Reds' Trade Deadline Blueprint Pt. 2
Pitching!
The Reds’ pitching staff has been one of the bright spots of the team this season. They have the 11th best team ERA in all of baseball at 3.85, which is good to see. The issue, in my opinion, has been striking batters out, especially in the bullpen this year. When looking for bullpen help I have chosen to pursue one righty and one lefty apiece, replacing Taylor Rogers and Lyon Richardson respectively. A big name that I think the Reds could pursue is Royals closer Carlos Estevez. Estevez was in advanced talks with the Reds this past Winter, so it would be easy to see a world where the Reds re-enter talks with the 32 year old two-time all star. Other names in Kansas City intrigue me a ton. John Schreiber has been a reliable fireman for them this season, but tends to give up runs in bunches when he does (see his game against the Reds earlier this season). Daniel Lynch IV is another fun name, but seeing as he remains on the IL (and KC holds him in strangely high regard) they won’t be able to scoop him up anytime soon. Kansas City also seems to be buying this deadline, which is extremely interesting given how far out they are out of playoff consideration (they seem to be banking on the Tigers to continue their freefall). Outside of Kansas City, Jhoan Duran would be a slam dunk. A 2.4 ERA and a <1.14 WHIP headline what has been an excellent season for the 27 year old. He would be the Reds’ closer for the foreseeable future, which is extremely exciting. Shelby Miller of the Arizona Diamondbacks is also having an incredible season, posting an ERA of just 1.98. Miller has been on the IL since the start of July, so picking him up may be a riskier move than someone like Duran or Estevez. Dylan Lee is my lefty pick for the Reds, posting a 2.56 ERA and a phenomenal .920 WHIP. Lee would be a god-send for a Reds team in desperate need of a quality lefty arm (sorry Taylor Rogers). As for my righty, I lean Duran, but the package needed to get him could be extremely pricey (I’m thinking at least 2 top 15 prospects in the system). But if Lee and Duran are acquired then the pitching staff would go as follows:
SP:
Andrew Abbott
Nick Lodolo
Chase Burns
Brady Singer
Nick Martinez (swing-man when HG returns)
RP:
Brent Suter
Tony Santillan
Sam Moll
Dylan Lee
Emilio Pagan
Scott Barlow
Jhoan Duran
This would be one of the best bullpens in all of baseball, with Luis Mey waiting in the wings.
Thank you for reading!