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The Cincinnati Reds have questions to answer before the MLB trade deadline. At 41-48 overall, Cincinnati is in last place in the National League Central standings and 15 games back of first place. However, the Reds are only seven games back of an NL Wild Card spot. They will need to decide to buy or sell soon, and they will need to decide how aggressive they want to be regardless of which strategy they go with.
One area where the Reds need to upgrade their roster is the bullpen. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com recently wrote in an article that the ball club should look to trade for a "high-leverage reliever."
Finding another reliable reliever would help matters. Emilio Pagán is their closer, but the overall bullpen is dealing with both injuries and uncertainty. There are not always especially reliable relievers available ahead of the trade deadline, but there will still be options.
Of course, if Cincinnati decides to sell, then making such a deal may not make sense. With that being said, this Reds team is probably not going to enter a complete rebuild even if they sell. They were a postseason team a season ago, and their potential remains intriguing with young stars such as Elly De La Cruz, Chase Burns and Sal Stewart on the roster. Hunter Greene also recently returned from injury.
In other words, even if the Reds sell, acquiring a reliever with multiple years of team control remaining on his contract could make sense. Of course, given their Wild Card placement, buying remains a realistic option.
Cincinnati's performance over the next couple of weeks will obviously go a long way toward determining their trade deadline plans. Some teams already know they are buying while others are preparing to sell. The Reds are right in the middle, as they could still compete but the team is also underperforming overall.
One final note to consider is the fact that more teams than ever are deciding not to sell given the Wild Card setup. There was a time when the Wild Card was not in existence. Both leagues later added one Wild Card. Fast forward to a few years ago and each league ended up with three Wild Card teams. With 12 total teams reaching the playoffs, many ball clubs around the MLB world feel as if they can potentially make a postseason run.
How does this impact the Reds' current situation? Well, the obvious element of their circumstance is that Cincinnati could feel like the playoffs are within reach. However, the chances of finding what they are looking for before the trade deadline will also decrease since many other fringe contenders may not sell.
Continue reading...
One area where the Reds need to upgrade their roster is the bullpen. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com recently wrote in an article that the ball club should look to trade for a "high-leverage reliever."
Finding another reliable reliever would help matters. Emilio Pagán is their closer, but the overall bullpen is dealing with both injuries and uncertainty. There are not always especially reliable relievers available ahead of the trade deadline, but there will still be options.
Reds' Potential Trade Deadline Strategy
Of course, if Cincinnati decides to sell, then making such a deal may not make sense. With that being said, this Reds team is probably not going to enter a complete rebuild even if they sell. They were a postseason team a season ago, and their potential remains intriguing with young stars such as Elly De La Cruz, Chase Burns and Sal Stewart on the roster. Hunter Greene also recently returned from injury.
In other words, even if the Reds sell, acquiring a reliever with multiple years of team control remaining on his contract could make sense. Of course, given their Wild Card placement, buying remains a realistic option.
Cincinnati's performance over the next couple of weeks will obviously go a long way toward determining their trade deadline plans. Some teams already know they are buying while others are preparing to sell. The Reds are right in the middle, as they could still compete but the team is also underperforming overall.
One final note to consider is the fact that more teams than ever are deciding not to sell given the Wild Card setup. There was a time when the Wild Card was not in existence. Both leagues later added one Wild Card. Fast forward to a few years ago and each league ended up with three Wild Card teams. With 12 total teams reaching the playoffs, many ball clubs around the MLB world feel as if they can potentially make a postseason run.
How does this impact the Reds' current situation? Well, the obvious element of their circumstance is that Cincinnati could feel like the playoffs are within reach. However, the chances of finding what they are looking for before the trade deadline will also decrease since many other fringe contenders may not sell.
Continue reading...
