3 Reds trade deadline targets failing with their new teams

2 of 3

Here we are with about two weeks left in the season, in the midst of a playoff push, and there are some who still want to criticize the Cincinnati Reds front office for failing to add a starter at this year's trade deadline.

Now, it's not that the idea of adding a starter before August 1st was a bad one. It sounded very much like the Reds actually tried to pull off a trade. But ultimately, nothing materialized.

However, just because a certain team picked up a starting pitcher at the trade deadline (and paid a hefty price, I might add) doesn't necessarily mean that things worked out the way the exectutives and fanbases thought it would. Here are three examples of trade deadline targets that are failing with their new teams.

1. Reds trade target Lance Lynn is failing with his new team.

I will wholeheartedly admit that prior to the trade deadline, I thought adding former Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn was a good idea. And, to a certain extent, it would have been. At the very least, you know that Lynn was going to give six more innings every fifth day.

However, if you're giving up home runs at the rate that Lynn has since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, it doesn't matter how many innings the Cincinnati Reds would've gotten. Lynn has allowed 13 homers in eight games with LA, including seven in his last three starts.

Furthermore, Lynn is getting the strikeouts that he was earlier in the season with Chicago. When he was with the White Sox, Lynn was striking out 10.8 batters per nine innings pitched. Since joining the Dodgers, that number has dropped to 5.9.

Lance Lynn's ERA since joining Los Angeles isn't awful at 4.60, but his 6.43 FIP suggests that the right-hander has been more lucky than good. The Reds were rumored to be scouting the White Sox pitchers before the deadline, and one can assume that Lynn was drawing some interest from Cincinnati earlier this summer.

2. Reds trade target Lucas Giolito is failing with his new team.

There is no way the Cincinnati Reds would have passed on the opportunity to add Lucas Giolito at the waiver deadine if they had the chance - thank you, Cleveland Guardians. Giolito was a hot name around Reds Country before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels.

The Halos paid a pretty penny to secure Giolito's services earlier this summer, and they're certainly paying for that now. Wel, actually Cleveland is footing the bill, but you get the picture. After posting a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts with the Chicago White Sox this season, Giolito's numbers have tanked since being traded, and eventually, plucked off waivers.

In six starts with Los Angeles, Giolito went 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA and allowed an absurb 2.8 home runs per nine innings pitched. Even worse was the 15 walks in 32.2 innings of work. The Halos were robbed blind.

But it gets worse. Despite how poorly Lucas Giolito pitched, the Cleveland Guardians volunteered to take the right-hander on after he was waived by LA. In three starts with his new club, Giolito has allowed four walks and 13 earned runs on 13 hits including six home runs.

Giolito's late-season performance will undoubtedly affect his payday this offseason. The right-hander will become a free agent this winter, but teams are going to think twice after watching the 29-year-old over the last several weeks. Again, thank you Cleveland.

3. Reds trade target Michael Lorenzen is failing with his new team.

Now this one might surprise some people. Most baseball fans have this image of Michael Lorenzen celebrating on the mound with his new Philadelphia Phillies teammates after tossing a no-hitter in his first game in front of the home fans at Citizen's Bank Park.

Now, that was a great moment for Lorenzen, and most fans throughout Reds Country are probably ecstatic that the right-hander was able to achieve such an outstanding moment. However, since that night, things haven't been the same.

In Lorenzen's first two games with the Phillies, he went 2-0, pitched a total of 17 innings, allowed just two runs, and owned a sparkling 1.06 ERA. But, since his no-hitter on August 9th, Lorenzen has started five games and allowed 37 hits over 26 innings pitched. Lorenzen's ERA since his no-hitter sits at 7.96.

Things have gotten so bad that according to The Athletic (subscription required), the Phillies are actually considering moving Mikey Biceps to the bullpen. The Phillies had been using a six-man rotation of late and opponents have an OPS of .997.

There were a lot of Cincinnati Reds fans who wanted to see Michael Lorenzen return to the Queen City before the trade deadline, but the Phillies ultimately gave the Detroit Tigers the best offer.

So yes, the Cincinnati Reds could have pulled the trigger on a potential trade at the deadline and acquired a starter for the stretch run. But it's been well documented that the price tag, for even replacement-level pitching, was exceedingly high. The Reds didn't want to lose some of their top prospects, and instead stood pat. They're the better for it.

manual

Home / Reds News