Reds may need bold roster shuffle to make rumored trade target fit

As the Cincinnati Reds set their sights lower after missing out on Kyle Schwarber, the trade rumors are beginning to percolate. A trade might be the best route, as it seems that the lavish offer the club extended to Schwarber was a one-time thing, meant to capitalize on his hometown appeal and not an indication that they're serious about opening up the books.

In that light, we've heard that Cincinnati is among the clubs targeting Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe. The 31-year-old is a two-time All-Star and makes a lot of sense for the Reds.

For one thing, he's affordable, making just $11.5 million in the final year of his deal. That will certainly fit the budget. More importantly, Lowe brings thump to the lineup. He crushed 31 long balls last season and has posted an isolated slugging of .212 or greater each of the past three seasons.

The Reds need slug from both sides of the plate, but especially from the left side as their left-handed bats posted an anemic .384 mark in 2025, which was 24th in the league. Lowe's a lefty swinger with a .481 career SLG, and pretty much matched that number posting a .477 SLG in 2025. The only issue, he might push Matt McLain out of the lineup.

There's a creative way for the Reds to fit both Brandon Lowe and Matt McLain in the lineup

How you feel about the possibility of Lowe pushing McLain to the bench or down to Triple-A Louisville depends on your confidence in his ability to bounce back. McLain's .220/.300/.343 line last season left a lot of people with a sour taste in their mouths, but if he can come anywhere close to the .290/.357/.507 he slashed during his rookie year, it can truly transform the Reds' lineup.

There's another reason why McLain is important, and that's his glove. The 26-year-old had some variation between how different metrics saw his glove work in 2025. He posted 6 outs above average (OAA), but his defensive runs saved (DRS) came in at -8. However, in 2023, he posted 4 DRS in just 86 games, splitting time between second and short.

The Reds have made defensive excellence a top priority, and subbing out McLain for Lowe doesn't jive with that. He recorded a putrid -13 OAA at second base and an equally terrible -14 DRS in 2025.

Lowe has some experience at first base, but with Spencer Steer, Sal Stewart, and Ke'Bryan Hayes all vying for playing time at the infield corners, playing Lowe there would only create further complications.

Instead, left field might be the viable solution. Lowe has some limited experience in the outfield corners, logging 160 innings in left and 171 innings in right over his career. The last time he saw any action on the outfield grass was just three innings in right back in 2022.

Still, the Reds are no strangers to converting infielders to outfielders, with Gavin Lux and Noelvi Marte both undergoing the transition. Left field is a need, and getting creative by finding the best bat and figuring out the position later might be their best course of action.

It's easier to hide a poor defender in left than it is at second, and Lowe checks so many other boxes for Cincinnati that making such a play makes a world of sense. There's reason to believe this could work, especially if McLain bounces back in 2026.