3 nightmare scenarios for the Reds at 2025 trade deadline

The Cincinnati Reds enter the final days of July with some major question marks. The Reds are in the thick of the playoff hunt, but have been hovering around .500 all season. The teams ahead of them in the standings — New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants — will surely be buyers at the deadline, and Cincinnati will need to look for upgrades as well if they hope to keep pace and eventually overtatke them.

While many Reds fans are hopeful that president of baseball operations Nick Krall and GM Brad Meador will add before July 31, the next week's worth of games could go a long way toward determining the organization's direction at the MLB trade deadline.

There is, of course, the dreaded nightmare scenarios that exist at the deadline. For the Reds, there are three unspeakable paths Cincinnati could take before the trade deadline passes. What are they and will any of them come to fruition in the coming days?

3 nightmare scenarios for the Reds at 2025 trade deadline

The Reds mortgage the future for a two-month rental like Eugenio Suárez

The Reds have recently been linked to Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez. The former Reds third baseman is a fan-favorite and would be a welcome addition to the roster for the final two months of the 2025 season. But the Reds can't afford to sell off some of their top prospects in order to trade for Suárez.

The D-backs are known to be targeting young, controllable pitching at the deadline, but the Reds can't put either of Chase Burns or Rhett Lowder on the trade block for a rental like Suárez. Perhaps Chase Petty could be deemed expendable, but even that is a risky move. Cincinnati needs to think long and hard about what they're willing to give up for a 34-year-old infielder — or any short-term solution.

The Reds give up on the 2025 season and sell off all their assets

Another nightmare scenario for Reds fans would be a total teardown at the trade deadline. The Reds are in the playoff mix at the moment, but if the team falters and loses 2-of-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend and 2-of-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, there's a chance Cincinnati could sell off some of their top assets before July 31.

Players like Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, and Tyler Stephenson could fetch quite the return at the trade deadline, but the Reds would be, in effect, giving up on the 2025 season. The Reds didn't hire Terry Francona to become sellers at the trade deadline. Doing so would undermine everything Cincinnati did this past offseason.

The Reds stand pat and do absolutely nothing

This is easily the worst of the three nightmare scenarios for the Reds — to do absolutely nothing at the MLB trade deadline. Unfortunately, fans have seen this song and dance before, and while the idea of selling ahead of July 31 will make most of Reds Country nauseous, anything is better than just sitting on your hands at the deadline.

The Reds have a generational superstar in Elly De La Cruz, a Hall of Fame manager in Francona, and (when healthy) a top-10 starting rotation. The Reds need to push in their chips and attempt to win this season, or punt and focus on 2026. Doing nothing is unacceptable.

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