2019 MLB Trade Deadline
Winner: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds may be in fourth place in the NL Central but they made a couple of savvy moves this week.
Let’s start with the headliner. The Reds were able to acquire frontline starter Trevor Bauer in exchange for impending free agent Yasiel Puig and a couple of prospects. Shipping off Taylor Tremmell may prove to be a mistake down the line as the outfielder looked promising and like a potential future All-Star in previous seasons but struggled this year.
However, acquiring Bauer should be worth it for Cincinnati. The Reds could keep him to create a three-headed monster of Bauer, Luis Castillo, and Sonny Gray and shoot for contention in 2020, or they could let him continue to accumulate value for the rest of this season before flipping him this Winter and returning a blue-chip prospect or two.
The second move Cincinnati made was shipping off another pending free agent, Tanner Roark, to the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s are once again in playoff contention and once again in need of starting pitching help. Roark and his 4.24 ERA adds some stability for the A’s and the Reds get back a prospect who was in Oakland’s top 10 and a second-round pick in 2018.