Nick Krall's blunt assessment of Reds' deadline plans comes with one important silver lining

After squeaking into the playoffs last season, the Cincinnati Reds had their sights set not only on getting back to October but also doing damage once they got there. At first, things seemed to be trending towards achieving that goal. The Reds began the year with a 20-11 record, but since May 1, the club has been scuffling.

That's led to some questions about whether or not the Reds will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Cincinnati sits in last place in the NL Central, but the club is still within striking distance.

According to Nick Krall, the answer to what the Reds will do at the deadline is basically, "who knows." The Reds' president of baseball operations told reporters, "We’re trying to keep our heads above water right now. We’ve had some pitching injuries. Obviously, it’s trying to get some of those guys back. But at the same time, you have a lot of good teams in this league.

“If we can keep our heads above water, we have a shot to hang in there. You’re going to have to take some more time before we can figure out exactly who we are and what we can do.”

The Reds have suffered a ton of key injuries. Hunter Greene went down early in spring training. Eugenio Suarez missed a month and hasn't hit like himself when healthy. Emilio Pagan has already missed significant time and will miss even more. The most devastating has been losing Elly De La Cruz, who was off to an MVP-caliber start.

The Reds just need to tread water until the cavalry comes off the IL

The good news is that the Reds haven't fallen too far out of things for their luck to change. The trend around the MLB this year is that there is a tremendous amount of teams stuck in the middle ground, Cincinnati included, that the postseason is still in reach.

Where the Reds differ is the impact injuries have had, but also what those returns will mean. Hunter Greene has begun bullpen sessions and is still on track to be a quasi-trade-deadline addition when he comes off the IL in July.

Rhett Lowder is on the verge of a return, and if all goes well, De La Cruz should be back this month. Additions like those will certainly help the club do more than just tread water for the time being.

One area that absolutely needs to be addressed if the Reds want to compete is the bullpen. The unit's hot start has proven to be fool's gold and has set the scene for the team turning wins into losses and missing the playoffs altogether.

Once back at full strength, outside of adding a couple solid high-leverage relievers, Cincinnati won't need much once the roster is back at full strength. The key is getting to the point where the IL returns will drive the club's fortune forward towards the promised land. To that end, staying afloat over the next few weeks is key.

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