The Reds are looking to move their rental pieces, reports C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Cincinnati fell to 44-53 with a blowout by the Rockies this afternoon. The club is now seven games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
The report notes that the Reds intend to trade players with expiring contracts. It is not said whether the organization will agree to part with the players who no longer have the power of the team. Sources also tell Rosecrans and Rosenthal that Cincinnati will consider bringing in major league talent to help the club in the near future. Here’s a list of loan players to be picked up…
Brady Singer
The 29-year-old righty is one of the most expensive players on the roster. He made $12.75MM in his last year of arbitration. The singer has not covered himself in glory when he went to work for free. He has a 4.56 ERA backed by a 4.41 xFIP and a 4.37 SIERA across 19 starts. Singer’s 19.2% strikeout rate is the second lowest mark of his career.
Home runs have been a big problem for Singer this season. He has gone deep 21 times, tied for fifth most in the league. One might think that getting him out of Great American Ball Park ready to hit would help, but that wasn’t the problem. Singer has an ERA under 3.00 at home. His homes are almost equally divided between GABP and street areas. Singer has been a professional, so his durability could be confusing for teams that need reliable innings.
[Related: Reds Trade Deadline Outlook]
Eugenio Suarez
Suarez’s 49-game follow-up season did not go as planned. He posted an 85 wRC+ through 271 plate appearances through Saturday. Suarez’s strike rate, which has always been high, has risen to 35.8%. He was the third-lowest defender (-5 Defensive Runs Saved). A groin injury cost the veteran a month of work.
Suarez returned to Cincinnati on a $15MM deal with a matching $16MM option next season. He will likely return to the free agent market this offseason. Selling him would be blind faith that his strength will return in the last two months of the year.
Nathaniel Lowe
The Reds signed Lowe to a minor league contract. It looked like a big win for a few months. The veteran first baseman carried an .895 OPS into June. He’s come back down to earth since then, but his wRC+ still sits at a solid 114 before Saturday’s game. Lowe has been an above-average player every season except last year, when he struggled with the Nationals and Red Sox. He would be a good fit as a platoon/bench bat for an opponent.
Tyler Stephenson
The longtime backstop stumbled again before his first foray into free agency. Stephenson is hitting .238/.318/.359 in 74 games. He posted -6 DRS behind the plate. Stephenson has shown some power during his time with the Reds, and has a strong 21.6% strikeout rate this year. A home run could be coming. Stephenson could be a good example for teams that missed out Ryan Jeffers.
The Relievers (Pierce Johnson, Caleb Ferguson, Brock Burke)
This appears to be the most likely group to be removed. They are all playing well and should find themselves in playoff teams after the deadline. Johnson joined the club on a $6.5MM deal. He has a 4.23 ERA, although a 6.24 xERA is cause for concern. Johnson has five points and a save as a member of Cincinnati’s top lineup.
Ferguson and Burke are likely to have the attention of teams looking for the remaining help. The former shook off an oblique form of the first season to post a 1.76 ERA through June. Ferguson scored a few times in July, but was reliable, despite his slow pace. Burke has been one of the most used pitchers in the league. Only Mason Fluharty of the Blue Jays had more appearances than Burke’s 48. The veteran has tallied nine points and a save. He has a sub-3.00 ERA, though it comes with a 4.48 xERA and 5.07 xFIP.
Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images
