The last place Cincinnati Reds are limping towards the August 3rd trade deadline at just 51-57, still buried in the busy National League Wild Card standings 5.5 games back of the final spot. That comes with the caveat that there are six NL clubs they’d have to jump to earn their way into that spot – the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals.
At quick glance, at least three of those clubs are likely going to be buyers
at the deadline. So, the Reds are between a rock and a hard place, and anything other than a miracle win streak this weekend will likely send them into at least some mode of selling.
Per Bob Nightengale of the USA Today, that won’t include moving Hunter Greene. Cincinnati’s ace had seen his name pop up in trade rumors pretty much ever since Chase Burns signed his $105 million extension as the rest of the baseball world began to wonder how the typically frugal Reds would accommodate both on the payroll long-term.
That said, they’ve long been rumored to be shopping their litany of players who are destined to reach free agency at season’s end, and that includes catcher Tyler Stephenson. He’s been red-hot of late, too, slashing .339/.400/.523 dating back to June 4th, and that’s caught the eye of the catching-needy New York Yankees, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
There’s definitely a need for catching talent among the contenders this year, and that leaves the Reds in a decent position to shop Stephenson in a buyer’s market. And any time you can get the title-hungry Yankees involved, that’s a good thing for your potential return.
How the Reds choose to approach the catching spot for the remainder of the season remains to be seen, though they obviously trusted Jose Trevino enough to dole out his contract extension just last year.
It’s yet another storyline to watch with Cincinnati as the Monday deadline nears.
