Cincinnati Reds: Five bold predictions for the second half of 2020 season

1. The Reds stand pat at the trade deadline.

Don’t get too excited about the upcoming trade deadline. The Reds did a lot of their legwork during the offseason, and while adding a reliever like Kansas City’s Trevor Rosenthal sounds good on the surface, I find it unlikely that the Reds make a move before August 31st.

Where would the Reds add and who would they give up in order to land a piece or two? First, trades are restricted to only those players in the team’s 60-man player pool. I don’t see Cincinnati giving up on any of their top-flight prospects, nor do I see any of the club’s big league talent leaving during a season in which they want to compete.

It makes no sense to add a bat. With the promotion of shortstop prospect José García, there’s no need for the Reds to address any position on the infield dirt. Joey Votto, while not having a good season, has a no-trade clause. No team in their right mind would take on that contract anyway. Eugenio Suárez, Mike Moustakas and aforementioned García will be staying put as well.

The outfield is littered with talent and we’re still waiting on Nick Senzel to return to the injured list. The starting rotation is one of the best in baseball, leaving only the bullpen as a possible area that Dick Williams and Nick Krall may look to target via trade. I just don’t see it. The ascension of Lucas Sims and return of Robert Stephenson make the backend stronger.