Regrading the Twins trade with the Reds for Tyler Mahle

For over five seasons, Tyler Mahle brought excitement in the form of strikeouts to Cincinnati Reds fans. The right-hander struck out 637 batters in just under 600 innings in a Reds uniform. But at last year's trade deadline, Mahle was one of several Reds who'd be shipped elsewhere.

Mahle landed with the Minnesota Twins and would pitch along former teammate Sonny Gray. Mahle was off to an incredible start this season, posting career-bests in hits per nine innings, walks per nine innings, and a fine 3.16 ERA. But his time with the Twins might already be over.

After dealing with some elbow soreness, Mahle found himself on the IL. On Thursday, theTwins officially announced that he will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2023 season and potentially the first-half of his 2024 season.

Regrading the Twins trade with the Reds for Tyler Mahle.

The Reds traded Tyler Mahle to the Minnesota Twins last August for three prospects. Infielders Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand along with left-handed pitcher Steven Hajjar all made their way to Cincinnati.

Steer was one of the Twins top-rated prospect at the time of the trade and he would rank among the Top 10 (according to MLB Pipeline) once he joined the Reds organization. This season, Steer has spent a majority of time playing both first and third base while hitting .244/.324/.415 and could be a solid piece of the Cincinnati lineup for years to come.

Encarnacion-Strand, currently at Triple-A Louisville, has terrorized opposing pitching since beginning his 2023 campaign just a couple weeks back. In 66 at bats, Encarnacion-Strand has a batting average of .352 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs.

Hajjar didn't spend much time in Cincinnati, as the southpaw was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for Will Benson prior to the start of the 2023 season. After struggling a bit to begin his Reds career, Benson was sent back down to Triple-A Louisville.

Overall, this trade has been huge for the Cincinnati Reds. The additions of Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand alone will result in this trade receiving an A-. The addition of Benson only boosts this trades value to the Reds. If these three can live up to the hype, this trade will look even better.