Changing the manager -- as the Reds did Thursday -- doesn't mean instant improvement for a 3-15 club. Progress is up to the players -- both those already on the roster and perhaps others who could be arriving in the future. It's also up to the front office to put the next manager in position to develop a winning culture.
The goal at the outset of the season was for Cincinnati to turn the corner -- to transition from rebuild back toward contending. So far, that obviously has not happened, but that doesn't mean that it can't.