Earlier in the month of July, the National League Central was a muddied mess, full of five teams that all looked to be struggling equally while all having pipe dreams of a divisional title. Fast forward to the final days of the month ahead of the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline, and only three teams look to actually have moved ahead on that path, not including the Cincinnati Reds.
The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers all have gotten even closer to each other, as both the Cubs and Cardinals currently sit tied atop the division while the Brewers have clawed their way to being only one game back of both teams. With a ton of baseball left to be played, especially between these three teams beating up on each other, the Central divisional title looks to have its final three contestants.
For the remaining two contestants that have dropped out early, both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Reds have looked somewhat strong this season, but both have their drastic pitfalls that have put them in the last two spots in the division. While the Reds have fared better than the Pirates this year, both are in positions to sell at this year’s trade deadline.
For this team, there are obvious players who are not going anywhere, like first baseman Joey Votto, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, and catcher Tucker Barnhart, just to name a few. But there are some intriguing trade pieces that the Reds could shop and turn into a boost for their minor league farm system.
Outfielder Yasiel Puig, who was acquired along with Matt Kemp and Alex Wood from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, is a valuable trade piece that could serve as a solid bench bat and someone who has a lot of experiencing starting. A solid defensive outfielder, Puig seems to have toned down his actions a bit, which can only drive up the buying rate.
Outside of Puig, players like shortstops Jose Peraza and Jose Iglesias, outfielder Jesse Winker, and utility-man Derek Dietrich all could be gone from this team, although the deadline is very close to passing. For pitchers, bullpen pieces such as Jared Hughes, Amir Garrett (the team has mentioned that they covet him highly and it will take a lot to trade him), and even lights-out closer Raisel Iglesias could be shopped.
For an interesting note, Iglesias has gone from being untouchable to now being included in trade talks, which seems like a stark change in the thoughts of the Reds’ top brass, which is quite an interesting shift for a player as good as Iglesias is.
While no moves being made quite yet by the Reds, they should use the final waning hours before the deadline passes to shore up their system and look ahead to the 2020 MLB season.
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