What To Expect On Deadline Day As a Cincinnati Reds Fan

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31 July 2025

Good morning, Cincinnati. Ole beautiful. Our favorite team, today, will coast the waters of what’s titled, “MLB Trade Deadline Day.” The waters are rough, especially if you’re Nick Krall operating on such a precise budget because your ownership team pockets millions throughout each year. But less of that, let’s get into what we can genuinely expect today. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter by using the popup form or the form below!

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Ownership’s STRICT Budget

You’ve seen me tweet, you’ve seen me write, the budget that Nick Krall has been given is absolutely brutal. The pending revenue holdout in 2027, and even in 2026, where the Reds don’t have a TV deal in place yet, has the ownership in a field of daze – they’re terrified to go over a certain amount of $, and both deals that they’ve made so far prove that.

I was tipped off that that number is at or near $3,500,000 additional, and the way Nick Krall has moved so far, that feels extremely accurate. They had to attach money to the Ke’Bryan Hayes deal for it to even work, and the RHP they got, Zack Littell, is only going to make $1,850,000 with the Reds, per Spotrac.

So What’s Next?

In reality, a whole lot of nothing. And I know so many people get upset when I say this, but genuinely, nothing. If there’s anything that’s going to happen between now & 6pm ET when the deadline hits, it’s going to be a relief pitcher on an expiring contract from a team like the Colorado Rockies.

Mark Sheldon linked the Reds to two different Rockies RP’s yesterday morning, specifically citing RHPs Jake Bird/Seth Halvorsen – both making MLB minimum, fitting the Reds desperate need to ‘stay inside the budget.’ If it’s not these two players, it’ll be someone similar. I know, don’t jump out of your seats with excitement. Maybe hold off on that 2026 season ticket purchase, too.

What Will It Take To Get A Big Bat?

IF, and only IF, because that’s all we have right now, the Reds were to go out and get a big bat, they would have to attach payroll to it. As we all know now, that becomes even more costly, because it means you have to pay even more in prospect capital. This is the ONLY way for us to land a splash today, however, unless ownership decides to fork some more $ up.

Should the Reds give themselves a fighting chance at getting a bat, they’d have to trade someone like Brady Singer, who is making $8,750,000 this year and is owed about $5,000,000 more. That would be the only way to land a bat. IF Nick Martinez could be moved, that’d be the best shot at landing anyone else big, but we all know that his $12,500,000 remaining due is too large of a sum to have that happen.

My friends, unfortunately, Nick Krall is not motivated enough, nor creative enough, to surpass the burden that the ownership has placed on him when it comes to monetary strain. There won’t be anything big coming today, and Krall has alluded to this exact scenario in every media availability he’s had since acquiring Hayes & Littell. What we got…is what we got. Go Reds.

Cincinnati Reds Acquire RHP Zack Littell 7/30/25

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Nati

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30 July 2025

1

Tonight the Cincinnati Reds stuck to their guns and what the industry felt they’d be doing next – landing some more pitching. The Reds are acquiring Tampa Bay Ray’s starter RHP Zack Littell for a RHP in Louisville and another prospect.

Full Trade

The Cincinnati Reds are giving up RHP Brian Van Belle (A Louisville starter) and Adam Serwinowski, a LHP in the Reds MiLBs.

Zack Littell will be brought in to eat some innings for the Reds and preserve some arms. Likely, Nick Martinez will move into the bullpen, and potentially even Chase Burns could pitch some innings out of the bullpen.

For what the Reds gave up, this is shaping up to be a pretty good trade for us, even though Littell is simply a rental. He’s been quite good on the year so far, and you’d expect that to continue.

Zack Littell is worth 2.1 bWAR, has made 21 starts, has a 3.72 ERA and a 1.114 WHIP in 128.1 IP. He’s coming to Cincinnati giving up a lot of HRs, so let’s hope he can keep that at bay. Here’s a video of him commenting on the trade:

Here’s #Rays right-handed starter Zack Littell, in his own words, on learning he’d been traded to the #Reds, via our @FanDuelSN_Rays postgame show. pic.twitter.com/jjVz8LSna5
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) July 31, 2025

Ke’Bryan Hayes Is a Cincinnati Red

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Nati

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30 July 2025

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Alas, the Cincinnati Reds make a move to bolster their team. It took a few days, but the scouting I reported on here paid off. Who would’ve seen this coming? Well, truthfully, up until today…nobody. Subscribe to our newsletter using the popup form or the form below!

