Nick Krall’s trade deadline comments will have Reds fans throwing up their hands

The Cincinnati Reds were three games above .500 mark heading into the 2025 All-Star break. That's not a terrible spot to be in, but it's left the front office staff in limbo. Are the Reds going to be buyers or sellers at this year's trade deadline? Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall doesn't seem to know which direction his club is headed, which has left fans confused.

Prior to the All-Star break, Krall said, “You’d always like to buy, no matter where you are. That’s the goal. Let’s see how we play over the next couple of weeks and where we are." It is always good to have the perspective of your team seeking to be buyers, but Krall had the same sentiment a month ago — and his position has not changed.

Krall later contradicted himself saying, “It’s depending on who is playing well and not playing well, who is injured or not injured, where you are record-wise. You’re always evaluating where you are and what you have.”

Nick Krall doesn't have a clear direction for Reds with trade deadline looming

Nick Martinez and Gavin Lux stand out as potential trade chips if the Reds decide to sell ahead of the deadline, but their recent decline has now suggested otherwise. But Cincinnati is only 2½ games back in the chase for the NL Wild Card and should be focused on buying, not selling. The Reds could benefit from adding a right fielder or a couple of relief arms at this year's trade deadline.

Impact players like Ryan O'Hearn (Baltimore Orioles), Steven Kwan (Cleveland Guardians), or Taylor Ward (Los Angeles Angels) — all of whom can play right field — would provide significant upside to the Reds' lineup, and potentially finding a trade package for any of them may be worth it. O'Hearn is an All-Star this year, Kwan owns a career 113 OPS+, and Ward has 46 home runs over the last year-and-a-half.

A few relievers who may be interesting upgrades are David Bednar (Pittsburgh Pirates), Kyle Finnegan (Washington Nationals), and Pete Fairbanks (Tampa Bay Rays). Bednar's 2.75 ERA hints that he has returned from a dreadful season in 2024, Finnegan can work multiple roles, and Fairbanks has gone scoreless in 31 of his 37 appearances this season.

All of these players are available for trade, but in order for the Reds to make it happen, Krall and Co. must have a definitive plan of what they want to do. The waiting game on injured players, and others performing well, is over. You're either in on this season, or you're out.

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