Once prized Reds trade pickup now finds himself on non-tender watch

The Cincinnati Reds' performance at the 2025 trade deadline can probably be best described as "satisfactory", as they brought in red-hot slugger Miguel Andujar and slick-fielding third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, though they didn't cash in on any blockbuster talent like some fans were hoping.

Roll the clock back a few years, though, and you'll get harrowing reminders about one of the worst trade deadline performances in recent history. The 2023 Reds, sitting in first place in the NL Central on the day of the trade deadline, executed just one marginal move as they attempted to fend off the Brewers for the division crown.

That move was the acquisition of left-handed reliever Sam Moll, who, in all fairness, filled a huge hole in the bullpen next to Alex Young, who was the only southpaw reliever on the team at the time. Of course, Reds fans remember how that season ended, as Cincinnati went from 58-49 to 82-20 while finishing behind both the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers in the division and multiple games out of the Wild Card race.

Sam Moll's demotion to minor leagues likely ends his time with Reds

Moll was tremendous in the second half of that campaign, though he's tailed off badly since. And now, amidst the Reds' September roster shuffling, he has been optioned to the minors, potentially putting an unceremonious bow on his tenure in the Queen City.

As mentioned above, Moll really did exceed all expectations in that 2023 campaign after coming over in a trade from the then-Oakland Athletics. The southpaw allowed just two earned runs in 24 ⅔ innings, accruing a whopping (for a reliever) 1.4 bWAR that led the bullpen during that stretch. He became the primary lefty for manager David Bell, even beating out Young, who was also having a strong season at the time.

Unfortunately, Moll hasn't been the same since. He was good when healthy last year, pitching to a 3.35 ERA in 37⅔ innings as one of the primary lefties out of the bullpen. However, his season came to a premature end when he suffered a left shoulder impingement injury, which carried over into the beginning of this season.

Moll really couldn't get off the ground in 2025, as he logged a 6.38 ERA in just 18⅓ innings, failing to ever earn the trust of new manager Terry Francona. The team finally decided it had seen enough when rosters expanded earlier this month, sending Moll down in a series of roster moves aimed at strengthening the pitching staff's depth for the final month of the campaign.

At 33 years old (34 by Opening Day next year), Moll's time with the Reds may be over. He does have two years of team control left via arbitration -- and he was quite cheap this season, with a salary that barely exceeded $1 million -- but odds are that the Reds will non-tender him and clear his 40-man roster spot before the hot stove really gets revved up.

It's a difficult end to a once-promising career, but Moll could always catch on elsewhere, likely on a minor league deal. And at least Reds fans will always have memories of his dominant two-month stretch in 2023 to reflect on.

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