Reds: 3 players Cincinnati must find trade partners for this offseason

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 10: Nick Senzel #15 of the Cincinnati Reds gets ready in the batters box. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

The Reds need to find some way to offload these three players this winter.

While the Cincinnati Reds still hold out hope for an epic collapse on the part of the St. Louis Cardinals over the final two weeks of the season, it looks more and more like our beloved Redlegs are going to miss out on the postseason.

The 2021 season will be remembered for the Reds’ dismal performance down the stretch, but there have been some bright spots as well. By almost any measure, Cincinnati exceeded expectations this season despite dealing with constant injuries to some of their top players and having one of the worst bullpens in baseball.

After seeing the success of rookies like Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson, along with the emergence of Jesse Winker and the resurgence of Joey Votto, the 2022 season could provide similar intrigue to that fans experienced this season.

With all that said, we’re likely to see some changes next season. While David Bell and his coaching staff will return, there are several players who will likely have new homes in 2022. Some contracts and players can be difficult to trade, but Nick Krall and the Cincinnati Reds front office must find a way to deal these three players during the offseason.

1. Nick Senzel, Reds centerfielder

If it wasn’t for bad luck, Nick Senzel would have no luck at all. Senzel hasn’t played a game in the major leagues since mid-May, and this is after missing half the abbreviated 2020 season and landing on the IL to close out his rookie campaign in 2019.

Since his arrival in the big leagues, I’ve been effusive in my praise of the former University of Tennessee infielder. Senzel has all the talent you look for in a cornerstone for your franchise. The former first-round pick can hit for average, hit for power, fields his position well, and has very good speed.

But, and this is a big but, Nick Senzel cannot stay healthy. While I’m not comparing Senzel to Ken Griffey Jr. by any stretch of the imagination, The Kid had the same problem during his time with the Reds. Griffey Jr. had phenomenal talent and is a Hall of Famer, but can you imagine the records he would’ve broken had he stayed healthy?

Th biggest question is what trade value does Nick Senzel have left? I tend to think Senzel still carries a considerable amount of trade value. While it’s not near what it would have been if he were dealt two or three years ago, a young, controllable, former first-rounder is bound to attract a fair amount of interest.

The fan in me hopes that Senzel remains in Cincinnati, but I think the more prudent move is for the Reds to move on from the former No. 2 overall pick and find a new centerfielder in 2022. Tyler Naquin filled in adequately in Senzel’s absence this season, and the team continues to have high hopes for Mike Siani down the road.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – AUGUST 22: Mike Moustakas #9 of the Cincinnati Reds runs to first. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. Mike Moustakas, Reds infielder

Moving on from Mike Moustakas this winter is crucial to the Cincinnati Reds roster construction heading into the 2022. Injuries have robbed Moose of playing time during his brief career in the Queen City, but the salary he’s owned has not matched the production on the field, and Nick Krall must find a trade partner for Moustakas this offseason.

Moose was the biggest free agent signing for Cincinnati prior to the 2020 season. The Reds brought in Moose with the idea of playing the veteran at second base. While that worked out okay during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the decision was made to move Moustakas back to his former home at third base.

Before the start of the 2021 season, David Bell shifted Moose back to third base, inserted Eugenio Suárez as the team’s starting shortstop, and started rookie infielder Jonathan India at second base. The idea, while flawed, got India’s bat into the starting lineup while keeping the big boppers (Moustakas and Suárez) in the lineup.

As it turned out, India flourished in his role at the keystone and will likely take home NL Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately, Suárez couldn’t handle the shift back to his original position and has put up horrible numbers at the plate this season. Mike Moustakas, meanwhile, struggled to stay healthy, landed on the IL multiple times, and slashed just .208/.282/.372.

Going into next season, the right side of the infield is set with India and Joey Votto. The left side of the infield, however, is a giant question mark. While it looks as if Jose Barrero will be given every opportunity to steal the starting shortstop job away from Kyle Farmer, the former Georgia Bulldog won’t give up that spot easily.

At third base, you have a bottleneck with the likes of Suárez, Moustakas, the aforementioned Farmer, and I’d even throw Max Schrock’s name in the mix. Cincinnati has too many players who can field the hot corner, and it would stand to reason that the front office should look to unload the least productive member of that group.

It just happens that the least productive third baseman is also the highest paid. Mike Moustakas is owed $16M next season and $18M in 2023 with a $20M club-option in 2024 that includes a $4M buyout. In short, Moustakas is signed to a two-year/$38M contract. Ouch!

Trading Mike Moustakas would be no small feat, and in order to do so, the Cincinnati Reds would likely have to sacrifice one or more top prospects in a potential deal and/ or send a good deal of cash to the team that takes on Moose’s contract. With the likely implementation of the universal DH, keeping Moustakas isn’t the end of the world, but it’d be great to offload his contract.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: Shogo Akiyama #4 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

3. Shogo Akiyama, Reds outfielder

Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out the way you planned. When the Cincinnati Reds made the decision to sign Shogo Akiyama to a three-year/$21M deal prior to the 2020 season, it looked like the makings of something great. Akiyama had performed very well for the Seibu Lions for years and was ready to make the leap to Major League Baseball.

The left-handed hitting outfielder has had a myriad of things go wrong since his contract signing. Akiyama, more than any other player on the Reds, was probably most affected by the absence of a true spring training and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Adjusting from Nippon Professional Baseball to the major leagues is no small feat, and it hasn’t worked out for Shogo Akiyama. Furthermore, Akiyama missed a great deal of time during spring training this year while dealing with a family emergency and a hamstring injury.

Akiyama has yet to show any power since coming state-side. Last season, according to Baseball Savant, Akiyama was in the bottom 5% of the league in average exit velocity and the bottom 2% in barrel-rate. The 33-year-old has yet to hit a home run in the big leagues and plays all his home games in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks.

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Shogo Akiyama plays above-average defense, but paying a rotational outfielder $8M next season is lunacy. Akiyama’s contract, much like Mike Moustakas’, will make it difficult for Cincinnati to find a buyer. However, the Reds cannot afford to allow Akiyama to take up a roster spot next season with so many young, talented players coming up through the minor leagues.

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The Reds need to find some way to offload these three players this winter.

1. Nick Senzel, Reds centerfielder

2. Mike Moustakas, Reds infielder

3. Shogo Akiyama, Reds outfielder

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