CINCINNATI — These Reds deserve some help.
The Major League trade deadline is coming up Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. With Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Reds improved to a season-best six games over .500, their highest point above break-even since 2023 when they were 59-49 at the All-Star break and added only lefty reliever Sam Moll, still on this edition of the Reds.
Those Reds lost six straight after the deadline that season and eight of nine, finishing the final two months with a 23-31 mark and an 82-80 record, missing the playoffs by one game.
This year, the Reds were on the verge of another spiral when they lost three straight, including two to the Washington Nationals in D.C. and looking like they might be out of gas, especially in the pitching staff.
Then Nick Lodolo blanked Washington on a four-hit, complete game shutout on Wednesday. That was followed up by a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay, a team that everything to play for with their position in the middle of the wild card pack in the American League.
Now, five straight wins later, the Reds are playing fundamentally sound baseball, playing close game and finding ways to win. Terry Francona has been leaning hard on the backend of his bullpen, with Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan each pitching in all three games of the Tampa Bay series.
“Emilio and Tony, the whole entire bullpen all year. I mean, it’s just been so much fun to watch them,” said Brady Singer, who evened his record at 8-8 Sunday because Santillan was able to record the final two outs of the eighth and Pagan closed it out in the ninth. “They come in, obviously super aggressive, but they’re relaxed at the same time. And the job that they have to do. They’ve picked me up a lot this year, and they’ve picked a lot of stuff, you know, as well. They’ve been tremendous all year long.”
“Wins at any time of year are super important, but especially right now, when decisions are being made,” said Pagan. “And so, we like our group. We’re super confident in who we have. And yet, anytime, anytime you can show some energy going into where we are right now, it’s always a good thing.”
The Reds need one if not two relievers to take the burden off the likes of Santillan, Pagan, Scott Barlow, Lyon Richardson, Brent Suter and Graham Ashcraft, who Francona acknowledged is still learning the nuances of pitching as a reliever after beginning his career as a starter. The hope is that Hunter Greene returns to the rotation fully healthy, perhaps allowing the Reds to move Chase Burns to the pen. But hope is not a plan. Ian Gibaut is still on the injured list. Nick Martinez has a history of successfully bouncing between the rotation and the pen. But two good arms could change that calculus.
As for the need for a right-handed power bat, there are names out there that have been bandied about, like Byron Buxton or former Red Geno Suarez. Both would be great fits in Cincinnati But at what price? Now that the farm system is stocked, would they really be willing to give up a package like Rhett Lowder, Chase Petty and Sal Stewart for one of the best right-handed power bats in the game?
The Reds have found some success at the right time, winning six of nine out of the All-Star break. Players are doing their best to send the right message to President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall and general manager Brad Meador through their performance on the field.
“It’s important at all times. I will say some of the conversations I’ve had with Brad and Nick, like they’re just as pumped up as we are, and they want to do something special here, too,” Pagan said. “And so this has been building now for a few years. I think the city and the organization is aware of that. You know, we didn’t do what we wanted to last year, but we’re playing good baseball right now, and so hopefully we can put ourselves in the spot to do something pretty cool.”
Added Singer, “there’s a lot to like. Honestly, I think the chemistry that we have in the locker room is really, really good, and I think that we show it on the field as well, which is really cool, and just a really fun group of guys, obviously. But we’re here to win, and we want to push as much we can. Playing behind Tito is very, very easy. He makes it really easy for us as well. But, yeah, we’ve got a group of guys that are looking to make a push in the playoffs. The city deserves the playoffs as well.”
Of course, making a trade is going to alter the chemistry in the clubhouse. The hope is whatever is added only improves it.
“We like our team,” skipper Terry Francona said. “Nobody ever claimed we’re the ‘27 Yankees but that doesn’t mean we don’t love our team.”
