Cincinnati Reds: 3 players who could be gone by the trade deadline

A slow start to the season already has some fans ready to quit on this year’s Cincinnati Reds team. If the losing continues, which 3 players will be gone when the trade deadline rolls around?

The Cincinnati Reds won their first game of the season and then went on an eight-game losing streak. While we as fans always try to support our team, the Reds recent track record doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in the fanbase. If the Reds continue to come up short, they’ll no doubt be sellers at the trade deadline. Who’s most likely to be shipped elsewhere?

Even before the season started, there were whispers. What if this doesn’t work? So far, the Reds have gotten out of the gates rather slowly. With nine free agents on this year’s roster, if the team is out of the playoff hunt come June, there’s plenty of players that other teams would love to pick up.

The question would come down to value. Last year, the Cincinnati Reds had the opportunity to trade both Billy Hamilton and Matt Harvey and failed to do so. Hamilton was non-tendered and is now with the Kansas City Royals, while Harvey signed a free agent deal this winter with the Los Angeles Angels.

If the Reds are in a similar situation later this summer, hopefully the organization will not stand idly by and fail to get at least something for a player that’s likely to leave via free agency. Even securing an Advanced-A level prospect is better than letting a player go for nothing.

So, while we all hope that the Cincinnati Reds are in contention this summer, they’ve dug themselves a hole early on. If they fail to get out, they’re destined to be sellers come mid-to-late July. Who are the three most likely players to be gone by the trade deadline?

Matt Kemp, Outfielder

This idea has been kicked around all offseason. The Cincinnati Reds have an overcrowded outfield and the most likely candidate to find a new address is Matt Kemp. The three-time All-Star was part of the trade that brought Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, and Kyle Farmer to Cincinnati while shipping Homer Bailey to Los Angeles.

Kemp is a fine player, but at this stage of his career he’s better suited to be a designated hitter and fourth outfielder on an American League team. Kemp is currently being platooned with Jesse Winker in left field and I can only assume that the Reds would rather give the reps to their young, up and coming slugger rather than the aging veteran.

Don’t forget that the Reds still have Phillip Ervin and No. 1 prospect Nick Senzel in Triple-A Louisville. Senzel has been groomed all offseason to be this year’s starting center fielder and when he arrives, the Reds will need to find a spot for Scott Schebler.

I think Schebs is the perfect fourth outfielder for this team. He can play all three positions, has power from the left side, can hit leadoff or further down in the batting order as well. If any of the aforementioned outfielders happen to find themselves on the injured list, Phillip Ervin, like Schebler is capable of playing all three outfield positions too.

We all know that Kemp will not be part of the Cincinnati Reds organization going forward. He was the offsetting piece of the trade that allowed the Reds to move on from Homer Bailey. While it’s likely that any trade involving Kemp would require the Reds to eat an enormous piece of his salary, the $7M they received from the Dodgers will help ease the pain of that transaction.

Zach Duke, Pitcher

This is has absolutely nothing to do with a potential trade, but rather a lack of production. So far Zach Duke has failed to impress and the Cincinnati Reds have enough left-handed pitchers that his production could be easily replaced.

Duke is a LOOGY. His entire job rests on the ability to get a key out versus a left-handed batter is crucial times during the game. He’s yet to do that and his time could be very short. Duke has appeared in 8 games, thrown a grand total of 4.1 innings and has an ERA of 8.31.

Zach Duke seems like a nice guy, so I’m going to try to go easy on my criticism, but the guy doesn’t bring enough value to this team to justify the Reds hanging onto him for much longer. He’s not the only left-handed pitcher that David Bell can turn to.

Amir Garrett has had a great start to the 2019 season and Wandy Peralta, also a southpaw, turned in a great spring. Robert Stephenson, while not a lefty, has been a surprisingly good addition to the Reds’ bullpen as well. Peralta owns a 0.00 ERA, Garrett’s ERA is 1.35 and Stephenson’s is only 0.96.

The Reds also have lefties Cody Reed and Brandon Finnegan down at Triple-A Louisville if David Bell is desperate for another southpaw out of the pen. Matt Bowman, Sal Romano, Jackson Stephens, and Anthony Bass all provide reinforcements if the Reds move on from Duke.

Zach Duke is a specialist and his is a dying breed. If MLB insiztiutes the new three-batter minimum next season, the days of the LOOGY will be gone. Duke has not produced yet this season and it wouldn’t be shocking at all if he were let go before the All-Star break.