3 tricky 40-man roster additions the Reds should make during the offseason and 2 they shouldn't

Reds prospect Jose Acuña should not be added to the 40-man roster this offseason.

The Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets pulled off an under-the-radar trade last summer that was supposed to help both teams. The Reds were looking to add minor league talent to their farm sytem and the Mets needs a left-handed bat to help them make a push toward the playoffs.

The Reds dealt Tyler Naquin, who was scheduled to be a free agent during the offseason, and landed two lower-level prospects in return. One of those prospects is outfielder Hector Rodriguez who has now landed among the team's Top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. The other is Jose Acuña.

While Rodriguez might be the bigger name at the moment, Acuña has put together a solid season at High-A Dayton as well. At just 20 years old, Acuña has a sub-4.00 ERA in over 15 starts for the Dragons this season.

Because of his age and level of play, it's plausible that the Cincinnati Reds may not add Acuña to the 40-man roster. If a team selects a player during the Rule 5 Draft, said player must remain on the team's active roster for the entire season.

In order to option a player back to the minors, that player would have to be offered back to their original team first. A prospect who's yet to play above A-Ball is unlikely to spend the entire season in the major leagues, so the Reds should feel safe leaving Jose Acuña off the 40-man roster.