MLB insider suggests Reds may look to re-sign Brandon Drury rather than trade him

Ken Rosenthal, who usually has his finger on the pulse of all things Major League Baseball, had an interesting quip in his latest publication (subscription required) for The Athletic.

Rosenthal cited the desire of opposing clubs to trade for Cincinnati Reds infielder Brandon Drury, but the MLB insider also suggested that a trade was not a certainty and that Cincinnati may look to sign Drury to a contract extension instead.

Drury has been one of the hottest names as the August 2nd trade deadline approaches. The 29-year-old mashed his 20th home run of the season during yesterday's 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, and perhaps the Reds brass is having second thoughts about trading their breakout star.

Latest Reds rumors suggest that Cincinnati may sign Brandon Drury to a contract extension.

The smart money is still on Brandon Drury being dealt at the trade deadline. After all, the Cincinnati Reds have a plethora of young infielders who are coming up through the pipeline and Drury will be entering his age 30 season.

However, Reds manager David Bell has raved about Drury throughout the season and was extremely complimentary after Sunday's victory. Calling him a "good player" and "very driven". Those are the types of players that winning organizations, whether they're rebuilding or not, turn to in big moments.

It's not silly to think that Cincinnati could attempt to hammer out a contract extension with Drury; whether that's during the season or afterward. Ken Rosenthal even notes that the Reds could trade Drury before the deadline and then attempt to re-sign him as a free agent during the offseason. But doing so would take away the Reds' exclusive negotiating rights.

Drury is having a career-year and could've legitimately made the National League All-Star team this season. Drury is currently hitting .275/.336/.523 with 20 round trippers 59 runs batted in. He leads the team in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. With Luis Castillo now off to Seattle, Drury also leads Cincinnati in bWAR (2.2).

With Mike Moustakas having yet another horrible performance this season coupled with the fact that Donovan Solano will be a free agent at the end of the year, negotiating a contract extension with Brandon Drury is not the worst possible plan for the Reds front office.

If Cincinnati is unable to get value for Drury's services, perhaps the Reds will look to re-sign him. These latest Reds rumors are sure to bring a bit more joy to the faces of the Cincinnati faithful as the majority of whispers surrounding the club have been about who's going, not who's staying.