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The Best Defensive 3B In Baseball

Undisputed this year, too. Matt Chapman is a dandy 3B, as we all know, but Ke’Bryan Hayes is without a doubt the gold glove favorite for 2025. Rawlings can go ahead and print up the trophy.

Ke’Bryan Hayes has a little bit under the hood that makes me think we can tap back into the offensive potential. As early as 2021, he was ranked as high as the 9th best prospect in all of Major League Baseball, primarily for his glove, but he had way more upside as a prospect offensively. In 2023, he hit 15 HRs. The Reds will really need to find some power in his bat. I wrote here why they would even be interested in him.

With him squaring a lot of balls up, and rarely whiffing, there is some evidence to suggest GABP will help him out quite a bit. Make no mistake though Cincinnati Reds fans, Ke’Bryan Hayes is coming to Cincinnati to play gold glove defense on the hot corner, not hit. It’s a Terry Francona specialty, oldschool baseball. Never mind not being able to hit. As long as we can pitch and play defense, they’ll win enough games, he thinks.

When Will He Debut?

Nick Krall met with media and this was kind of answered, but not really. The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently in San Francisco, CA so him being in Cincinnati tonight was not possible. He’ll catch a flight to Chicago tonight from San Fran, stay overnight in Chicago, then catch a 9am flight to Cincinnati tomorrow morning as the Reds get set to face the Atlanta Braves.

It’s likely he won’t make his debut as a Red until Friday afternoon, when the Reds take on the Braves before they head out to Bristol at 12:40pm. It’s possible he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow, but with him catching an early morning flight, Tito may give him a day off. We’ll see! One things for certain, Ke’Bryan AND his family are excited to be out of Pittsburgh. Their words, not mine! And not only that, but he has several friends on the Reds already.

I’d Like To Just “Believe” In Something Krall Does

I simply can’t, every single move that Nick Krall makes is so beyond confusing, frustrating, and half of them, inexcusable. How do you cry poor and then go and add onto your team’s financial strain and they aren’t an all around player? I’m excited for Hayes, don’t get me wrong, but I’m really waiting for Nick Krall to do something that makes SENSE.

Now you’re going to have to move your top prospect off where you had him primarily playing. Sal Stewart is going to be in the big leagues this year assuredly, and now you’re asking him to move positions AGAIN. If I was Sal, I would be really upset. I guess, to Krall’s credit, he actually acquired someone and will play them at their natural position. Can’t say that’s been what happened in history!

Cincinnati Reds Linked To Interesting Players

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Nati

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30 July 2025

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ke'bryan hayes cincinnati reds pittsburgh pirates

Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon this morning published an article detailing some interesting players the Cincinnati Reds are reportedly interested in… some of these coming from divisional rivals, which likely will raise the price. Subscribe to our newsletter using the popup or form below to get the news sent straight to you!

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Ke’Bryan Hayes – Pittsburgh Pirates 3B

To start off the ‘interesting’ list – Ke’Bryan Hayes. He’s currently slashing a despicable .236/.279/.290/.569 in the Pittsburgh Pirates offense with a 59 OPS+. He’s also making $7,000,000-$8,000,000 each year from here on out. So why would the Reds be remotely interested in him?

He’s the best 3B defender in the National League, and this year, all of baseball. Worth 15 OAA, Hayes is the absolute front runner for gold glove in the NL so far. Despite his offensive struggles, there’s some data to suggest he could fare well with a change of scenary. He doesn’t chase much, and his squared rates are high. He’s also making a lot of contact, but he has not walked much at all.

All in all, trading inside the division always becomes more costly than intended, but the Pirates ownership is arguably worse than the Reds, and they make every attempt at saving a buck. The Reds could pay less in prospects if it meant paying more in cash in this scenario, and Hayes would add a element of defense we haven’t had at the hot corner since Scott Rolen (defensively, come on guys.) We were the only outlet to report the Reds scouting the Pirates.

