Would the Reds trading for David Price be so crazy that it just might work?

Stop laughing. I know, it's a very outside of the box idea. Stop laughing. Seriously, this could work. C'mon, stop laughing. I know he's owed a lot of money next season. Why are you still laughing? Could the Cincinnati Reds really make a trade for Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher David Price?

I'm very much aware that the Cincinnati Reds entire goal this offseason has been to shed payroll. The front office dealt Tucker Barnhart shortly after the season ended and followed that up by waiving left-handed starter Wade Miley. Cincinnati effectively rid themselves of $17.5M worth of payroll for the 2022 season.

Could the Reds trade for LHP David Price?

So why in the world would the Reds trade for a past-his-prime pitcher with a $32M salary heading into next season? The only way this type of trade works is if the Dodgers take on one of the Reds' bad contracts.

Cincinnati has been rumored all offseason to be on the lookout for trade partners. While Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray seem to be targets of most rival executives, Nick Krall and Company are looking to deal either Mike Moustakas or Eugenio Suárez this offseason.

Moose is owed $34M over the next two seasons and Geno has three years and $33M remaining on his contract. Suárez also has a $15M option for the 2025 season. Both Moustakas and Suárez struggled mightily at the dish and in the field during the 2021 season.

Moustakas missed a good chunk of the 2021 season due to injury and Suárez couldn't make the transition back to shortstop. The two third basemen combined for -1.7 bWAR in 2021, though Suárez seemed to find his groove during the final month of the season.

If Cincinnati is looking to unload one of those two contracts, they're going to have to sacrifice some top-level talent from their farm system or take on an unenviable contract. That's where David Price comes in.

Let's face it, the Reds are looking to do some sort of modified rebuild while the Dodgers are looking to compete for a World Series title. That said, LA has already lost Corey Seager to the Texas Rangers and Max Muncy will likely miss part of next season with a torn UCL.

With Muncy out of the lineup, the Dodgers will surely be looking to add to their roster after the MLB lockout concludes. As it stands now, Matt Beaty would be the likely starter at first base for Los Angeles.

Dealing David Price would help to lower the Dodgers 2022 payroll and help them add more pieces to the roster while staying under the luxury tax threshold. While Cincinnati would theoretically take on a massive salary for a pitcher who's a shell of his former Cy Young self, I'm sure some financial details would have to be worked out so that the Reds were not paying all of Price's $32M salary.

Adding Price to the Reds roster would help take away some of the sting of losing Wade Miley and add a veteran hurler to either the starting rotation or the bullpen. Price made 28 relief appearances in 2021.

The Vanderbilt alum would also be reunited with his former pitching coach, Derek Johnson. DJ's tuteledge led Price to be taken with the first-overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2004 MLB Draft.

While the Cincinnati Reds would be taking on a huge salary for the 2022 season, they'd ridding themselves of Moose's $16M paycheck for the 2023 season and the $4M buyout included in his current contract.

I know, I know, you're still laughing. But this is the type of deal the Reds front office would have to consider if they're looking to get out from underneath Mike Moustakas' contract. This idea is so crazy, it just might work.