Reds rumors: Relievers in high demand heading towards the deadline

In the latest edition of Reds rumors, it appears that several Cincinnati Reds relief pitchers are in high demand. Will they part with any of them?

The Cincinnati Reds‘ bullpen has been solid all season long. The addition of veterans David Hernandez and Jared Hughes has helped solidify what’s normally one of the Reds most glaring weaknesses. In the latest edition of Reds rumors, several Cincinnati relievers have apparently drawn interest from around the league.

According to Jon Paul Morisi of MLB.com, Raisel Iglesias isn’t the only member of the Cincinnati bullpen drawing interest from other teams. Hernandez, Hughes and Amir Garrett are also on the radars of contending teams with the trade deadline looming.

Interest in Iglesias has been well documented over the last several weeks. Given Iglesias’ relatively inexpensive contract paired with his age (28 years old) and live arm, it’s no wonder that several contenders appear to be interested in the Reds’ closer.

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Iglesias has expressed interest in wanting to stay in Cincinnati. In an interview last week with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Iglesias voiced his desire to be of the Reds’ success going forward:

“I’ve been here for like five years. I’ve been through this rebuilding process, and I feel like we’re getting closer. I would like to be part of this team when we become a really good team, a competitive team. I feel it would be cool for me to see that we’re capable of doing more.”

The idea that Cincinnati is still rebuilding makes you wonder if they need a top-level closer like Iglesias or if that is a luxury. However, given that he is under team-control through 2021, it will likely take a king’s ransom to pry Iglesias away from the Queen City.

The rumor that Hernandez and Hughes are on other teams’ radars is not surprising, but if the Reds pull the trigger on a trade involving either reliever would be.

Hernandez and Hughes both signed with the Reds this offseason for relatively cheap deals considering their production this season. Hernandez signed a 2-year contract worth $5 million and Hughes signed for 2 years at $4.5 million.

Would the Reds be willing to sell high on either of these two veteran right-handers? Both are 33-years old, but with Amir Garrett being their only experienced setup reliever, it’s hard to Cincinnati moving on from either Hernandez or Hughes.

Speaking of Garrett, he was mentioned in the rumors as well. This one, however, may be the most far-fetched, as Garrett is only 26 and under team-control until 2024. On top of that, the Reds may still have aspirations of finding a spot in the starting rotation.

Next: Will Harvey be the only Reds player traded?

With the trade deadline approaching will the Reds rumors will, no doubt, increase in the coming days. Keep a close watch on Blog Red Machine for all the trade rumors and analysis involving your Cincinnati Reds.