Today we’ve got some more information from surrounding reporters stating that our Cincinnati Reds are in the wheelhouses and searchin’ for some upgrades. We have some insight from a local reporter stating that the Reds have asked about Guardian’s players, we have a Red Sox reporter stating that the Reds have asked about Crochet from the White Sox, and we have some insight elsewhere, too… Let’s get into the Reds potential trade candidates 2025. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER. You’ll get the news…first.
Reds Asking For Price on Guardians’ Josh Naylor/Lane Thomas
It was known the Reds have liked Lane Thomas for some time now – they were “Kickin’ the tires” on him before the deadline last year before ultimately being gobbled up by Cleveland. But we have some new information, per Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds are asking about Josh Naylor, now, too. Ahhh, that makes some sense.
Josh Naylor, in the last 3 seasons, has an 121 wRC+. That would provide some serious consistency for a still young lineup that would significantly benefit from it. When it comes to defense, Josh Naylor was average. Looking at the Reds first base candidates, that’s about what they’d get from there anyway so it’s not a real loss. Josh would definitely be looking to get acquired for his bat. Now…where things get a little iffy and why I put no stock in this trade at all for the Reds? The contract(s) of both Josh Naylor AND Lane Thomas. Both are projected to make significant cash in their final years in arbitration. Yes, both are free agents after 2025. I find it hard to believe that the Reds will seriously pursue this unless the ask from Cleveland is reasonable, and something tells me they will sell Naylor off in July if they aren’t in it.
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Reds Very Much Still In On Crochet
Even though a Reds beat reporter, Mark Sheldon, was saying that the Reds initial desire for Garret Crochet was “before they landed Brady Singer” – I found that strange, untrue, and, quite frankly…unreasonable. Now we have some more information, this time coming from someone I’d deem unlikely…a Red Sox Beat Reporter, Chris Cotillo. I wrote about the Reds being linked to Crochet here, if you missed it.
Chris Cotillo simply stated, “Cincinnati seen as a real threat to land Crochet,” and that one little line coincides with the Reds reluctancy to give up their pursuit, in my opinion. Now, what we KNOW the Chicago White Sox are seeking…they want young, controllable position players. They want a top 100 prospect. They want a guy they can plug into their Major League lineup under control. The Cincinnati Reds? They possess all of that. In excess. However, if you go back a year ago, the White Sox were very reluctant to trade the Reds Dylan Cease “due to poor grades on the Reds system” – what changes in a year…?
Note I mention Sal Stewart – he fits their exact desire, as does someone I’m real reluctant to give up, Christian Encarnacion-Strand. I don’t want to give either of these guys up. I see Sal as a potential future starting 3B for us. But look, to get…you have to give. Sal got a big boost to his profile this past update from MLB Pipeline, he’s not a 55 overall graded prospect, as he should be, and the 76th top prospect in baseball per their rankings. I think a lot of us would hope that the White Sox would prefer Cam Collier in a deal, and it’s definitely possible they want both of them. The White Sox system primarily hosts a plethora of pitching depth, but significantly lacks anything of real value elsewhere on the diamond if you take out Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero.
Free Agent Linkage
The Cincinnati Reds are known to be air tight inside the FO. We haven’t been linked to any Free Agents just yet, but that doesn’t mean much, because we inked 3 out of thin air last year. There’s some players that definitely fit our future out there still. Some like Anthony Santander, Michael Conforto, Teoscar Hernandez like I wrote about here, Jurickson Profar, etc. It’s clear our biggest need has and still is a corner outfielder that can mash. I would truly be shocked if the Reds didn’t leave Dallas with one signed, or at a minimum, have serious trade talks about one of them. As always, Nati Sports will keep you covered. Subscribe to our Newsletter and we’ll send it straight to you.
