I remember from my 1978 Topps cards that the Reds did not have a lot of big-name pitchers, at least not in comparison to Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, Tommy John et al, but also Mr Steinbrenner plucked away Don Gullett and Rawly Eastwick in free agency, even though their careers were effectively over shortly thereafter. Billy Martin was not known for keeping pitch count limits, to say the least. Different times for sure.
I did not realize Tony Perez was that super-important to the team chemistry, but I know how much of a difference one guy can make sometimes. I’m sure the Reds of the early 90’s wished they had held on to Paul O’Neill after seeing how many more prolific seasons he still had in him. I remember hearing he couldn’t get along with Lou Piniella, but I never understood why. Both fiery, passionate competitors.