Pirates' outright waiver placement shouldn't tempt Reds despite offseason flirtation

The Cincinnati Reds have been ransacked by injuries this season. The year began with TJ Frield and Matt McLain on the injured list, and lately, the Reds have lost Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario.

To help offset the losses, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall has looked to waiver wire to make some shrewd, and somewhat questionable acquisitions. Cincinnati plucked Amed Rosario off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and then signed Dominic Smith to the major league deal after he was let go by the Boston Red Sox.

But now another name has emerged, and it was one the Reds actually flirted with this offseason. Michael A. Taylor has been placed on outright waivers by the the Pittsburgh Pirates, and while the Reds had interest in Taylor during the winter, adding him at this point would make little-to-no sense.

Pirates' outright waiver placement shouldn't tempt Reds despite offseason flirtation

For those unaware, trades can no longer be made at this point in the season. The MLB trade deadline has came and went. But there are still ways for teams to make additions and subtractions, and one of those ways includes placing a player on outright waivers.

What that means is that the other 29 teams now the ability to submit a claim and assume responsibly for the remainder of Taylor's contract. Claiming priority is based on a team's winning percentage, so the team with the worst win-loss record has the best chance of securing the player. There aren't many ball clubs that are going to beat the Reds in that category.

Reds fans will remember that this was the process that brought Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader to Cincinnati last season. The Los Angeles Angels were purging their roster, which allowed Cincinnati to claim Renfroe, and the Reds acquired Bader after the New York Yankees placed the former Gold Glove Award-winner on outright waivers.

But even though Cincinnati is now without Fraley, Candelario, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, it would be a fool's errand to bring Taylor into the fold. A terrific defender, Taylor is hitting .196/.257/.284 on the season and he'll be a free agent heading into the offseason. This is one of the potential transactions that should just be left alone.

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