Reds lineup vs. Mets just made their biggest trade deadline need painfully obvious

The Cincinnati Reds are set to open the second-half of the 2025 season with a brutal stretch against the likes of the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, the Reds have the toughest schedule of any Major League team over the final two months of the season. The next couple of weeks will dictate whether or not the Reds are buyers or sellers at the MLB trade deadline.

If Terry Francona's lineup for the Reds' series opener against the Mets is any indication of what the second-half has in store for the Cincinnati faithful, president of baseball operations Nick Krall should be on the phone right now looking for outfield help.

For some odd reason, Francona is running out Santiago Espinal as the Reds' starting right fielder on Friday evening at Citi Field. Granted the Mets have left-hander Sean Manaea on the mound, but why is Espinal playing out of position in the outfield?

Reds lineup vs. Mets features Santiago Espinal in the outfield

Francona's obsession with playing Espinal no matter the circumstances has become a point of contention for the Reds fanbase. Prior to the All-Star break, Francona would routinely remove Noelvi Marte from the game — regardless of his production — in order to get Espinal's glove into the game at third base.

While Espinal may be the superior defender, he's barely hitting his weight this season with a .246 batting average and .589 OPS. He also leads the Reds in a dubious category, having grounded into 10 double plays this season. Friday will mark his sixth career start in right field.

If Cincinnati insists on keeping Rece Hinds in the minor leagues and playing Espinal over Connor Joe, it's a clear signal to the Reds front office that they needs to add a right-handed hitting outfielder at the upcoming trade deadline.

There are plenty of players who are likely available ahead of July 31, but it's unknown if the Reds are going to be aggressive buyers at the deadline. Some names to keep an eye on would be Taylor Ward, Luis Robert Jr., and Adolis Garcia. There are plenty of left-handed hitting outfielders likely to be available, but the Reds have abundance of those already.

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