3 players the Reds could target in trade talks with the Rays

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While few if any fans expect the Cincinnati Reds to be active in free agency this offseason, there is a chance that the club could look to improve by swinging a couple trades this winter.

The Reds are rumored to be in trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays, and sources claim that pitching is the team's primary focus. That's certainly an area Cincinnati will be looking to improve after last year's 100-loss performance.

The Rays are in a roster crunch. The team has 16 players up for arbitration along with several young prospects who'll need to be added to the 40-man roster. Who are three Tampa Bay players the Reds could target in a trade?

1. The Reds could target Rays RHP Yonny Chirinos in a trade.

Yonny Chirinos pitched in just seven innings during the 2022 season. The Tampa Bay Rays' right-hander has been on the mend since the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and suffering a fractured elbow over the past few years.

But Chirinos' stuff is sill pretty filthy. Before the injuries derailed what looked to be a very promising major league career, Chirinos owned a 3.65 ERA and 117 ERA+ while appearing in 47 games, 28 of which were starts.

After dealing with so many injuries over the past few seasons, it would be interesting to see if Chirinos is still viewed as a starter, or if his role would be that of a reliever with the intention of giving his arm some rest.

Chirinos, according to MLB Trade Rumors, is scheduled to take home about $1.6M via arbitration in 2023 and the right-hander would not become a free agent until after the 2024 season.

Trading for a pitcher like Yonny Chirinos would be very similar to the acquisition of Luis Cessa that the Cincinnati Reds made in the summer of 2021. Chirinos, like Cessa, has two years of team control remaining and could act as a swingman. If the latest Reds rumors are accurate, Chirinos should be atop the list of targets for Nick Krall and the Cincinnati front office.

2. The Reds could target Rays LHP Ryan Yarbrough in a trade.

Another pitcher the Cincinnati Reds could target is left-hander Ryan Yarbrough. The Tampa Bay Rays used Yarbrough as a swingman in 2022 with the southpaw starting nine of the 20 games in which he appeared.

Yarbrough went 2-8 with a 4.50 ERA, and while his strikeout numbers are not impressive, the one thing the 30-year-old does well is keep the bases clear. Yarbrough issued just 22 free passes in 80 innings of work last season which equates to a 6.2% walk-rate and 2.48 BB/9 according to FanGraphs.

Cincinnati would seem to be desperate for left-hander help, especially out of the bullpen. Entering the offseason, Reiver Sanmartin would appear to be the team's only southpaw among the relief corps. The Reds have Nick Lodolo on the 40-man roster, and are about to add Brandon Williamson as well, but both 6-foot-6 hurlers project as starting pitchers in the big leagues.

Ryan Yarbrough's splits are about what you'd expect from a left-handed specialist. Yarbrough allowed lefties to hit just .159 compared to his .308 batting average allowed versus right-handed batters. Yarbrough's strikeout-rate ticked up to 25.0% versus left-handed hitters and a K/9 of 9.00.

The Cincinnati Reds need another left-handed reliever in the bullpen, and Yarbrough fits that bill. The former fourth-round pick is under team control for two more seasons. While his projected arbitration figure is a bit high ($4.2M), the Reds can definitely afford it given that only Mike Moustakas and Joey Votto are under contract for next season.

3. The Reds could target Rays RHP Shawn Armstrong in a trade.

Shawn Armstrong pitched very well for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022. After previously pitching for the then-Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles, Armstrong began last season with the Miami Marlins but was let go about a month later and picked up by Tampa Bay.

After being added to the Rays' 40-man roster at the end of May, the right-hander put up some terrific numbers coming out of the Tampa Bay bullpen. Armstrong recorded 61 punch outs in 55 innings of work and owned a 3.60 ERA.

Armstrong is a bit long in the tooth at 32 years of age, but still has two years of team control remaining. However, Armstrong is out of minor league options and is owed a raise through arbitration this offseason, so there's obvious risk that would come by adding a reliever whose career-fWAR is just 0.5.

Still, Cincinnati is desperate for relief help, and one would have to think that a veteran pitcher like Shawn Armstrong would offer better than what the Reds received from Hunter Strickland in 2022.

The Cincinnati Reds will be looking to find ways to improve the ball club his offseason through trades and minor league contracts. The 2023 season is about building for the future, so any addition the Reds front office may look to make should include the ability to keep that player on the roster through at least 2024.

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