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.