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Relief Pitching – Colorado Rockies

Per Sheldon’s article this AM, the Reds are also looking at relief pitching options. Two of those players would be coming from the Colorado Rockies – RHPs Jake Bird/Seth Halvorsen – both of these guys don’t have great peripherals, but taking any Rockies relief pitchers away from Coors Field always proves to help. This would be a relatively cheap addition. Me, personally, I’d rather Jimmy Herget reunite with Cincinnati, but I’m interested in Seth Halvorsen more than Bird.

Potential Cincinnati Reds Target RHP Jake Bird

Reuniting, again, with an old friend?

Sonny Gray is thought to be on the trade block again, but there’s some pretty big hurdles for him to be acquired. One, he has a full no trade clause and his wife has family in Missouri. Two, he’s expensive, and the Reds have be notorious for being ‘poor.’

Not to mention, Sonny Gray has met with St. Louis Cardinals ownership whom mentioned the possibility of him being traded, and there was only a few teams on the list that he’d approve a trade to. No indication that Cincinnati would be one of them, but one would infer Kansas City would be one, and likely Cincinnati, as his time here was relatively positive.

It’s not a secret the Reds have tried to land Sonny Gray numerous times, even in free agency, so I don’t think I question Mark Sheldon’s reporting on this one, but we’ll see what Nick Krall can do on this Cincinnati Reds trade deadline in 2025. I think it’s very unlikely.

ANOTHER old friend??

Eugenio Suarez is arguably the most popular name this trade deadline. On Monday night, he was hit on the hand with a fastball and left the game – some teams have put their interest on pause, but evidently the Reds have not.

Geno has 36 HRs as it stands, and the Reds are known to be looking for a middle of the lineup masher, something they desperately need to acquire. Geno typically throughout his career starts heating up in the summer, too, so there’s some high risk and reward potential here. He’s been semi-decent at 3B, though not a gold glover. Geno is expected to net at least one top 100 prospect back and an additional high ceiling player. Many teams have their offers submitted to the Dbacks.

Former Cincinnati Reds 3B/SS Eugenio Suarez

Less than 30 Hours To Go…

So far, the market has been quiet, but all it will take is one domino to fall, and the rest should follow. The New York Yankees just acquired Austin Slater, so the rental outfield market should get going now. We need to see the relief market take shape. I don’t think the Reds are near as aggressive as being reported, Nick Krall is the Pres of Ops, and the Reds constantly cry poor. We’ll see.

Per Schefter, Trey Hendrickson To Show Up To Camp Wednesday

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Nati

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29 July 2025

0

On Tuesday night around 7pm ET, Adam Schefter tweeted out that Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson planned to return to camp on Wednesday (Tomorrow, 7/30/25) after a little bit of an extended vacation away from the team. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the news straight to your inbox!

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Deal or…No Deal?

If you read yesterday’s post, Trey still hasn’t been locked into a new contract yet, but most would assume he’s tired of those $50,000 fines reigning in on him. This is also definitely a measure of ‘good faith’ showing up and showing your face. That’s the professional most of us know Trey as. That’s a good way to get the negotiations going again. In total, Trey racked up $250,000 in fines from being away from the team.

Regardless, it’ll be nice to be one step closer to preseason kickoff without some drama. Trey is a tier 1 dude, and I sincerely hope the Cincinnati Bengals front office makes it right for him. All eyes on you, Katie Blackburn. Time to get him that extension locked in.

Reds Scouting Rays-Yankees 7/28

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Nati

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28 July 2025

0

Yandy Diaz - cincinnati reds — yandy Diaz potential cincinnati reds

It was reported by a New York Yankees media person that the Reds were in attendance for the Rays-Yankees game tonight in New York to scout several players. They are actually there scouting both teams. Subscribe to our Newsletter below to get all the news!

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Yandy Diaz – The Perfect Fit

One of the players the Cincinnati Reds are there to see tonight is 1B/DH Yandy Diaz. I’m not sure there’s a more perfect fit for the Reds lineup than Yandy Diaz. The Reds are seeking a middle of the lineup guy who can hit HRs and provide veteran ABs. As it stands, the Reds only have 4 ~qualified~ regulars that are above average (100 wRC+ or above.) That, my friends, is pathetic.

