Reds fading playoff pursuit exposes brutal irony that can't be ignored

The Cincinnati Reds are still alive in the hunt for the final spot in the NL Wild Card, but their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Entering play on Wednesday, Cincinnati is three games back of the New York Mets with 11 games to play and their offense let them down once again on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cincinnati was shutout and lost by a final score of 3-0.

It's going to take a Herculean effort from the Reds over the next two weeks, and even that might not be enough. Though Cincinnati maintains the tiebreaker over the Mets, the Reds are not alone in the chase for the final spot in the National League.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have suddenly emerged as the biggest threat to the Mets, surpassing the Reds, and sitting just 1½ games back of New York after winning four straight. When the month began, Arizona was 6½ games back with a losing record, but despite selling off numerous assets at the July 31 deadline, the D-backs are still very much alive.

Reds fading playoff pursuit exposes brutal irony after D-backs sold at the MLB trade deadline

The fact that the D-backs are in contention having dumped the likes of Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, and Merrill Kelly at the July 31 deadline is evidence that the Reds are fortunate to even be in the playoff conversation. Cincinnati acquired talent at the deadline while Arizona did the opposite, and yet, the Diamondbacks have the better record than the Reds at the moment.

This should come as a wake-up call to both the Reds organization and the fanbase. This year's team, while talented, has no business being involved in the MLB Postseason. In fact, were it not for an epic collapse on the part of the Mets — one that could still end in heartbreak for the fans in Queens — the Reds would probably already be making plans for the offseason.

The Reds are still in it, and shouldn't stop playing until they're officially eliminated. But if a team that sold at the MLB trade deadline is still in contention, that should serve as a reminder that this team has a long way to go before they can consider themselves a true World Series contender.

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