Cincinnati Reds: Lucas Sims is a better option than Trevor Rosenthal

Lucas Sims should quell the Reds trade interest in Trevor Rosenthal.

The Cincinnati Reds are looking to add to their roster at the trade deadline. It’s rumored that Kansas City’s reliever Trevor Rosenthal is on the radar of several teams. It’s likely that Rosenthal will be dealt before August 31st, but the Cincinnati Reds should not be players in those upcoming negotiations. Lucas Sims give Cincinnati everything Rosenthal does, and more.

Sure, Rosenthal is a nice pitcher. The Royals right-hander has put together an impressive résumé to start the 2020 season. Rosenthal is 0-0 with a 0.87 ERA through 11 games. In 10.1 innings of work, Rosenthal has struck out 14 batters and walked just four. His 0.871 WHIP and 546 ERA+ are staggering. But, Sims offers a very similar profile.

In 10 games, spanning 11 innings, the Reds right-hander is 1-0 with 0.82 ERA and a 0.636 WHIP. Sims’ 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings is just below Trevor Bauer’s league leading mark of 14.0. Sims seems to have found his niche, as it’s that of bullpen ace for this year’s Cincinnati squad.

David Bell seems willing to put Sims in the game when the pressure is at its highest. He, along with Amir Garrett, the two most trustworthy pitchers in the Reds bullpen. With the documented struggles of Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias very apparent this season, Sims has been the lone constant right-handed reliever that Bell has.

Some fans may say, “One is good, but two is better.” That’s true, but that second option (Rosenthal) is going to cost you. Though virtually every team is in the playoff hunt this season, it would stand to reason that the Royals will be looking to play the long-game and be sellers at the trade deadline.

Cincinnati is not going to be the only interested in adding relief pitching before August 31st, meaning that Rosenthal will not come cheap. It’s also worth noting that only players in each team’s 60-man player pool are eligible to be dealt. That shrinks the number options each team is able to work with.

Do the Cincinnati Reds really want to part with one of their young talents in order to land Rosenthal for just a month, especially considering the volatile nature of the 2020 season. We’ve already seen the coronavirus stop play for the Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. The New York Mets appear to be the latest victims, as their weekend tilt with the New York Yankees has been postponed.

Does the Reds bullpen need to be perform better? Absolutely. Cincinnati’ relievers rank 24th in ERA (5.60), 17th in strikeouts (112) and 15th in runs allowed (57). But with Lucas Sims locking down virtually every inning he pitches, and Robert Stephenson and Pedro Strop soon to return, it seems premature to look to solve the bullpen issues via a trade.