Scooter Gennett
Two seasons ago, the Reds picked up Scooter Gennett off Milwaukee’s waiver wire. The deal, which seemed insignificant at the time, proved genius when Gennett delivered 50 home runs, 189 RBIs and a slugging average north of .500 in his two seasons.
Gennett, who is not yet 30, can probably do roughly the same thing in 2019. The question the Reds, with a young lineup featuring Eugenio Suarez, Jose Peraza, Jesse Winker, and Tucker Barnhart, need to ask is whether Gennett’s potential trade value has now exceeded his on-field value.
That on-field value is good. Gennett had a 4.2 WAR in 2018, tying Suarez for highest on the team. But his performance has also probably priced him out of the Reds’ free agent market once he becomes a free agent at season’s end.
The Reds finished last in the strong NL Central in 2018. They are an improving team. But unless GM Nick Krall believes Cincinnati is on the cusp of contention – and that would be a tough ask – it may make more sense to move Gennett in exchange for supplements to the team the Reds are building for 2020 and beyond.
Given the way Gennett has burnished his reputation since coming to Cincinnati, such a deal this winter would make eminent sense.