It was well past time for Amir Garrett and the Reds to part ways

On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds traded Amir Garrett to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed starter Mike Minor and cash considerations. While the trade itself may be perceived as curious or odd, it was time for the Reds and AG to part ways.

Honestly, I thought the Reds would have been in the right to non-tender Garrett last December. The 29-year-old endured a horrible 2021 season, and while the southpaw was hopeful to bounce back in 2022, Cincinnati's front office saw things differently.

It was time for the Reds and Amir Garrett to part ways.

Amir Garrett wanted to bring entertainment to Great American Ball Park. The brash, outspoken reliever was always good for a sound bite and after the Cincinnati Reds traded Raisel Iglesias prior to the 2021 season, it looked as though AG was going to ascend to being the team's closer.

Garrett told anybody who would listen that he was ready to be counted on in the ninth inning, but as it turns out, he wasn't. Garrett was a train wreck last season. The left-hander made 63 appearances but only lasted 47.2 innings and posted 6.04 ERA and 13.5% walk-rate.

AG's constant bickering over the years with former Chicago Cubs' shortstop Javier Baez and charging the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout during the 2019 season were mildly amusing, but hurt his team and are probably actions he ultimately regrets.

In spite of all Garrett's shortcomings last season, he was due a raise. After cashing in on $1.5M in his first season of arbitration last winter, AG is estimated, by MLB Trade Rumors, to take home $2.2M this season and will eligible for arbitration once more in 2023.

Swapping Amir Garrett for Mike Minor is curious to say the least, but moving on from the lefty has been something the Cincinnati Reds needed to do for some time now. Javier Baez is now a member of the Detroit Tigers, so I'm sure baseball fans have not seen the last of El Mago's battles with AG.