3 trade deadline disasters that prove the Reds were right to stand pat

The Cincinnati Reds were rather passive at this year's trade deadline. While many fans throughout Reds Country wanted to see their team make a big splash before the August 1st deadline, the only addition Cincinnati made was that of former Oakland A's reliever Sam Moll.

Of course the trade rumors were floating around, and fans heard names like Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, and even Justin Verlander. But in the end, the Reds stood pat at the MLB trade deadline.

And while there are a handful of examples to point to that involve players having success with their new squad, there are just as many examples of those trades that didn't work out. Which three trade deadline disasters proved that the Reds were right to stand pat?

1. Reds avoided disaster by not making a trade deadline deal for Rich Hill.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were always unlikely to swing a trade with the Cincinnati Reds. It's very unusual to see interdivisional opponents swap players. That said, the Reds and Pirates made a trade this offseason that brought Kevin Newman to Cincinnati.

Rich Hill would've offered the Reds something they've been missing of late - length from their starting pitching. Or so they would have thought. Prior to a trade that sent Hill to the San Diego Padres, the left-hander had already accumulated 119 innings of work.

But since landing in southern California, the 43-year-old has not lasted very long. Hill has gone five innings or more only once since the trade, and has also made an appearance out of the bullpen. In 18 innings or work, Hill has an 8.50 ERA with 23 hits allowed.

Hill, along with Ji Man Coi, was traded to the Padres in exchange for left-hander Jackson Wolf, outfielder Estuar Suero and infielder Alfonso Rivas. Wolf was one of the Friars' Top 20 prospects at the time of the trade.

Seeing how quickly the Reds starting rotation has fallen apart of late, perhaps some of the Cincinnati faithful would still have pulled the trigger on a trade involving Rich Hill. But with the Pirates also sending Ji Man Choi along for the ride, it was unlikely that Cincinnati could have pulled off such a trade anyway.

2. Reds avoided disaster by not making a trade deadline deal for Jack Flaherty.

Jack Flaherty, just like Rich Hill, was on a division rival prior to the trade deadline. A long time member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Flaherty was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles early last month and things looked really good during his first start.

The 27-year-old struck out eight batters in six innings during his Baltimore debut and allowed just one run on four hits. Did the Reds make a mistake not upping the ante in order to land the one-time Cardinals' ace?

No, not really. While Flaherty pitched well during his first game with the O's, it's been tough sledding of late. In the four games since his August 3rd start against the Toronto Blue Jays, Flaherty has gone more than five innings just once and owns an 8.35 ERA and 6.15 FIP in 18.1 innings pitched.

Flaherty has allowed the opposition to absolutely cut loose over his last four appearances. Opposing batters are hammering Flaherty to the tune of a .296 batting average against and an OPS-against of .939. Flaherty has also watched five balls leave the yard, allowing 17 runs in just over 18 innings.

So what did Baltimore give up in order to snag Flaherty for the final two months of the season? Infield prospect Cesar Prieto, and pitchers Drew Rom and Zack Showalter were dealt to St. Louis. Prieto and Showalter are both now ranked among the Top 20 prospects in the Cardinals farm system according to MLB Pipeline.