The trade deadline has sparked a debate amongst Reds fans
The August 1st trade deadline has recently passed, and the Reds did not make a splash despite some reports that they were heavily involved in talks.
The Debate
At the deadline, the Reds only added one player to their roster, lefty Sam Moll from Oakland.
The two most common arguments I have seen defending the Reds' lack of activity are as follow:
We can't sacrifice "the future™" for "rental" players!
We are "ahead of schedule" and should not "go for it" this year. Let's just enjoy being competitive as a "bonus" this season.
Goofy. Let's debunk both of these:
1.) First of all, in many ways, the future is now! A young, competitive team is what we were promised when the team dealt Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Eugenio Suarez, etc. Why are we letting the front office off the hook when we have been starving for competitive baseball?
Also, with the prospect capital and payroll capability (barely any money on the books for '24) of the Reds, they were certainly not limited to "rental" players who were on expiring 2023 deals.
The Reds could have dealt numerous prospects without impacting their current roster, which has an extremely bright future itself, regardless of any up-and-coming minor league prospects.
For example, both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander both have at least a 2024 commitment on their contracts. Dylan Cease's name came up in trade conversations, and he still has multiple years of control.
There were many more multi-year pitchers that the team could have landed. Enough with the "rental" excuse. If this team is not willing to deal low level prospects to cash in on a chance to win the division, it might never happen for the sake of an uncompromised, however obscure, "future™."
Protecting "the future™" could easily be permanently legitimized as an excuse to never add to the team. We can't act like the front office is incapable of this. Nick Krall could have added two Hall of Famers to this squad for the remainder of 2023 and 2024 but was not willing to deal prospects.
2.) In reality, there is no such thing as "ahead of schedule" in Major League Baseball. You are either competitive enough to make a title run or you are not.
Like it or not, "ahead of schedule" or not, this team has a legitimate shot at a division title. That is never a guarantee! Upon writing this, the Reds are only 4 games back in the NL Central and 1 game out of the Wild Card.
The Brewers and Cubs (who actually made moves to improve themselves at the deadline) are not going away next season. You would be silly to think that the Cardinals are going to be in last place again at this point next year.
The Pirates started off this season as one of the hottest teams and will be entering 2024 with a healthy Oneil Cruz, who rivals Elly De La Cruz in potential and flair, along with numerous other young prospects.
Sure, the Braves are a powerhouse, and adding to a roster of exciting yet unproven rookies just to meet Atlanta in the League Championship series might seem scary. However, the Braves will be just as much of a powerhouse for at least the next 3-5 years due to the contracts they have been able to connect to their young core players.
You are going to have to beat them at some point, and the pieces were there to help the Reds do that this season.
Ignoring the team's obvious issues and opting to "enjoy the fun" is a bold strategy. The team has not played as well into the dog days after the deadline, but who knows what kind of talent + morale boost would have happened if acquisitions were made.
Good luck to any team that thinks it can "schedule" going for a World Series win - some additions to help this young team at least reach the playoffs would have done wonders to gain invaluable experience to at least keep them on such a "schedule"... this team is running out of room on the field for new prospects.
Hey, at least we got a David Bell 3-year extension and the "new flash" in Luke Weaver's leg kick during the deadline!
Only time will tell how the 2023 deadline moves will pay off.
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