Cincinnati Reds: Four players who could get traded at the deadline
The Cincinnati Reds made moves this winter indicating they were going “all-in” on 2019, only for them to find themselves near the bottom of the National League days before the trade deadline. Who will be gone by July 31st?
Hopes were high in Cincinnati heading into Opening Day. The Cincinnati Reds looked the best they had in a while coming out of spring training as the front office had brought in a bunch of talented players.
Sonny Gray was acquired from the New York Yankees; Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Alex Wood were traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers; and Tanner Roark arrived via a trade with the Washington Nationals.
For the first time in a couple of seasons, the Cincinnati Reds gave off the impression that they could be a serious threat in the National League Central — even if it’s just for 2019 since a bevy of their impact players are impending free agents.
Nearly 2/3rds of the way into the season the Reds have been anything but contenders. Cincinnati has a 49-55 record and find themselves fourth in their division and 11th in the entire senior circuit, sitting 6.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.
With their playoff hopes looking bleak, it would make sense for the Cincinnati Reds to sell at this year’s deadline and continue to flood their pool of young talent that includes Luis Castillo, Nick Senzel, Josh VanMeter at the big league level with Taylor Trammell and Hunter Greene coming up the pipeline.
Cincinnati will be busy in the next coming days as they are expected to pawn off players. Continue reading to find out which Reds are most likely to be moved from the roster come the Wednesday deadline.
Cincinnati Reds players on the move?
Scooter Gennett, 2B
A waiver pickup in March 2017, Scooter Gennett has been one of the best second basemen in the NL over his first two seasons in Cincinnati. Between ’17-18 he amassed 50 home runs and 189 runs batted in while hitting .303 with a .859 OPS. During that time Gennett became a fan favorite, had a four home run game, and earned an All-Star selection as well.
As much success as he had had in recent years, Gennett’s 2019 campaign got off to a brutal start as he strained his groin and missed the first half of the season. He was just activated on June 28 and has simply stunk since returning — in 58 at-bats he’s hit .207/.230/.241 with a pair of extra-base hits and 17 strikeouts.
Scooter hasn’t gotten off to a good start to his season, to say the least, but the Reds may be inclined to deal the 29-year old two-bagger since he’s an impending free agent and doesn’t seem to be apart of Cincinnati’s future. Even though he’s been hitting poorly so far, Gennett’s history indicates he could heat up in the final two months and be a valuable bat for a contending club who could use a second baseman that possesses considerable pop and can play other positions if necessary.
Cincinnati Reds players on the move?
Raisel Iglesias, CL
Although Raisel Iglesias isn’t a free agent until 2021, there is the belief that he could be moved at this year’s deadline as the Reds are willing to listen to offers for their closer, according to Joel Sherman.
Iglesias was highly touted when he was called up to the Majors in 2015, but the Cuban phenom hasn’t reached the elite level many expected from him. He was groomed to be a starter, but after a moderate rookie season, Iglesias was moved to the bullpen, where he’s become the Reds’ go-to 9th inning arm. He has a 3.14 career ERA along with a 1.15 WHIP, 135 ERA+ and 83 saves in 94 opportunities.
The 29-year-old Iglesias hasn’t been bad, but he didn’t become the pitcher Cincinnati had hoped and has now become expendable. The Reds’ brass is aware of the (perceived) high demand for closers on the trade market and they are open to wielding theirs prior to the deadline. Since Iglesias is under control for several more years he could have the most value of any of the Reds’ trade pieces and bring them back the best haul come July 31st.
Cincinnati Reds players on the move?
Tanner Roark, SP
One of the players the Reds acquired this past offseason, Tanner Roark has come as advertised. He’s having his best season since 2016, pitching to a 3.96 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 115 ERA+, and a career-best 8.9 K/9 over 107 innings.
Roark is a prime trade candidate as he’s an impending free agent, and is a starter who could be acquired for relatively cheap and would be a solid back of the rotation piece for a contender. Jon Heyman reported the Philadelphia Phillies have interest in the veteran righty, and it would be within reason to believe Roark is someone who would be an enticing option for the Milwaukee Brewers as well as other clubs looking for rotation depth.
The 32-year old had a couple of rough outings coming out of the All-Star break but has bounced back to put together consecutive starts of five-inning, two-run ball with an 11:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Roark is scheduled to toe the rubber Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but in the event, he gets traded (or if the Reds plan on doing so) Cincy may put someone else out there to make the start.
Cincinnati Reds players on the move?
Yasiel Puig, RF
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As of now, it appears as the Reds’ most valuable trade piece is none other than the charismatic Yasiel Puig. Cincinnati traded for him hoping he would help lead the team to relevancy this season, a desire that didn’t come to fruition even though Puig has put together a decent campaign. The “Wild Horse” will likely surpass his career-best mark of 28 home runs as he already has 22 bombs in 2019, along with 59 runs batted in, a .257 BA and .789 OPS.
With a 99 OPS+, Puig has been extremely average this year but has high upside even at this point of his career. Sure, he may never catch lightning in a bottle again to the degree of when he was first called up in 2013 but Puig remains a valuable player nonetheless who could thrive as a 3rd/4th outfielder for a club looking to make the playoffs in need of some pop off the bench.
There are numerous teams that could use Puig’s services. The Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals all come to mind, while the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros have received subpar production from their right fielders as well.
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Sitting in an undesirable limbo between contention and underperformance, the Cincinnati Reds could be one of the most active teams at this year’s deadline as they can conduct a variety of buy or sell moves. If they decide to unload some of their expiring contracts, they can retrieve some prospects with relative upside in return while taking money off of the books, all the while still trying to make a run at a playoff spot in a National League that hasn’t seen any team run away with the Wild Cards.