At 46-44 (as of Monday morning), fourth place in the National League Central, and 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race, these next seven games at home before the All-Star Break mean everything. Winning six of these (I know that is a bit extreme) is what is needed. Losing either series would be detrimental to this team moving forward and I don’t think pulling off a sweep against Colorado is too much to ask. Win three of four against the Marlins, sweep the Rockies, and go force ownership to go all-in at the trade deadline. Francona didn’t come out of retirement for a .500 season. Go win.

Trade Deadline Wishes

As with any trade deadline, fans want to see their team get a hefty return, but that requires giving up good talent and future big leaguers to try and win right now. If I was Reds ownership, I would look at the following options to trade, as Cincinnati is desperate for two bullpen arms and a right-handed power-bat.

  • As much as I love TJ Friedl, this is likely his ceiling. I’d be willing to give up an OBP guy and additions for someone like Aroldis Chapman to bolster this pen.
  • With Sam Moll and Brent Suter healthy, I’d be more than willing to move on from Taylor Rogers, as he could probably use a fresh start somewhere else. He could provide lefty depth if a team is willing to take on his salary.
  • Zach Maxwell, Chase Petty, PJ Higgins, Ivan Johnson, Blake Dunn, Levi Jordan, Ryan Vilade, Edwin Arroyo, Cam Collier, Austin Hendrick, and Hector Rodriguez would all be available if I am Cincinnati. My prospect untouchables would only be Sal Stewart and Alfredo Duno.
  • What returns are realistic? Eugenio Suarez reunion, Luis Robert Jr., Jake Byrd, and Taylor Ward I think are all desirable additions for Cincinnati. However, I think Geno will likely be suiting up in Yankees stripes, as they appear to really want him to join New York’s power squad.

Andrew Abbott All-Star Snub

Andrew Abbott, currently the best pitcher for the Reds this far throughout the Reds season, somehow wasn’t named an All-Star this season. He is 7-1, has a 2.15 ERA, and has the second best ERA in the National League among pitchers with 80+ innings pitched. Do I think Abbott is a top ten pitcher in the National League? Probably not, but he is pitching like it and he deserved to be named an All-Star. While he might be a replacement, I selfishly would like to see him rest, as historically he has certainly “ran out of gas” in the second half of the season.

Elly De La All-Star

To no one’s surprise, Elly De La Cruz was the Reds choice for their All-Star. After somehow not making the top two in fan voting, Elly was the number two highest-voted shortstop by the players. At 23 years young, his numbers are nearly identical to Bonds and he is looking at a possible 40-40 season. He’s batting .277 with 18 home runs. If I can give any advice to other fans, it would be to enjoy every at-bat of his in a Reds uniform while you can.