The Cincinnati Reds are in first place of the NL Central on August 2. By all indications, the 2023 season has been a wild success to this point. Coming into the season, nobody expected the Reds to be where they are now. Many predicted another 90+ loss season as the Reds continue to rebuild.
With that success comes altered expectations for the rest of 2023 and beyond. Now, the end-of-season projections are different than they were in April — or even June 1.
Many argued that the Reds should push all of their chips to the center of the table and go all in on 2023, because nothing is guaranteed in baseball. It is true that next year the Reds could find themselves on the opposite end of all the comebacks they have made, over the past two months, especially. Perhaps injury luck will hit hard and 2024 will be as much of a nightmare as the 2023 New York Mets’ season.
Or perhaps the Reds’ stance at this year’s trade deadline will pay off. Cincinnati has built this team from within and, largely, that is what they will continue to do. Krall has his eyes set on more than just 2023.
So, what did Nick Krall do at the trade deadline? What did he decide against?
Sam Moll
The lone trade the Reds made at the trade deadline was with the Oakland Athletics. On Monday, July 31, the Reds sent minor-league pitcher Joe Boyle to Oakland for left-handed reliever Sam Moll and cash considerations.
Boyle was rated as a borderline top-30 prospect in the Reds organization by MLB.com, and now sits as the A’s 22nd best prospect. The right-hander from Notre Dame was a fifth round draft pick in 2020 by Cincinnati, and carried a 6-5 record with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts this season at AA-Chattanooga.
Moll is the type of player the Reds absolutely had to add at the deadline. For the majority of the season, Alex Young has been the only left-handed reliever out of the Cincinnati bullpen. Young has been outstanding, but he has appeared in 49 games already this season. Only seven pitchers have pitched in more games than Young.
Moll owns a 4.54 ERA, but a 3.25 FIP which controls for the defense behind him. He features a sinker and sweeper, but also offers a four-seam fastball and changeup. According to Baseball Savant, Moll’s fastball spin rate is in the 90th percentile. Pitching coach Derek Johnson could look to utilize the fastball a bit more due to its effectiveness.
Moll should take some pressure off Alex Young and rest of the Reds bullpen. A much needed addition.
The Trades That Did Not Happen
The Reds were also linked to a number of starting pitchers on the trade market. Names like Michael Lorenzen, Eduardo Rodriguez, and others, were mentioned as possibilities for Cincinnati. Lorenzen was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee. Lee immediately slots in as the sixth-best prospect in the Detroit Tigers’ system, according to MLB.com.
Rodriguez was nearly traded to the Dodgers on Tuesday, but he vetoed the trade with his no-trade clause. Reportedly, Rodriguez wanted to stay closer to family than Los Angeles. Would Cincinnati have been close enough for Rodriguez? We may never know, but he likely would have fetched a better package than what the Tigers got for Lorenzen due to his potential two extra years of team control.
Would the Reds have given up one of their top five prospects for Rodriguez? That would have been a steep price to pay for a potential rental. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are due back by the end of August. Vladimir Gutierrez, Tejay Antone and Casey Legumina are each working their way back from injury and should be available within the next month as well.
2023 Outlook
While Nick Krall did not make many trades at the deadline, the Reds have reinforcements on the way. Some of the reinforcements act as midseason acquisitions since they have yet to suit up in 2023 for the Reds (Antone and Gutierrez).
Krall is determined to see this rebuild through and will not deviate from that plan. He has vowed to build sustainable success, and the 2023 trade deadline only reinforces that sentiment. While it is not exciting, it is likely the prudent move.
Stay tuned for more breaking MLB content, including trade deadline information, power rankings and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of Reds.com
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