It's time to abandon the boneheaded idea of the Reds trading Nick Senzel

Nick Senzel was the star of the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon. It was Cincinnati's fifth straight win, which included a four-game sweep of the Nats on the road.

The former first-round pick made a jumping, game-saving catcher in the bottom of the ninth inning, and then mashed what would be the game-winning home run in the of the 10th inning.

And yet, there are still cries from the Reds fanbase to trade Nick Senzel. It's time to abandon the boneheaded concept of dealing Senzel at this year's trade deadline.

It's time to abandon the boneheaded idea of the Reds trading Nick Senzel.

Might Nick Senzel be attractive to contending teams at this year's trade deadline? Of course. He's a versatile defender that a manager can plug in at virtually any position. Senzel also crushes left-handed pitching.

Against southpaws this season, Senzel is hitting .367/.415/.617. That batting average places him among the Top 5 in the National League among hitters with 60 or more at-bats against left-handed pitching.

So if the Cincinnati Reds are actually in contention for a spot in the postseason, why in the world would you think to trade a player of Senzel's caliber?

I get it, right? For the first time in his career, Senzel has stayed relatively healthy. The former No. 2 overall pick has been plagued by injuries throughout his entire major league career, so the the thought is, "Let's sell high."

For what? While one could make the argument that Cincinnati needs a relief arm or two, parting with Senzel is not the route to take in order to accomplish that. Dealing Senzel in order to add a reliever weakens one area of the team in order to improve another.

While Nick Senzel does offer depth to the Reds infield, the 27-year-old has been utilized almost exclusively in the outfield since Elly De La Cruz arrived. So anyone who thinks trading Senzel will open the door for Christian Encarnacion-Strand hasn't been paying attention.

Furthermore, the Cincinnati Reds have won 17 of their past 24 games. So why mess with a good thing? This team is firing on all cylinders and disrupting the chemistry on the big league club is not a wise move at this point in the season.

Nick Senzel is under team control through the 2025 season, and his contract, relative to his draft position, is very affordable. There's no need to part ways with Senzel at this year's trade deadline.

Once the offseason begins, the time will come for Nick Krall and the rest of the Reds front office to evaluate the 2023 season and project how to move forward constructing the roster for 2024. At that point, perhaps the idea of trading Senzel should be on the table. But until then, let's just put these ideas to bed.