3 trades the Reds now desperately need to make after Dodgers exposed key flaws

More times than not, the Cincinnati Reds front office has approached the MLB trade deadline with a rather passive and somewhat conservative attitude. Nick Krall and his team oftentimes worry about mortgaging the future for the present, and instead of going all-in, prefer to add around the edges.

But the Reds didn't hire Terry Francona to just sit on the sidelines when October rolls around. The Reds, despite losing two winnable games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, are still in the hunt for the final NL Wild Card spot and are just three games back of the San Diego Padres.

The Reds can't just on their hands at the MLB trade deadline. The Reds' sobering loss to the Dodgers revealed exactly what moves Krall and Co. need to make before Thursday's deadline passes. What three deals do the Reds need to make with the deadline a little over 24 hours away?

3 trades the Reds now desperately need after Dodgers exposed key flaws

Reds should trade for left-handed Twins reliever Danny Coulombe

The Reds don't have a high-leverage lefty to deploy late in games, and that was never more evident than when Francona decided to roll the dice with Graham Ashcraft in the seventh inning with Freddie Freeman in the batters' box. With the Reds leading 4-3 and two outs in the seventh inning, Ashcraft left a cutter up in the zone, and Freeman's RBI single knotted the score at 4-4.

Granted their was some bad defense that contributed to the extended inning — we'll address that in a minute — but obviously Francona was more comfortable with Ashcraft than he was turning to one of his three lefties. That's a problem, but one that could be solved by securing Danny Coulombe who owns a 1.16 ERA and shouldn't cost an arm and a leg in return.

Reds should trade for defensive-minded Nationals outfielder Alex Call

Francona went to his bench early against the Dodgers on Tuesday night, and it cost him big-time. Santiago Espinal entered the game for Jake Fraley in the fifth inning, and then Connor Joe replaced Noelvi Marte in the seventh. Espinal and Joe then accounted for three at-bats which would've otherwise gone to Fraley and Marte — both of whom homered on Tuesday night.

The Reds also received a heinous defensive performance from Gavin Lux in left field. One could argue that his poor defensive play cost the Reds both the tying and winning runs. Trading for Washington Nationals outfielder Alex Call could solve the Reds' woes. It would give Cincinnati a reliable right-handed bat (.314/.359/.443 slash line against left-handers) and an above-average fielder (8 career defensive runs saved and 10 outs above average).

Reds should trade for slugging Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez

The Reds don't have enough power in the lineup. While both Fraley and Marte went deep on Tuesday night, the Reds rank 20th in the league in home runs (111) while playing half their games in the most homer-friendly ballpark. Spencer Steer and Matt McLain have both produced below expectations, and the Reds need to add a bopper at the deadline.

A reunion with Eugenio Suárez would prove to the Reds fanbase that Cincinnati's front office believes in this year's team. Geno has been linked to the Reds for quite some time, and while the price tag is said to be high, Cincinnati needs to do something to bolster the middle of their lineup heading into the final two months of the season.

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