Last place Cincinnati Reds willing to sell at trade deadline, again

That’s what a sweep at the hands of the Nationals will do to you.

The 2024 Cincinnati Reds aren’t just in last place in the National League Central at 47-53, they’re fresh off being swept by a bad Washington Nationals team at precisely the time when they should be scratching, clawing their way to every win possible.

This season is not to be. We probably should’ve taken the hint long ago when Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, Brandon Williamson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Tejay Antone, & Co. fell by the wayside next to Noelvi Marte’s suspension. What’s remained has been a shell of the roster originally constructed by Nick Krall and the Cincinnati front office, and rather than chase wins by wheeling and dealing to make the kind of moves needed to push the needle, they’ve simply sat by and hoped the remnants could cobble together a miracle.

No miracle has been cobbled, however. With the July 30th trade deadline now just 8 days away, it appears the front office is finally willing to show their hand. As MLB Network’s Jon Morosi relayed last night, the Reds are indicating to teams across the game that they’re willing to trade away the rental players on their roster, of which there are plenty.

Nick Martinez may well be the most desirable piece the Reds have right now, his ability to play swingman or starter a perk to clubs desperate for pitching of any kind while their own arms get healthy. Frankie Montas, however, is fresh off one of his worst starts of the season (7 ER, 2 HR in 4.2 IP against Washington), and his overall season numbers (5.03 FIP, 88 ERA+) aren’t exactly that inspiring.

The team also just lost Brent Suter to the IL with a torn muscle in his throwing shoulder, which should be enough to tank his market completely. That leaves the relief trio of Lucas Sims (5.09 FIP), Buck Farmer (4.11 FIP), and Justin Wilson (89 ERA+) as the arms destined to reach free agency as options to be moved off the roster, while the newly acquired Austin Slater (just 2 for 15 since being acquired from San Francisco) sits as the lone free agent to-be on the active roster for the Reds right now.

That’s hardly a crop of players who will, in theory, bring back the kind of mind-altering returns you dream of when a rebuilding team continues to rebuild through trade. Still, there’s a chance some desperate team out there may take one, or several of them and relieve some salary obligations for the Cincinnati payroll, something that we all know is vital to how this shoestring operation survives.

The question will be, though, whether the Reds look to move any of their existing pieces that aren’t yet considered rentals. Jonathan India, for instance, is having a resurgent (and healthy) season and is under team control through 2025, and we all remember what the rumors were surrounding his potential exit from the club last winter with the plethora of then-healthy infield options were around. Might the Reds find a market for him that’s vastly more robust than it was when they listened on him last winter?

Regardless, it’s hardly a vote of confidence that the Reds are, once again, entering the trade market as sellers, even though this time (once again) it’s obviously the right way to approach the deadline. This team isn’t making a run, and it’s best to at least get ready to gear up for another attempt while the option is right there.

At least we all know how to manage our fandom through that series of events since it’s basically all we’ve ever known around here in late July.