3 realities Reds fans need to accept & 1 fantasy that may yet come true

In world now filled with virtual reality and artificial intelligence, it can be difficult to ascertain the difference between what's real and what's fake.

Well, Reds Country is not living in a dream world. In fact, the Cincinnati Reds are actually in contention for the NL Central Division crown despite the fact that the team lost 100 games last season. This year's team is actually showing signs of life and may make a playoff as the year goes along.

However, while some realities are encouraging for the Cincinnati fanbase, others are not. Let's look at three realities that Reds fans need to accept and one fantasy that may yet come true.

Reality that fans need to accept: The Reds won't make a splash at the trade deadline.

Will the Cincinnati Reds make a deal or two at this year's trade deadline? I feel confident in saying, yes. Will it, in any way, greatly affect the direction of the franchise moving forward? That seems much more unlikely.

While many Reds fans are bemoaning Cincinnati's starting rotation, it's hard to see the front office swinging for the fences and landing a big name at this year's trade deadline.

Who are those big names? Pitchers like Lucas Giolito (Chicago White Sox) and Shane Bieber (Cleveland Guardians) have been suggested. Even top-flight starters like Max Scherzer (New York Mets) and Dylan Cease (Chicago White Sox) may be had for the right price this summer.

But that's just not the way the Reds front office is likely to approach the trade deadline this year. While Nick Krall may actually be looking to buy rather than sell, any additions the Reds GM will be looking to make will not wreck the farm system he's been working to build over the past 18 months.

Those aforementioned players will carry a heavy price tag; one that Krall and the Cincinnati front office will be unwilling to meet. According to Krall, via MLB.com, current trade talks "are in places that we don’t want to go."

With Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Tejay Antone, Vladimir Gutierrez, and Justin Dunn all expected to be back with the team later this summer, the Cincinnati Reds may be relatively quiet at this year's trade deadline.

Reality that fans need to accept: The Reds will keep 3 catchers all season.

This has been a topic that has been discussed ad nauseam, but it's one that fans of the Cincinnati Reds need to come to grips with. Barring injury, the Reds will continue to carry three catchers on the active roster for the remainder of the 2023 season.

While some Reds fans hate this concept, there is merit to it. The team brought in Curt Casali and Luke Maile during the offseason in order to givr Tyler Stephenson a break from catching on a regular basis. After three separate stints on the IL a year ago, I'd say that was a solid plan.

The problem is, for every thing that one catcher does well, the other two fall short. You could argue that Maile plays the defense and has the best arm to keep the run game in check, while Casali calls the best game, and Stephenson has the best bat.

Unfortunately, the Reds can't package Maile's arm, Casali's feel for the game, and Stephenson's bat into one player. So you can see the conundrum that David Bell faces on a nightly basis.

The reality is that if there was one catcher who should no longer be on the roster, it's probably Tyler Stephenson. While his bat is his carry tool, it hasn't shown up all that often in 2023. Neither Luke Maile nor Curt Casali have any minor league options remaining, so if the Reds wanted to clear a roster spot, they'd likely lose one of those two backstops to a waiver claim.

Whether Reds fans agree with the decision to keep three catchers or not is irrelevant. It seems as though this experiment, flawed as it might be, will continue for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Reality that fans need to accept: Christian Encarnacion-Strand will not join the Reds until September.

Oh boy! This one is going to be tough to swallow, but Reds Country should brace for this reality. In fact, the Reds insistence on carrying three catchers is the biggest obstacle to Christian Encarnacion-Strand making his big league debut.

Now, of course, if a player like Joey Votto was to suffer an injury that would keep him sidelined for a couple months, then yes, Encarnacion-Strand would likely get the call. But unless that happens, Reds fans will have to wait until September to see Encarnacion-Strand in a Cincinnati uniform.

The problem is the way the Reds roster is currently constructed. Yes, of course, you could option a player like Kevin Newman, Nick Senzel, or Will Benson to the minor leagues in order to get Christian Encarnacion-Strand's bat into the lineup.

But those three Reds players that were just mentioned are currently platoon players. Newman and Senzel rarely see action unless a left-hander is on the bump, and Benson only starts against right-handed pitchers.

If the Cincinnati Reds are going to commit to Encarnacion-Strand, he'd have to be an everyday player. With Votto, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, and Tyler Stephenson all occupying current spots that Encarnacion-Strand would play, it's just not in the cards for the 23-year-old at the moment.

The Reds appeared to have abandoned the idea of giving Christian Encarnacion-Strand a spot in the outfield. After two starts there a couple weeks ago, Cincinnati has already pulled the plug on that experiment.