Will the free agent splurge on shortstops help the Reds in the trade market?

On Tuesday, Carlos Correa landed a 13-year/$350M deal with the San Francisco Giants. After watching Correa, Trea Turner, and Xander Bogaerts land massive deals, Dansby Swanson now stands as the lone impact shortstop remaining on the free agent market.

But there's not just one team who's looking for an upgrade at shortstop. The Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and even Swanson's former team, the Atlanta Braves, are all looking to add a shortstop this offseason.

That could be good news for the Cincinnati Reds who have a plethora of shortstops on the 40-man roster and have been rumored to be in the market for an outfielder.

Will the free agent splurge on shortstops help the Reds in the trade market?

Now, there are other shortstops available in free agency. Andrelton Simmons, Elvis Andrus, and Didi Gregorius are all available, but only Dansby Swanson would be consiedred a difference maker.

The Cincinnati Reds have Noelvi Marte, Elly De La Cruz, Kevin Newman, and Jose Barrero on the team's 40-man roster. Cincinnati also has former first-round pick Matt McLain on the cusp of making it to The Show in 2023.

It looks as if the Reds are looking to move Marte from shortstop to third base. There's also no way that De La Cruz is on the trade block, as the club views the young infielder as one of the franchise's budding, young stars.

However, would one of those shortstop-needy teams be interested in making a trade for McLain? The former UCLA Bruin is a consensus Top 100 prospect and most outlets foresee the 23-year-old making his MLB debut next season.

Might a team like the Minnesota Twins or Boston Red Sox be interested in trading one of their young outfield prospects for McLain? The Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds division rival, have three outfield prospects who are among the Top 100 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

Matt McLain is far from a sure-thing, and teams that may be looking at the young shortstop may not be wiling to give up a ton for a player who's yet to ascend the minor league's highest level. But with the top shortstops now off the market, perhaps one of the shortstop-needy organizations becomes desperate.