Enter Yandy Diaz, a definitive bat first guy, but can also hold his own at 1B on days it’s needed. He has a 125 wRC+ currently on the season, and is worth 1.9 bWAR. He hardly strikes out, and he is controlled through 2027 through a vested club option the Rays put on him. With that said, he’s going to have a steep price tag, especially cause of the year he’s having offensively.

Yandy walked 2x and struckout 2x in tonight’s win against the New York Yankees.

Surprisingly, The New York Yankees Are Also ‘Selling’

The Yankees, quite unreported, are listening to offers on their relief pitchers that expire after this year. One being Luke Weaver, another being Devin Williams. The Reds are also there in New York checking up on them. The idea is that the Yankees are starting to sense their bad defense, bad pitching & are starting to think about bolstering their farm for next season.

Luke Weaver has been the best of the bunch in their bullpen, and obviously, the Reds are very familiar with him. There has not been any link there, but Luke Weaver could help the Reds with a reunion in a big way, should they opt to take part in the rental RP market.

It has also been rumored that the Yankees are making our kryptonite, Devin Williams, available in trade talks. It’s seeming like the Yankees plan to do a lot of buying/selling this deadline, and industry isn’t sure which one they’ll do more of. They’re 2nd in the AL East and have a playoff spot locked up, however, Aaron Judge hit the IL with a serious injury and could miss a lot of time.

Lots Of Scouting, No Moves Yet

If you read our site, you know the Reds have every intention to be ‘aggressive’ per Ken Rosenthal, citing a rival executive. So far, we’ve not seen any evidence of that, other than some scouting here and there. They’ve been checking in on players in Minnesota, New York, Tampa Bay, Arizona and one that may surprise some a little bit, Pittsburgh. They haven’t been looking at Chicago (White Sox) much of late, which tells me they’re out on Luis Robert Jr.

The MLB Trade Deadline is on Thursday of this week. There’s plenty of time to get going. Most industry folks believe that the market won’t move until Thursday right at the end as dominoes fall. There are many, many offers on the table just waiting to be accepted as players fall off the board.

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Trey Hendrickson Has a ‘Deal in Place’?

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Nati

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28 July 2025

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Cincinnati Bengals‘ star EDGE/DE Trey Hendrickson has made it clear he does not intend to play on his current contract, which still guarantees him $16,000,000 for the year if he plays. Today we found out some more information on Pat McAfee’s show through Adam Schefter that Trey has some new guidelines he wants in the deal before he’ll sign.

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Guaranteed Language

Per Adam Schefter, Trey & the Bengals have the exact contract down and agreed upon. However, this remains hung up due to guaranteed money. SHOCKER! The Cincinnati Bengals and a contract dispute held up due to guaranteed money? Say it ain’t so. What is this, like our 5th hold up in the last 3 years? My goodness, the Brown’s stubbornness…

“The deal is in place, but there’s a disagreement over the guaranteed money in the deal, and it’s a big disagreement so far,” said Adam Schefter on PMS Live hosted by Pat McAfee. He marked the potential for the Bengals and Trey to come and meet in the middle, but as of now, the Bengals are reportedly about $6,000,000-$7,000,000 off in what Trey wants guaranteed. That number hasn’t been confirmed by either camp, just speculation.

When Will He Report To Camp?

Trey has made is everlasting clear he has zero desire to play on his current deal as we wrote about a few weeks ago. I think there’s some serious proof that he will continue hold out, and many in the building believe that to be the case, too. If the $6-7M number is accurate, it is a disgrace. The Bengals receive a significant portion of revenue sharing each year as the league’s ‘least valuable’ team and that is pennies to them.

I don’t believe Trey will show up to camp at any point this summer, and I don’t think he’ll show up to any of the preseason games either. He seems to be very adamant on holding out and accepting the fines from the team. Trey is currently still in Florida where he resides.

The reality is, the Cincinnati Bengals have a shambolic defensive front without Trey Hendrickson, and they had a shambolic defensive front WITH Trey Hendrickson. We, as Bengals fans, can all agree that they need to retain him, but some of their unwillingless to guarantee $ makes some sense. Trey has 57 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, 53 TFL, and 112 total QB Hits the last 4 seasons with the Bengals. Pay him.

Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves To Set MLB Records

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Nati

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28 July 2025

0

Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves Speedway Classic — Speedway Classic Reds vs Braves

MLB Data released new data suggesting that the Bristol Speedway Classic is going to be breaking records this coming weekend. The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Atlanta Braves in Bristol, TN at Bristol Motor Speedway, which is a very fun venue the way it is, add the fact that our favorite team will play there…EVEN BETTER!

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What Age Old Record?

On Saturday August 2nd, 2025 the Major League Baseball ALL time regular season attendance record will be broken at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves in Bristol, TN at Bristol Motor Speedway. We first learned about this event last year and wrote about how sick this is going to be so the fellas at Nati Sports HQ cannot wait.

There are already over 85,000 single tickets sold to this game, and there’s an even hotter aftermarket for them as we speak. That aftermarket means places like SeatGeek, where you can save yourself $20 using code “NATISPORTS“.

Who Is Expected To Pitch?

As of now, it has not been released who is expected to pitch. If going off of order, Chase Burns would be the 5th day for 8/2/2025. As for the Braves, it is unknown as they have dealt with a ton of injuries this year in their rotation. There’s some lingering hope that All Star Hunter Greene will be back for this series, as he started a rehab assignment last week in Arizona and was ‘feeling good.’

Might the Reds team look a little different this weekend due to the trade deadline? We’ll see! You can read about what the Reds plan to do right here.

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Report: Rival Executive Believes Cincinnati Reds Will Be Aggressive Buyers

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26 July 2025

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NY Time’s (Formerly The Athletic) Ken Rosenthal came out with an article labeling the Cincinnati Reds “aggressive” buyers this 2025 MLB Deadline, through a ‘rival executive’ – obviously, this executive was not mentioned, but has enough insight into what the Reds plan to do to make the comment. Rosenthal delivers that the Reds are in the market for a middle of the order bat AND a bullpen piece. Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter to receive all the news to your inbox using the popup box or the below form!

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Brad Meador and Nick Krall Both Comment On Deadline

Earlier in the week in media availability, GM Brad Meador and Baseball Ops President Nick Krall both commented, separately, on the deadline. Both seemed to point toward the Cincinnati Reds being more of ‘prospect huggers’ than aggressive buyers, which would refute what Ken Rosenthal is posting.

With that being said above, they both, however, did deliberately say they had no intention of selling, and essentially would be riding with the same unit of guys, no matter what. That tells me that they could certainly be looking to ‘aggressively’ buy, and perhaps were downplaying those intentions in the public media to help their ongoing negotiations.

So Who Can They Target?

If you read our website often, you’ll notice I wrote about one player in particular – Luis Robert Jr – Article here. Luis Robert Jr has had a relatively disappointing, albeit productive, 2025 season thus far, but the kicker is, his price is far less than it was a year ago and for the right reasons. What he’s done great so far this year, however, and those two things he’s done great fit the Reds’ need like a glove.

The Reds need a good defender in the OF to put in one of the corners, or even in CF, and they also need a guy to hit left handed pitching. The Reds are bottom 6 in Major League Baseball in team OPS against LHP, signaling an obvious need. Luis Robert Jr is also one of the better defending outfielders, some of which the Cincinnati Reds do not possess.

With the knowledge of the Reds seeking a middle of the order bat, a reunion with Eugenio Suarez could make a ton of sense, too, although unlikely. The Reds brass in those interviews I mentioned above, said that they did not intend to move their elite prospect capital unless it meant receiving a controlled player. Eugenio does not fit that category, but multiple sources have reported the Reds’ interest.

Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins is another guy that fits the mould of middle of the order bat that could make some sense. The Reds have been scouting their MLB games looking at potential bullpen pieces like Jax as well. They have made several trades together and Nick Krall has a good relationship with the Twins’ front office.

Talk All You Want… Where’s the Action?

The Reds are always big talkers at the deadline. Nick Krall has been labeled ‘aggressive’ this year by Jim Bowden, but if you’ve been a Reds fan for awhile, it holds no weight. The Reds have sat dormant each deadline for the last 5 seasons, unless it was selling off players. They have done very little to actually upgrade their club for a long time.

