Cincinnati Reds: Keep your prospects and get Dallas Keuchel

As rumors continue to swirl about a possible deal sending Corey Kluber to the Cincinnati Reds, the front office should hold firm on keeping their top prospects and go get Dallas Keuchel.

Immediately following the conclusion of the 2018 season Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams vowed to upgrade the pitching staff.  While trades for southpaw Alex Wood and right-hander Tanner Roark have certainly helped the Reds address their greatest deficiency, the team is still lacking a legitimate top-of-the-rotation piece.

Of course acquiring a stopper to anchor the staff comes with a steep price.  There are two ways to accomplish this task.  One is to open the checkbook.  The other involves mortgaging your future and… opening your checkbook.  For the Reds to be a consistent winner they must maintain a long-term vision for success and resist giving away young and inexpensive talent.

Enter Dallas Keuchel.  The top starting pitcher still available on the free agent market would be a perfect fit for the Cincinnati Reds staff.   Having Keuchel take the mound on Opening Day would provide the starting rotation with a legitimacy they haven’t had since the days of Johnny Cueto.

The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner with the Houston Astros possess a skill set that would work quite nicely at Great American Ball Park.  In 2018 Keuchel led the Major Leagues in ground ball to fly ball ratio by a wide margin.  The two time All-Star induced 3.44 ground balls for every one fly ball allowed.  Phillies ace Aaron Nola finished a distant second with a 2.91 rate.  To be successful pitching in Cincinnati, you must keep the ball on the ground and no one in baseball does that better than Keuchel.

What Dallas Keuchel is not is Corey Kluber.  Kluber is a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner with the Cleveland Indians.  The right-hander has dominated the junior circuit winning 96 games and posting an impressive 137 ERA+ over eight big league seasons.  However, he’s also under contract for three more years, which would require a king’s ransom to pry him from the Tribe.

So, the Reds theoretically have a decision to make.  Pay the exorbitant salary that Keuchel would require or pay slightly less but deal prospects, namely Nick Senzel, for Kluber.  Senzel is the Reds top prospect and No. 6  prospect overall in baseball.  He’s been the envy of every front office the Reds have engaged in trade discussions this winter.

Throughout his minor league career Senzel has predominantly seen playing time at second and third base.  Interestingly, he began getting reps in center field in Arizona this fall.  Skeptics would say Senzel is blocked at both second and third base by Scooter Gennett and Eugenio Suarez and rightfully point out he’s not a natural outfielder.  Yet, these are only minor issues.

Many scouts agree Senzel is a can’t miss future All-Star.  Considering second baseman Scooter Gennett will be eligible for free agency after the 2019 season, having Senzel move around the diamond is only a temporary situation.  By letting Gennett walk after the season the Reds could save nearly $10 million annually by making Senzel their everyday second baseman.

Following the 2019 season the Reds are going to have a bevy of free agents.  Gennett, Wood, Roark, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and David Hernandez will all be hitting the open market.  By signing Dallas Keuchel and keeping Nick Senzel the Reds can enter the 2019 off season knowing they have a top starter and a young inexpensive potential All-Star second baseman already in place.