a .320 OBP and .426 SLG in 47 AB on 13 H, 4 2B, and 1 HR with a 3:9 BB:K. The 24-year-old moved quickly through the minors and could likely benefit from some extended time in AAA to work on his plate discipline.

Cincinnati demoted Gookie Dawkins when they activated Griffey from the DL in late May. The Reds only called up Dawkins as a short-term replacement as they want him to receive more playing time than is available in the majors. Dawkins will also need some time in AAA before he's ready for a regular position in the big leagues. In his fourth partial season at AA Chattanooga in the Southern League, the 23-year-old is hitting .273 with a .356 OBP and .325 SLG in 77 AB on 21 H and 4 2B, along with a 10:18 BB:K and 2/4 SB%.

Griffey continues to be dogged by injuries, recently tweaking a new section of his hamstring. It's doubtful that he'll return to the DL unless something really serious comes up, but he'll likely continue to play at less than 100% for the remainder of this season due to injury problems.