Reds officially on the clock for dream trade deadline deal after D-backs blink first

The Cincinnati Reds are suddenly on the clock after the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks jumpstarted the trade deadline season on Thursday night. The D-backs shipped first baseman Josh Naylor to the Mariners for Ashton Izzi and Brandyn Garcia. With Naylor off the Emerald City, the chances of an Eugenio Suárez reunion in Seattle have definitely taken a hit.

There's an outside chance that Seattle double dips and looks to add Suárez as well. In fact, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com suggests they'll look to do just that. But recent reporting suggested that the Mariners were looking for an upgrade at either first or third base, not both.

If Seattle is now out on Suárez, the Reds will have to double their efforts if they intend to reunite with the two-time All-Star. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Reds, New York Yankees, and Chicago Cubs are three of the many teams who are interested in trading for the D-backs' slugger.

Reds officially on the clock for dream trade deadline deal after D-backs blink first

Naylor wasn't on Cincinnati's shortlist, though the former Cleveland Guardians infielder would surely have loved to be reunited with his former manager Terry Francona. The Reds were loosely tied to Naylor during the offseason, but Spencer Steer has turned into a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman this season. While his offense was slowed by a shoulder injury, Steer has recently shown flashes of the player he was the past two seasons.

Though much of the fan focus has been centered around Suárez, the price tag has gone up considerably. Many MLB insiders and experts believe Arizona will receive quite the haul for Suárez's services. It's quite possible that Cincinnati will be priced out in the coming days, as ome projections have suggested that the Reds will have to give up one of Sal Stewart or Cam Collier in order to land Suárez. That's not something the Reds are likely to do.

The coming days will be quite the adventure for the Reds front office, and the players on the field will have a great deal to do with the team's strategy at the MLB trade deadline. If the Reds can rattle off several wins in the coming days, Nick Krall and Co. might be more apt to be aggressive. If they falter, however, it could be a quiet deadline in Cincinnati.

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