Reds: Nick Senzel’s delayed return may impact potential trade deals

If there’s one position of strength this year’s Cincinnati Reds team has, it’s center field. However, news broke yesterday that Nick Senzel‘s return to the lineup will be delayed, and that will certainly impact what Cincinnati may do at the trade deadline.

If it wasn’t for bad luck, Senzel would have no luck at all. Bell told reporters yesterday, via MLB.com, that while he’d hoped the Reds centerfielder would return following the All-Star break, it seems as though late-July is a more realistic timeline for the 25-year-old.

Nick Senzel’s delayed return will impact the Reds plans at the trade deadline.

With Nick Senzel not returning until late-July at the earliest, the Cincinnati Reds may have to rethink their strategy for the upcoming July 30th trade deadline. Not that Senzel was likely to be part of any sort of trade discussions, but players like Tyler Naquin and Aristides Aquino may have been.

Now, however, it seems unlikely that Cincinnati will want to entertain any trades for Naquin or Aquino. That duo gives David Bell left-handed and right-handed hitting options in center field, and both are adequate defenders in the middle of the outfield.

The Reds do have Shogo Akiyama as well, so that may give Cincinnati an opportunity to entertain trade offers for one of their outfielders. But to this point, it seems that Shogo is little more than a late-inning defensive replacement. The team also has Scott Heineman, but the former Rangers’ prospect is incredibly strikeout prone.

Look for the Reds to keep their compliment of outfielders at the trade deadline.

Provided the Cincinnati Reds are still in contention for the NL Central Division crown, I’d expect little movement from the front office in terms of selling off the team’s outfield assets. Obviously, Jesse Winker is staying put, and while Nick Castellanos is certainly a trade candidate if Cincinnati falls out of contention, the smart money is on the Reds keeping the 29-year-old in right field.

Naquin is the perfect trade candidate given Cincinnati’s plethora of outfielders, but if Nick Senzel isn’t back in the lineup on a consistent basis until late-July or even early-August, there’s no way the Redlegs can move on from one of their more productive hitters.

Naquin could net the Cincinnati Reds some bullpen help, as the former Cleveland Indians’ outfielder has been an RBI-machine this season. But with so many uncertainties surrounding Senzel’s health, it seems unlikely that Nick Krall and the front office will take that risk. Look for the Cincinnati outfield to remain intact at the deadline.