Which Reds shortstop prospect could be dealt at the MLB trade deadline?

The Cincinnati Reds have seen the development and success of a ton of middle infield prospects over the last few seasons.

Jonathan India, Matt McLain, and Elly De La Cruz lead the way. Players like Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, though not middle infielders, provide great depth on the dirt as well.

Of these five players, Steer is the only one to venture onto the outfield grass. Pair that with the fact that the Reds top prospect, Noelvi Marte, is also a shortstop, and Cincinnati has more middle infielders than they need. Is it time to move on from one of these top shortstop prospects?

Reds shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo could be dealt at the MLB trade deadline.

Let's preface this idea by saying that trading away one of the team's top shortstop prospects should only be considered under specific circumstances. The Cincinnati Reds, should they decide to include a shortstop prospect in a potential deal at the deadline, would trading from a position of strength.

The Reds don't need to necessarily be shopping one of their top young talents, but if the opportunity arises for the club to improve their roster for this season and beyond, Nick Krall needs to take a good long look and evaluate that type of trade.

With that being said, Edwin Arroyo should be considered as part of trade package this summer that could net Cincinnati a nice return at the MLB trade deadline. Arroyo, who's just 19 years old, has a tall task in front of him. As a prospect who has all the tools to play shortstop at the major league level, there's quite the line of talented players in front of him.

MLB Pipeline still ranks Arroyo as the team's No. 2-overall prospect and among the Top 25 in all of baseball. And that's exactly the type of return that a team like the Chicago White Sox would be looking for if the Reds were to target a frontline starter like Dylan Cease at the MLB trade deadline.

Some fans want to see Cincinnati stay the course while continuing to build toward 2024 and beyond, but there's a contingent of Reds Country who sees the NL Central door wide open with both the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs having down years.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, so if the Reds are going to make a splash at the MLB trade deadline and acquire a player like Cease or Blake Snell or any other star player, it's going to mean sacrificing young prospects.

With Noelvi Marte, Elly De La Cruz, and Matt McLain ahead of him in the Reds pecking order, Edwin Arroyo could be part of trade package in the next few weeks if the Cincinnati Reds look to go all-in at the trade deadline. While unlikely, and perhaps unpopular, letting go of a player like Arroyo is the cost of doing business at this time of year.