With all that being said, until there’s action, take it with a grain of salt – the Nick Krall led Cincinnati Reds have been terrible each trade deadline. His seat should be very, very hot this year – we’ll see if he comes into this deadline more motivated or not. The excuses are running out. The Reds are 2.0 GB of the 3rd wildcard spot only trailing San Diego & San Francisco, two teams they’ve looked better than several times this year.

Luis Robert Jr Still Makes Sense For the Reds

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Nati

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21 July 2025

0

One of the more sought after candidates in the trade world, Luis Robert Jr, has had a very disappointing season in most metrics, however, he’s still a prime candidate for the Cincinnati Reds, and this article will break down why, & how the Reds can make it make the most sense even further. Don’t forget to subscribe to our articles by using the popup form or the form below! Get all the news sent straight to you.

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How Can The Reds Make It Worth It To Them?

That answer is simple. If anything, today, Luis Robert Jr makes the most sense as he ever has. He’s had a very down year, but he’s been healthy, and he’s been great on defense and against LHP, two places the Reds struggle at. If you read this article from the offseason from us, (or maybe just don’t, because today it looks real bad at what we’d of given up,) you’d see that we were ready to deal a lot of premiere prospects for his services. Now…he can be had for even cheaper, thus why I deem him making even more sense today then it did then.

This is where I start brainstorming and making it make more sense for the club. Truthfully, this may be way too over Nick Krall’s head, but maybe Brad Meador will see this and think about it and talk some sense into Nick – Get a deal in place with the Chicago White Sox to acquire Luis Robert Jr and rework his contract behind the scenes knowing you have an agreement with CWS. How can you do that? This is where it gets fun, especially knowing he’s represented by Scott Boras & the Boras Corporation, who, make no mistake…are not fun to deal with, but his hand is forced here because there’s a 0.00% chance that his options are picked up.

As of now, Luis Robert Jr’s “control” stems through club options for 2026 and 2027. Those options, as referenced here on Spotrac, are very pricey. $20,000,000 annually pricey, at that. He’s not worth that today, nowhere near, Scott Boras knows that, Luis knows that. Those options aren’t getting picked up by the White Sox, and they aren’t getting picked up by an acquiring team either. Enter the Reds & their big brains.

The Reds have done it with 2 Boras clients already, Nick Castellanos & Mike Moustakas, so it isn’t foreign to them, and it isn’t foreign to Boras. My idea here is to acquire Robert Jr for his ability to hit LHP and play + defense, while having it in the air that you are going to extend him. Give him his $40mish he was going to be due, but split it out into 5 years. Give him opt-outs, like they did with Castellanos, to make him sign the deal. What will it look like? Let’s brainstorm.

2025: $2,500,000 (White Sox send money in trade)

2026: $10,000,000

2027: $12,000,000 (OPT OUT, $2m buyout)

2028: $16,000,000

2029: $16,000,000

This would give the Reds adequate time for him to either blossom as a star for relatively cheap while Elly was still a Cincinnati Red, or if he sucked, they’d really only be giving him $20Mish and it wouldn’t be a giant stinker like Jeimer Candelario & Mike Moustakas were & they can protect themselves. Regardless, you guys see what I’m puttin’ down here. The Reds would be giving him the opportunity to make $14,000,000 additional to what he was already set to make that the White Sox committed to him when they felt he’d be a superstar. That wasn’t the case. This is a sweet deal for Luis.

What Will The Reds Give Up?

This is the biggest question. MLB Trade Values has Luis Robert Jr at -3.1 in their latest update. That means that he really isn’t viewed highly across the board, especially because he’s essentially a ‘rental’ now because there’s a 0% chance that anyone picks up his option in ’25 for $20,000,000 and he’s also due another $7,500,000 for the 2025 (current) season, prompting the White Sox to offer $ for a ‘better’ prospect return.

Long story short, what used to be a safe trade is no longer. The White Sox won’t even get a top 100 prospect for Luis, even if they send over his 2025 salary, and that’s where the Reds system with some pretty high ceiling talent comes into play. I have a very small list of prospects I’d be willing to give up, but before I say what I will give up for him, in a different article tomorrow, I want to hear/see what you all would give up for him.