CINCINNATI -- Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena.

Mention that Theo Epstein trade at the end of spring training 2006 to Red Sox fans and most of them cringe -- at least those who remember thinking at the time that they found their replacement to Trot Nixon in right field.

Arroyo, 35, threw seven innings of one-hit ball against the Giants on Sunday at San Francisco's AT&T Park in Game 2 of the NLDS, helping the Reds take a 2-0 series lead (although they eventually lost the series). Pena, still only 30, last played in the majors in 2011 for the Mariners, and his career is on life support.

In Cincinnati, they still talk about Wily Mo’s home runs -- some in batting practice and some in games -- at the Great American bandbox that hit the back of the bleachers and smashed off the scoreboard, 525 feet away.

Epstein saw a 24-year-old right fielder he thought could develop into the next big thing.

Pena was a 6-foot-3, 255-pound slugger who could hit the ball harder and farther than anyone in the game, even teammates David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Problem was, he couldn’t do it very often.

In two years in Boston, he hit .271 with 16 homers and 59 RBIs. He struck out 148 times in 476 plate appearances. He also was a huge liability in the field.

Mention that trade here on the banks of the mighty Ohio and they say, ‘Thanks, Theo.’

Arroyo was the exact opposite in almost every sense. A right-handed starting pitcher standing 6-foot-4 and not quite 200 pounds, he could barely top 90 mph on the radar gun.

He used finesse to keep hitters off-balance at the plate. He was 24-19 in three seasons in Boston with a 4.19 ERA. In seven seasons here in Cincinnati, he has reached 200 innings in every season, except 2011 when he fell an inning shy.

As it turned out, the Reds have built their rotation around the crafty right-hander, deemed no more than a throwaway by the Red Sox.

Arroyo was the first major personnel move under current Reds owner Bob Castellini. General manager Wayne Krivsky fielded the calls from Epstein on Arroyo before pulling the trigger on March 20, 2006.

His record with the Reds: 91-82 with a 4.01 ERA. Not spectacular, perhaps, but steady. What is that worth? Five years, $60 million. That’s what the Reds have invested in him since 2007.

Arroyo has his own catcher here -- Ryan Hanigan -- and he knows Arroyo better than anyone.

“He’s unique the way he pitches,” Hanigan told me. “He gets into his groove and his tempo. He throws so many types of pitches that you can’t put signs down for all the pitches he wants to throw. We really just use '1' and '2.'

“One can be anything from a four-seamer to a two-seamer to a BP fastball to a changeup to a sidearm fastball. A two can be any different type of curveball, sidearm, overhand, sweeper, power curve, baby curve, whatever he wants. So, we have to be on the same page about when to do what and how to set up and trying not to screw up his tempo.”

Listen to Hanigan talk and Red Sox fans remember what Jason Varitek said years ago about the lanky right-hander who has the high left leg kick before coming plateward.

“Understanding how he pitches is important to be a catcher for him just because there’s not going to be a way to signal every type of pitch he wants to throw,” Hanigan said. “That’s what I think he means for the most part. You have to get in sync with his style, and once you get him going, he gets into his rhythm and he can just go to work and pick guys apart like he likes to do and feel comfortable with catchers on the same page, he can really be effective.

“There’s nothing traditional about the way he throws. It’s not that he’s making stuff. He understands the league. He understands hitters. You have to know the league, knowing the hitters and what they’re looking for and trying to be a step ahead.”

Listening to Hanigan talk about Arroyo makes you wonder just how much the Red Sox could use a pitcher like Arroyo on the staff now -- the perfect yin to the yang of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester.

Funny, that’s exactly what he is for Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos.

“Keep them off-balance and not let them sit on speeds and sit in zones,” Hanigan said. “He can do that with the best of them, really. He’s proven that. Not only that, he pitches so many innings. He always pitches, whether he feels good or not. He’s going to try and find ways to get outs, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff. You factor all of those in, his career has been pretty impressive.”

“He’s a unique guy. He’s real down-to-earth, very eclectic and is into a lot of different things in life. But at the end of the day, his main focus is his craft, his pitching. Being a guy that doesn’t overpower you, he finds lots of ways to keep hitters off-balance and change speeds and use command. You put all those things together, he’s definitely an interesting guy to analyze, especially when you get into success in the postseason and having a big game like he did the other day. He’s a guy that young pitchers can really learn from that there are different ways of getting guys out if you can really understand using deception and command.”

Speaking of Hanigan, he grew up a Red Sox fan, graduating from Andover High in 1999. He was a three-year varsity starter and was an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star during his senior season, in which he hit .397. Between 1997 and ‘98, Andover was 38–9.

“It’s one of those places in the country where no matter where you are, who’s house you’re at, when the game’s on, the game’s on,” Hanigan said of watching the Sox.

“I grew up with them when they weren’t very good for a lot of years. It was still the hometown team. Fenway Park is the mecca in Boston. There was a lot of pride and a lot of ‘maybe next year’ with them.

“You grow up up there, you’re a sports fan, a baseball fan, it’s a prideful thing to be a Red Sox fan. It stays with you for your lifetime.”

Sitting here in the Great American Ball Park press box and watching actual major league playoff baseball got me wondering. What will it take for the Red Sox to get back to the playoffs? After all, they haven’t been there since Jonathan Papelbon blew Game 3 against the Angels in 2009.

They haven’t won a series since beating the Angels in 2008.

Is there a team in the playoffs right now they should model themselves after to return in 2013?

Let’s get a sample of what fans think by heading to the Trags Bag.

@tglazi How about modeling themselves after the '03-'07 Red Sox?

@georgehermn1918 [Red Sox] always play lil bro to YANKEES!!! Hehehehe

@xtgplayer88 Nats. Great pitching and a simple philosophy.

@hurricanept Nats- built with a mix of farm talent and cheap vets pickups.

@WWang3 Cardinals

Jeff Lowenstein (via Facebook) It's time to go back to what wins...spend the most money like the team in the Bronx.