Cincinnati Reds: 3 best trades under Dick Williams

3. Reds trade Yasiel Puig and two prospects to acquire Trevor Bauer.

At the time this trade was consummated on July 31, 2019, most Reds fans were scratching their heads and wondering how all the team received in return was right-handed starter, Trevor Bauer. Granted it was a fair question.

Through the first four months of the 2019 season right fielder, Yasiel Puig established himself as a fan favorite. Whether it was hitting towering home runs, making spectacular throws from the outfield, or fighting the entire Pittsburgh Pirates roster, the Wild Horse rarely failed in the entertainment department.

However, Puig was entering free agency following the 2019 campaign and it was obvious from the lack of overtures from the Cincinnati Reds front office to Puig that he was not in their long-term plans. As the Reds continued to remain out of serious playoff contention, it only made sense to move him.

What really sent the heads of Reds Country spinning was the inclusion of 21-year-old outfield prospect Taylor Trammell. The left-handed-hitting Trammell was a first-round pick of the Reds in the 2016 draft and was the No. 16 rated prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com. Trammell went to the San Diego Padres as part of the three-team deal between the Reds and Cleveland Indians.

Trammell finished his 2019 season playing 126 games at the Double-A level and slashing an underwhelming .234/.340/.349 with 20 stolen bases. On August 30th of this year, Trammell found himself on the move again as the Padres traded him to the Seattle Mariners.

Even though Trammell’s future still remains bright, his star does not shine as brightly as it once did. Entering the 2020 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has dropped him to No. 57 in MLB’s prospect rankings. Trammell is currently the No. 5 prospect in the Seattle organization.

Scott Moss, the final piece of the deal, was a fourth-round pick of the Reds in the same 2016 draft. The southpaw was impressive during the 2019 campaign starting 26 games between Double-A and Triple-A in the Reds and Indians organizations.  Tossing 130.2 innings he compiled an impressive 2.96 ERA and fanned 159 opposing hitters.

When Trevor Bauer arrived in the Queen City he was in the midst of a fairly pedestrian 2019 season. Sporting a record of 9-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 24 starts the Indians were not receiving the same type of production they received from Bauer the season before.

During the 2018 season, Trevor Bauer was sensational. Earning his first All-Star selection, Bauer went 12-6 with a microscopic 2.21 ERA while leading the American League with a 2.44 FIP and 0.5 HR/9 rate. Both the Indians and the Reds had to be wondering which version was the real Trevor Bauer.

Let’s just say Bauer’s first impression was not a positive one as a Redleg. Making 10 starts to close the 2019 season, Bauer went 2-5 with a ghastly 6.39 ERA in a Cincinnati uniform. Reds Country had every right to be skeptical about parting with a fan favorite and one of the top-rated prospects in baseball for these types of numbers.

Thankfully, Trevor Bauer was nothing less than dominating during the 2020 season. He led the National League in ERA, shutouts, complete games, WHIP, hits per nine innings and ERA+. There’s a good chance next month he could become the first pitcher in Reds history to capture the elusive Cy Young Award.

Despite hitting free agency this winter, the trade for Trevor Bauer did nearly everything the Cincinnati Reds could have hoped for. He pitched brilliantly and led the Reds to the postseason for the first time since 2013. If Bauer’s career as a Red is indeed over, his performance this season will be remembered as one of the best ever by a Cincinnati hurler.

2. Reds trade Shed Long to the Yankees for Sonny Gray and Reiver Sanmartin.

New York isn’t for everyone. Following the 2018 season, both Sonny Gray and the Yankees were willing to mutually end their troubled relationship. Despite building a solid résumé as a member of the Oakland A’s, going 44-36 with a 3.42 ERA, Gray never seemed comfortable in the Big Apple.

Acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline during the 2017 season, Sonny Gray went just 15-16 while compiling a 4.51 ERA in 41 games and 34 as a starter. The Bronx Bombers had lost so much confidence in Gray they left him off their 2018 postseason roster. A parting of the ways was nearly inevitable.

Give the Reds and Dick Williams credit for a willingness to gamble that Sonny Gray could return to his pre-New York self. Gray has more than rebounded since arriving in Cincinnati. On January 21, 2019, the Reds traded for Gray and he’s pitching the best ball of his career.

In 42 starts for the Redlegs, Gray is 16-11 with an impressive 3.07 ERA. Tossing 231.1 innings Gray has whiffed an astounding 277 hitters. Additionally, he earned his second All-Star selection while finishing seventh in the Cy Young voting following the 2019 season.

This was another instance in which Dick Williams was willing to part with a highly rated left-handed-hitting prospect. Shed Long was the No. 7 ranked prospect in the Cincinnati organization and seemed destined to be the heir apparent to Scooter Gennett at second base before being dealt to the Yankees.

However,  Long was a member of the Yankees for just a few hours before being sent to the Seattle Mariners in another trade. Since landing in Seattle, the 24-year-old has made his MLB debut and is slashing .223/.294/.383 through his first 269 at-bats as a member of the Mariners.

As far as the other player in the deal, left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin has made 25 starts in the Reds organization at the Single-A and Double-A levels, posting a 4-12 record with a 5.37 ERA. The 24-year-old southpaw is currently not among the top 30 prospects in the Reds organization.

1. Reds trade Dan Straily to the Marlins for Luis Castillo and two minor leaguers.

One of DIck Williams’ first deals as the Reds GM could potentially be remembered as one of the greatest heists in the franchise history. Just over two months into his tenure on January 19, 2017, the Reds sent right-handed starter Dan Straily to Miami for three minor leaguers.

At the time of the deal, it appeared as a pretty insignificant trade. Straily spent one season in the Queen City after being claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres on April 1, 2016. However, he was excellent during his brief time as a Redleg.

Posting an impressive 14-8 record with a 3.76 ERA in 34 games including 31 starts, Dan Straily was the best pitcher on a team that lost 94 games throughout a dismal 2016 Cincinnati Reds campaign.

Fortunately for the Reds, this had been the peak of Straily’s career. During that 2016 season, Straily posted career-best marks in victories, ERA, innings and ERA+. After arriving in South Beach, Straily pitched two seasons for the Marlins compiling a mediocre 15-15 record with 4.20 ERA.

There’s no way the Cincinnati Reds could have known what Luis Castillo would become, but sometimes you purchase a lottery ticket and you get lucky. Since making his debut in June of 2017, Castillo has won 32 games and earned an All-Star selection.

During his four seasons in Cincinnati, La Piedra has finished in the Top 10 in wins, fewest hits per nine innings, strikeouts twice and complete games. When the 2021 season starts, Luis Castillo will be 28-years old and under club control through the 2023 campaign.

Right-hander Austin Brice spent portions of two seasons in the Reds bullpen appearing in 55 games and tossing 70 innings while compiling a 5.40 ERA. Following the 2018 season, he was claimed off waiver by the Los Angeles Angels before eventually ending up back in Miami. This past season, Brice spent as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Outfield prospect Zeek White, a former third-round pick of the Miami Marlins, spent parts of three seasons in the Cincinnati organization, never playing above A-ball before being released by the Dayton Dragons in May of 2019.

In conclusion, the rebuild may have taken longer than anyone in Reds Country may have hope for, but in the end, Dick Williams did exactly what any shrewd front office hopes to accomplish. He constructed a roster that earned a trip to the postseason as well as supplying manager David Bell with the personnel capable of winning for years to come.