The 2023 Cincinnati Reds trade deadline has come and gone. With the Reds only making one move, they did address an area of need. Was the move enough?
As the calendar month flipped into August, three teams are alive in the National League Central. The Reds hold a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers and a four-game lead over the Chicago Cubs. With the moves those two teams made and how the Reds are set, how does Cincinnati stack up moving forward?
Reds Trade Deadline and Beyond
The Reds trade deadline was nothing but upgrades. The sensitive part was not giving up too much, especially for a rental player. Cincinnati’s trade deadline saw them make a move for relief pitcher Sam Moll. The return didn’t give up much, so we can consider that a win. From the Oakland Athletics, Moll was relatively cheap and came with multiple control years.
Besides the trade, there wasn’t much going on inside the Reds clubhouse that changed from pre-deadline. With Jonathan India on the injured list, Stuart Fairchild is now on the active roster. In the two other stories, manager David Bell got a contract extension.
We can debate whether the Reds had the right strategy at the trade deadline, whether they should have been more aggressive, etc etc etc.
Ben Lively’s start tonight is a decent argument that the Reds should have prioritized getting some starting pitching.
— The Riverfront: A Cincinnati Reds Podcast (@riverfrontcincy) August 2, 2023
For now, the rotation remains the same. Reports came from Hunter Greene heading to Arizona to start his rehab assignment. He hopes to be back on the team on August 20. Greene’s return to the team will likely remove Luke Weaver from the rotation and into the bullpen. Unfortunately, Weaver has been statistically one of the worst pitchers in baseball this year. 6.80 ERA with a 6.12 FIP over 18 starts this season. His record is just 2-3.
Here’s the state of the Reds’ rotation
Active: Graham Ashcraft, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson, Ben Lively, Luke Weaver
On the IL: Hunter Greene (projected back Aug 20), Nick Lodolo (projected back late August), Justin Dunn (projected back in September)
Ready to go in…
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) August 1, 2023
Could Nick Lodolo make a return to the Reds roster in 2023? With the Reds having their young stud pitchers on the brink of recovery, that was a significant factor in a slow Reds trade deadline. Whether Lodolo can come back or not, with Weaver out of the rotation with Greene’s eventual return, the Reds pitching staff will significantly be better.
Final Thoughts:
The Reds trade deadline was never going to be crazy and unexpected. The team should have made another move, maybe two, for inexpensive controllable arms. The last thing the Reds needed to do was make a crazy decision, like moving after Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. No questions asked; those two pitchers are two of the best in baseball. Are they fit for what the Reds want to do in the future? Both of them would have been a steep price. Both in payroll and prospects lost to attain their services.
The Reds did what needed to happen instead. The club should have gone for a lefty arm coming out of the bullpen. The best-case scenario for Cincinnati is to stay the course and trust the guys who have gotten you to this point. If Cincinnati’s trade deadline showed us it was, they weren’t quite ready to destroy the future for a rental. At the same time, it showed they were willing to address a team’s needs. Although it might not feel or look like much, they needed it.
Photo Credit: © Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Players/managers Mentioned:
Sam Moll, Jonathan India, Stuart Fairchild, David Bell, Hunter Greene, Luke Weaver, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer
