The Reds are currently in first place, a half of a game up on the Cardinals after a loss to the Pirates (really guys? The Pirates?!). The Louisville Bats are sitting in 2nd place in the International League right now behind what has to be the hottest team in all of baseball, the Columbus Clippers (they are 27-13). The Bats, on paper, are absolutely loaded right now and they are missing the guy who was carrying the offense in the first month of the season, Dave Sappelt, who is on the disabled list with an oblique injury (and from what I heard second hand, Dave doesn’t sound too thrilled about being back any time soon). This could help the Reds out in several ways this season, be it with a trade for a needed player at the deadline or a call up for an injury or just a call up for someone who isn’t performing or you can’t keep them in the minors any longer. Let’s look at the players who could be options for the Reds in any of these scenarios.
Devin Mesoraco
I don’t really see a scenario where the Reds are going to trade Mesoraco at this point. He is hitting .311/.401/.525 with the Bats right now. The Reds catching situation is strong with Hanigan and Hernandez hitting a combined .313/.379/.509. But, there is always a chance that an injury will happen and if that is the case, Mesoraco will absolutely be able to fill in and produce. If by a chance the Reds decide that he is ready now and they can’t hold him back any longer, there is always the chance that they could trade soon to be free agent Ramon Hernandez. While that is a long shot given his performance this year, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing ever.
Todd Frazier
After struggling big time last year, Frazier has absolutely turned things around this season and is hitting .279/.357/.551 on the year while showing solid plate discipline. With a hole in left field while the Gomes situation plays out, Todd Frazier could be one of the options that could get the call up if the Reds decide to make a move. Frazier can also play third base, so he could also be an option to come up if Scott Rolen were to go down again with an injury. At the same time, he could also be a guy who the Reds could use at the trade deadline if he continues to hit the cover off of the ball.
Yonder Alonso
Alonso has been getting normal reps in left field, so he could be another option to take over for a struggling Jonny Gomes. While Alonso is not a good fielder by any stretch of the imagination, his bat could be a very big boost to an already stout offense. Alonso is currently hitting .331/.386/.547 with 14 walks and 22 strikeouts on the year. If the Reds decide not to take the route of calling him up, they could decide to move him in a deal at the deadline and I can’t imagine his stock ever being higher than it is right now.
Mike Leake
While the old adage is that you can never have enough pitching, Mike Leake is a guy who can be pitching in the Major Leagues as a starting pitcher right now who the Reds simply don’t have use for at this point in time at the MLB level. He provides depth for any of the current pitchers, so perhaps you don’t want to trade him. However he could be a very enticing part of a package at the deadline for a team looking to build quickly.
Zack Cozart
The Reds probably don’t need a shortstop at this point in time because they have both Janish and Renteria at the big league level. However, he does provide depth in the case that something were to happen and the Reds had a need for a shortstop. After a really slow start in April, he has hit .329/.351/.479 in the month of May and has only struck out 5 times in the month. I don’t know if the trade market is big for Cozart at this point, but he could add value to a trade if it were to happen.
Yasmani Grandal
With Hanigan and Mesoraco both under control for several years in the future, there could be a trade market for a top end catching prospect with polish who could move quickly. I don’t think the Reds will be bringing him up in any scenario this season and technically, he can’t be traded until the middle of August, but he can be agreed upon as a player to be named in a trade. Outside of Alonso and Mesoraco, I think that Grandal could be the best trading chip that the Reds have at the deadline.
With all of this depth, the Reds may be better off than just about any team in baseball should they have an injury that will cost them a large part of the season from a starter or if they choose to make a move to acquire a player to help them improve their team.