Bronson Arroyo: Cincinnati Reds 'probably 4 or 5 years away' from competing for division title

You can't invite this year's Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame inductee Bronson Arroyo on The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast and not ask him to be an armchair manager.

Especially as the Reds head into the season in an ongoing rebuilding mode.

So that's exactly what the podcast co-hosts did. What do the Reds need right now?

"You know, they need a lot to be honest," Arroyo, the former all-star pitcher, said.

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"When I look at this, all I see other than Joey Votto are a bunch of guys who are still trying to cement themselves as major-league players," Arroyo said. "It's very difficult to push toward a championship or to win a division when you have multiple guys on a team who already feel like they're fighting just to stay in the major leagues, right?"

Arroyo added: "I really believe the organization is probably four or five years away from really competing in the division."

Arroyo, who retired in 2017 after 16 seasons in the majors, has more to say about the current Reds team. He also talks about his band's upcoming album, his first of original songs. The band, Bronson Arroyo and The ’04's, is set to release "Some Might Say" on Feb. 17.

Find out more on "That's So Cincinnati," available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart and other podcast listening platforms.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bronson Arroyo: Cincinnati Reds 'need-a lot to be honest'