Cincinnati Reds – 9/4
The Cincinnati Reds have made a lot of moves this offseason in effort to be competitive in 2019. But even so, I don’t view them as a serious contender this year, or even the year after.
With that in mind, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade for J.T. Realmuto. The only way a deal with the Reds would work is if they were able to extend him during the trade.
Tucker Barnhart is the current catcher for the Reds and is a solid backstop. You have to wonder if the price for Realmuto is worth the upgrade from Barnhart to Realmuto.
The Reds rotation features a lot of young guys and players looking for bounce-back seasons. It would be good to have an experienced catcher behind the mound who is good at calling games, and I think both Barnhart and Realmuto fit that mold.
Obviously, Realmuto gives you a good bit more at the plate.
But in order to acquire Realmuto the Reds would likely have to give up part of their future in Jesse Winker and either Nick Senzel or Jonathan India.
That would be a pretty big price to pay for a team that still isn’t considered a favorite in their own division.
But if the Reds really want Realmuto, they may be able to give the best package.