Revisiting a Cincinnati Reds Trade – Tyler Naquin Trade 2022

Tyler Naquin Trade 2022: On July 28th, 2022, the Cincinnati Reds were straight up sellers. They were sellers pretty much right as they started 3-22. Anything a team wanted to offer on, the Cincinnati Reds were going to sell. That’s when New York Mets’ GM, then Billy Eppler, gave Nick Krall and Sam Grossman a call wanting Tyler Naquin, who in 2022 had a very mid-season. Tyler was slashing .240/.305/.427/.732 in the 1st half, he only had 6 HRs.

They were all over it. They didn’t even have to “negotiate” – the Mets accepted the offer immediately. Some would say it’s a deal that was part of the reason Billy Eppler was relieved of his duties.

Alright, I made that part up, the Metropolitans went a way different way with Cohen obtaining the team. I, Nati Sports, would actually declare this to be one of Nick Krall’s biggest W’s as GM when it comes to acquistion. Let’s see how these two prospects are doing…

Hector Rodriguez – OF A+ Dayton Dragons (Reds 13th ranked prospect)

A small, (5’10”, 185) but compact hitter, Hector Rodriguez was a mere 18 years old at the time of trade. Known for his quick hands, and bat to ball skills, the Cincinnati Reds Amateur scouting were all about him. He was signed by the New York Mets for $100,000 in 2021 and he has done nothing but hit since. Signed as an infielder, he is now an outfielder, which fits the Reds mould much more. He has plus speed, paired with extremely low whiff rates, he is almost certain to be a major leaguer one day. He’s 20 years old. I would imagine AA Chattanooga being on the horizon very soon for Hector. In A+ right now, he’s currently slashing .302/.336/.437/.773 which would be considered a “down” year for him. A lot of us are a little surprised he hasn’t hit more homeruns yet, but contact rate is still there, as is the rest of his game. He rarely strikes out, and the higher he goes, the more that stays consistent. He has 17 total XBHs in 200 ABs – only 4 of those are homers. He had 16 HRs last year in A ball in Daytona, which, the Florida State League is notorious for pitcher friendly ballparks, so that mark is impressive. There are a LOT of folks that believe Hector is the best “hitter” in the Reds’ organization. I would rank him 2nd, just behind Sal Stewart. Ladies & gentlemen, perhaps we have our own Luis Arraez?

Jose Acuna – RHP AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Unranked)

Jose Acuna is a real slept on piece of that Naquin deal – the dude has some real strikeout stuff. The more I look back on this, what an absolute fleecing for the Reds, even if neither of these dudes debut with the team at the MLB level. Acuna is back from a minor injury suffered in April & is with the Chattanooga Lookouts where he’s now pitched in 2 games as the Reds are taking his innings very seriously and limiting them. What’s wild here is…Acuna isn’t even in our top 30 prospects (per Pipeline) yet he’s pitched great every stop he’s been at. It’s unclear if the Reds will use him as a starter or reliever, but he has thrown a LOT of strikes everywhere he’s been in our pipeline. I joked with the caption above about the Reds best kept secret, but hell, you can’t even find a picture of this dude online anywhere in a Reds uniform.

Since acquistion on 7/28, Jose Acuna has compiled 58 BBs compared to 145 K’s in the Reds organization. So far in AA in 2 games pitched, he’s only allowed 1 run unearned in the 4.2 innings he’s pitched, and K’d 6. We’ll see how he continues with health in AA, but considering he had an 100 K year last year for the Dragons, I have no doubt he’ll continue to make strides. I’m not shocked he’s not ranked in our system, we have an underrated farm year after year.

Was this Nick Krall’s best work so far?

I think it genuinely needs to be considered. Compared to what was given up, and what was received, I mean Hector Rodriguez is a certain Major Leaguer, Jose Acuna has a ton of promise…this easily could be Nick Krall’s best work as GM of the Cincinnati Reds. Shoutout Metropolitans. These two just to get beat by the San Diego Padres in round 1 back in 2022. Tough cooking. So is this a Nick Krall win, or do we give the credit to the Reds Amateur Scouting team? Joe Katuska’s squad? Hmm…