Cam Collier’s breakout is bad news for rival GMs at the trade deadline

For any rival GM picking up the phone to talk trade with the Cincinnati Reds this July, let this serve as a friendly warning: don’t bother asking about Cam Collier. Seriously — don’t even let his name escape your lips. If you do, you might hear a click before your sentence ends.

Collier has gone from being a promising first-round pick to a bonafide future star in just a matter of months — and the Reds are very aware of it. His 2025 campaign has done more than boost his stock; it has placed him squarely in the “untouchable” category within Cincinnati’s farm system.

Any thought of the Reds parting ways with him in a deadline deal should be dismissed immediately. In fact, Collier’s meteoric rise might be the single biggest reason why Cincinnati can feel secure about its long-term core — even as the team looks to contend right now.

Surging Reds prospect Cam Collier is off the table in any MLB trade deadline deal

After a strong showing in 2024 with High‑A Dayton (.248/.355/.443, 20 HR, 74 RBI), Collier was already gaining attention. He closed out last season being names to the Midwest League’s All-Star team and capped it off by taking home MVP honors at the Futures Game. That performance alone would’ve put him on every GM’s radar. But 2025 is the year he’s forced everyone in baseball to take him seriously.

Despite undergoing UCL thumb surgery in March and missing the early part of the season, Collier returned with a vengeance. In just 11 games back with High‑A Daytona, he went 12-for-41 with a .293 average and a .370 on-base percentage. Across 101 plate appearances in 2025, he slashed .366/.480/.515, showcasing elite contact, patience, and gap-to-gap power at just 20 years old.

And his reward after his High-A performance? A fast-track promotion to Double-A Chattanooga, where he’s already showing signs of fitting right in.

Collier’s success is no flash in the pan. Scouts have long drooled over his 60-grade power. Now, he’s putting it all together entering the upper levels of the minors. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the Reds’ No. 4 prospect (No. 68 overall), and if you ask anyone in the Reds' front office, he’s likely higher on their internal board.

And here’s why that matters. The Reds are in a complicated position. They’re entering a window where they could win now, but they also have one of baseball’s deepest farm systems. Teams will come calling, trying to pry away some of that young talent in exchange for proven big-league pieces. And while some of those calls may turn into deals, Collier won’t be one of them.

He's the kind of talent you build around — not the kind you flip for a rental. His rise couldn’t come at a better time for Cincinnati. With uncertainty surrounding infield production and the need for controllable, middle-of-the-order bats, Collier provides the kind of internal solution that championship-caliber organizations covet.

So when rival teams start circling the Reds’ pipeline at the trade deadline, they’re welcome to browse. But Collier? He’s off-limits. And if you ask for him, don’t be surprised when you get the dial tone.

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