Huge Blow: ‘It’s time’ Cincinnati Reds to trade the farm for winning today

The Cincinnati Reds are legitimately good. How can we tell? Because despite a long list of key players being injured or underperforming—Hunter Greene, Matt McLain, Austin Hays, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte, Rhett Lowder, Jake Fraley, Christian Encarnacion-Strand (and probably others)—the Reds still have a winning record.

So yes, this team is good. And now, except for Greene, they’re finally healthy.

That brings us to ownership. The Reds are in a competitive window, one that might last this year and maybe three more before financial limitations (and cheap ownership) start tearing it down. Elly De La Cruz should be a cornerstone—someone you lock up for 15 years and $600 million. But let’s be honest, this front office isn’t doing that.

So here we are, at the trade deadline, with no hope of the Reds going big in free agency this offseason. That means trades are the only real path forward. Not just any trades—trades for real contributors who can stick around beyond this season.

The holes are obvious: first base, designated hitter, left field, and right field. The current options—Gavin Lux, Spencer Steer, Will Benson, Jake Fraley, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (who’s now in Louisville)—haven’t come close to solving them. (Austin Hays is excluded since he’s been injured and is gone after this year.)

Collectively, those five players have combined for just 0.3 WAR over 1,118 plate appearances. That’s brutal. Only Lux, with a 106 wRC+, is even close to acceptable for a bat-first position. Unless someone starts mashing, that group isn’t cutting it.

The Reds can’t expect to fix all four spots through trades, but they have to do something. Lux and Fraley are free agents after 2025, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fraley DFA’d this winter.

Rece Hinds? He reminds me too much of Aristides Aquino—but worse. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m not buying it. Same for Encarnacion-Strand: there’s upside, but lingering back issues and poor plate discipline make him hard to trust. Triple-A numbers don’t matter if he can’t translate them to MLB.

Steer is the definition of “fine.” He’s had nearly 1,800 plate appearances and produced 3.8 WAR. At best, he’s an average player. If things aren’t clicking, he’s below that. Maybe he hides in left field on a good team.

Benson is the most promising of the group. There’s real late-bloomer potential here—Justin Turner, Edwin Encarnacion vibes. His expected stats say he’s been unlucky, and he’s made legitimate progress, particularly cutting down strikeouts. He’s always walked and shown power. With more contact, he could be something.

But again, even if Steer and Benson are your best bets, you’re still trying to fill four spots—and Benson doesn’t hit lefties. So you’ve got, what, 1.7 positions accounted for?

Sal Stewart might help next year, but he’s just reaching Triple-A. Other internal options aren’t close.

It’s time to trade real prospects.

And I mean real prospects.

If a player isn’t on the big league roster right now, they should be on the table. Call every team in a rebuild and offer them legitimate talent. The Reds have waited long enough. Target players with at least one more year of control—preferably more. The names matter, and they need to be quality.

This team can’t afford to stall anymore. They’re not locking up the young core. They’re not spending on the open market. If the Reds want to win while this window is open, they have to trade prospects. It’s the only way to build the depth this roster needs before the core disperses.