Whatever changes are made by the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the trade deadline, the core of the club's future is already in place. It also led the way in the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Red roughed up the Pirates in a 10-2 victory Sunday, Aug. 2 at Great American Ball Park, and won three games in the four-game series.
It's possible that by the 6 p.m. trade deadline Monday, Aug. 3, the Reds will have dealt from their once-promising 2026 roster via trade. The hope will be some of the return on those trades can supplement another run
at postseason contention.
Key pieces are already on display in Cincinnati. Most of them are young in their MLB careers, and they continued to deliver against the Pirates just as they had throughout 2026.
National League All-Star and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Sal Stewart homered in the first inning to put Cincinnati up 2-0. The homer was his 24th of 2026, which tied him for 11th in MLB in home runs. His 85 RBIs were tied for the MLB lead.
Fellow NL All-Star Chase Burns slogged through rain into the fourth inning and had his outing interrupted for 25 minutes for weather-related issues, which ended up being somewhat controversial. After the unofficial rain delay, Burns returned to the mound. He ended up lasting six innings to improve to 13-1 on the year. His ERA dropped from 2.40 to 2.35 as Burns allowed just two hits, two walks and a hit batter.
"I thought when he went back out... I thought his stuff was kicked up a notch," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "He got really into and that was good to see... He pitched like an ace."
The only run to score against Burns came during a stressful fourth inning in which rain was pooling on the infield and weather appeared to impact the game for a second consecutive day at Great American Ball Park. In the middle of the Pirates' rally, the game was stopped so grounds keepers could work to keep the infield playable, which they did as it continued to rain.
Burns figures to be at or near the top of a rotation that in 2027 (or 2028) should also be staffed by some combination Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson.
Any discussion of the Reds' future in the coming seasons undoubtedly still includes Elly De La Cruz, whose two-run single in the third inning put the Reds up, 7-0. If it's possible for De La Cruz to do anything quietly, his 100-hit, 18-homer, 20-steal, 48-RBI season might be flying under the radar just a bit. Still, he's an ascending talent who is already a repeat All-Star.
The Reds' roster might soon add and subtract names, but a core group is very much in place.
"Obviously, the rest of today and tomorrow, things are going to happen, whether it’s people leaving, people coming," Reds closer Emilio Pagán said. "It feels like the core of this team is probably still going to be the core of this team, right? And so, this core is what has made baseball fans and people involved in this organization excited about this team."
As the Reds core of the future coalesced throughout the season and recent weeks, other players in the clubhouse braced for possible departures as the deadline approached. After beating the Pirates, the suspense for those most likely to by moved was palpable.
Brady Singer, whose contract is expiring, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with reporters and others in the clubhouse after the game.
After homering in the eighth inning in what might have been his final at-bat as a Reds player, Tyler Stephenson gave several emotional post-game interviews.
The Cincinnati players preparing to depart and the remaining core group arrived at a fork in the road because the 2026 season went sideways after a promising start. Since entering play May 1 leading the National League Central at 20-11, the Reds have gone 33-47 since then.
Their 10-6 record since the All-Star break was one of the club's best stretches since April. Beating the Pirates marked their fourth series victory in five tries since the break. It was also their second series win against an NL Central foe in a week after winning a road series in St. Louis on July 26. Still, that wasn't viewed as enough to prevent selling at the deadline.
The Reds will be off on deadline day. Pagán, who said he wasn't giving up on making a run into contention even after the deadline, said he anticipated the time between post-game on Aug. 2 and returning at the ballpark Tuesday, Aug. 4 to be a period filled with text messages and calls.
"With the starting rotation talent we have and the way we’ve played of recent, there’s nothing saying we can’t go make a run," Pagán said. "I love the guys in this room. The guys in this room are a huge part of why I wanted to be back here, and I believe in the talent here. Hopefully we can continue to play good baseball part tomorrow afternoon.”
Francona said he planned on sleeping in on deadline day.
"I know the (front office) guys are working," Francona said. "That's not my area, and I don't want it to be."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds top Pirates behind some of their best young stars
