Regrading the NY Mets trade with the Reds for Tyler Naquin

The Cincinnati Reds signed Tyler Naquin to a minor-league deal prior to the 2021 season, and the former Cleveland outfielder remained with the team until last year's trade deadline.

During his career in Cincinnati, Naquin appeared in 183 games, hit .263/.324/.467, and smashed 26 home runs while recording 103 RBIs.

Naquin was dealt to the New York Mets prior to the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for two lower-level prospects. Let's revisit the trade from nearly a year ago and slap a grade on it.

Regrading the NY Mets trade with the Reds for Tyler Naquin.

Last July, the Cincinnati Reds traded Tyler Naquin and left-handed reliever Phillip Diehl to the New York Mets in exchange for outfield prospect Hector Rodriguez and right-handed pitcher Jose Acuña.

Seeing as how Naquin was slated to become a free agent after the season and had struggled with injuries throughout 2022, the Reds already won the trade. There was no way that Cincinnati was going to retain Naquin, and Diehl was a good, hometown story for all of about two days.

After arriving in the Big Apple, Naquin's numbers tanked. The left-handed slugger slashed just .203/.246/.390 with only four round trippers and 13 runs batted in 130 at-bats. Naquin entered free agency after the season and signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Not only did the Cincinnati Reds win the trade the moment it was announced, but the deal is looking better and better by the day. Rodriguez and Acuña are both stateside this season and showing that they may be more than just a lottery ticket.

Rodriguez, at just 19 years old, has shown some pop while down at Low-A Daytona. Rodriguez has shown patience at the plate and could ultimately end up as a rotational outfielder in the big leagues if he continues to develop.

As for Acuña, don't sleep on the idea of the 20-year-old right-hander becoming one of the more interesting, young pitching prospects in the Reds farm system. Acuña doesn't have an elite fastball, so he'll have to rely on location and command. He could provide some depth to the rotation over the long haul.

Neithe Hector Rodriguez nor Jose Acuña have set the world on fire, but both would appear to be solid depth options if they continue to develop. While it's still too early to properly evaluate the trade, the fact that Cincinnati got anything at all for Tyler Naquin is a success.

If we were to regrade this trade now, Cincinnati Reds General Manager Nick Krall would get at least a C+ for last year's trade with the New York Mets. If either Rodriguez or Acuña make it to the bigs or are a key piece of a transaction that brings more talent to the Queen City, then this grade could go even higher.