Gavin Lux trade exposed a Reds weakness that has an obvious fix

The Cincinnati Reds didn’t just trade Gavin Lux. They traded away a safety net — and in doing so, they made one roster weakness impossible to ignore.

Second base is suddenly a “don’t blink” situation. Don’t be mistaken, Matt McLain is still the guy. When he’s on the field, he’s a tone-setter. But the moment you start talking about the depth behind McLain, the Reds’ middle-infield plan starts to feel less like depth and more like vibes.

With Lux gone, the Reds are left staring at a thin list of realistic options. Edwin Arroyo is talented, but he hasn’t played above the minors. Counting on him to cover real big-league innings in a season that matters is the kind of optimism that tends to turn into regret.

Sal Stewart has the bat to make you dream, but second base isn’t exactly where you want to experiment defensively when games tighten up. Spencer Steer can stand there in a pinch, but asking him to be your “solution” at second is like using duct tape because you don’t feel like buying the part.

Reds’ Lux trade leaves an uncomfortable question behind Matt McLain

This is the cost of the Lux trade. It didn’t create a new hole, it exposed one that was already there. He was the emergency exit. Now the Reds look like they are banking on never needing one. That’s why Luis Arraez feels like the most obvious fix Cincinnati could possibly make — especially the longer he sits on the market.

Arraez is basically a walking endorsement of the Reds’ preferred offensive identity. The kind of hitter who turns “contact-first” from a buzzword into an actual advantage. This team doesn’t need more three-true-outcomes chaos. It needs hitters who move the line, keep innings alive, and punish pitchers for living in the zone. That’s Arraez.

In 2025, he ran a 95.8% zone-contact rate with a ridiculous 5.3% whiff rate, and even when he chases, he’s still putting the ball in play — a 92.3% chase-contact rate (MLB average chase contact is 58%).  And if you want the “this dude is unfair” stat: FanGraphs pegged his out-of-zone contact rate at 95.9% in 2025, compared to a league average around 55.3% — which is basically him operating under different laws of physics.  

And there’s another reason this fit keeps getting louder: Cincinnati’s roster already has plenty of players who can do loud things. The Reds are full of athletes and power pockets. Arraez changes the texture of that kind of lineup. He forces opponents to actually earn outs. 

Now, the obvious counter is defense. Arraez isn’t winning anybody a Gold Glove. If you’re looking for a clean, crisp, “set it and forget it” second baseman with range for days, you’re shopping in a different aisle. And if we’re being honest, the Reds have shown they’re willing to live with defensive adventure at times, especially if they believe the bat carries enough weight.

After moving Lux, Cincinnati doesn’t have the luxury of being picky about how the fix looks. Because right now, the second-base plan is basically: McLain stays healthy and nobody gets exposed. The Reds can’t afford to be casual about second base anymore. They either add a legitimate option, or they spend the season one awkward step away from finding out what “no depth” really means. And if Arraez is available? That’s the obvious fix staring them in the face.