Cincinnati Reds Rumors: Possible trade pieces

The Cincinnati Reds’ current situation

It has not been pretty for a Cincinnati Reds’ fan after April. This team had a great start to the season by being in first place to in the basement. Also, the Reds are rebuilding. Furthermore, they have been in this fluctuating state for a couple years. The philosophy is that acquiring prospects by trading veterans is vital.

So far, they have done just that. In 2017, their farm system ranked 13th by Baseball America. They have been qualified as a seller since they fell out of contention. Let’s look into some trade chips and the return for them.

The Cincinnati Reds’ slick fielding shortstop

Obviously, Zack Cozart is a trade piece. He is having a career year and is a free agent after this season. The shortstop is batting .316 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. His BAPIP is .351 which is evidence of the turnaround at the plate.  The right handed hitter has accumulated a 3.2 WAR overall. He has had the highest walk rate of his career at 11.7%. Cozart made the All-Star team this year as well. Another encouraging factor is that the infielder’s Off metric is at 15.3, which means he is above average at the plate.

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On the diamond, he has been great. This is due to his 7.0 Def stat. Cozart has been known as a defensively sound shortstop, and now his bat has picked up. His value has never been higher, and the Reds should look to cash in. A package coming back would probably two lower level prospects amounting to fringe to everyday players.

The Reds’ reliable righty

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Scott Feldman has been a great innings eater for the club. Furthermore, the righty has tossed a respectable 4.34 ERA in 103.2 innings. A positive for him is that he has left runners on base 73.6% of the time. He is able to make clutch pitches consistently while generating ground balls 43.8%. The veteran right hander doesn’t strike many out at 7.47 K/9, but has shown that he can produce outs. His pitch selection has offset any locations issues that arise. He is able to repeat his mechanics while throwing strikes at a constant rate. A negative point with Feldman is the walk rate this year at 2.95 BB/9.

This season, batters have only swung at pitches out of the zone 25.9%.  Batters have swung at pitches in the zone 63.2% of the time. He is known as a strike thrower and will continue to be. Hitters don’t chase many pitches out of the zone, they are challenged with putting balls in play. Feldman is also a free agent at season’s end, so his value won’t be as high. A fair trade will most likely be a C potential player or a lottery ticket.

The Reds’ controllable closer

Saying Raisel Iglesias is dominant is an understatement. The right hander has tossed a 1.55 ERA with 16 saves for the rebuilding Reds. He has a strikeout rate at 11.27 K/9 in 46.1 innings. Coincidentally, he has control issues. Furthermore, a walk rate of 3.30 BB/9. The right hander has a heater that can run up on hitters and off speed to throw them off. It isn’t likely for his dismissal, but there are certainly a plethora of teams that would enjoy his services. In 2014 he was signed to a 7 year/$27 million dollar contract. For his elite levels, he is more than affordable money wise. But trade wise? If traded, expect a Craig Kimbrel type haul.

Next: Where could Zack Cozart end up?