keeping aaron and bronson

To say that locking up arguably the best 1-2 pitching punch in the NL is a good thing is obvious, so I'm not going to say that. Here's the bigger question to everyone who sees this as "evidence'' the Reds want to win now: Are they better today than they were Monday? To me, keeping Harang was a bare-minimum necessity, for credibility's sake. Extending Arroyo is a good move, but here's the thing: If you don't sink some toes in the free agent water, you best keep your own players, lest you freefall into Pirateville. An option might have been to buy a few years of Jeff Suppan and come back at Arroyo, who had 2 years left on his old deal, after this year. As it is, the Reds locked up 2 durable, productive starters at below market. But their everyday lineup is still one inevitable Junior injury from 2 or 3 runs a night, even at Great American Small Park. These moves suggest Castellini & Co. know winning here is at least a year away. And is anyone truly excited at the prospect of Dustin Hermanson closing?