Reds trade deadline deal with Pirates backfires in the most unexpected way

The Cincinnati Reds made a trade deadline deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates last month that brought Gold Glove Award-winning infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Queen City. The slicking fielding third baseman has been everything the Reds could've hoped for, and more.

Hayes has been virtually flawless with the leather since coming over from Pittsburgh. In addition to his elite-level defense, however, Hayes has provided some unexpected production at the dish. After hitting just .236/.279/.290 with the Pirates, Hayes has posted a .238/.307/.400 slash line in 25 games with the Reds.

Nevertheless, Cincinnati gave up something of importance in order to get Hayes, and it wasn't shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura. In addition to the former second-round pick, the Reds also included Taylor Rogers in the trade with the Buccos, and the left-hander has been lights out since leaving Cincinnati last month.

Reds trade deadline deal with Pirates backfires in the most unexpected way

Rogers, however, never threw a single pitch for the Pirates. After being dealt on July 30, the Pirates immediately turned around and shipped Rogers off to another NL Central rival, the Chicago Cubs. Since his arrival in the Windy City, Rogers has struck out 13 batters over 8⅔ innings.

Though Rogers struggled in his latest appearance for the Cubbies — allowing three runs on two hits against the San Francisco Giants on August 27 — prior to that, the left-hander owned a sparkling 1.23 ERA and 2.30 FIP with a solo shot against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 18 as the only blemish on his record.

Meanwhile, the Reds fanbase has had to endure watching the left-handed pair of Sam Moll and Brent Suter attempt to fill the void. The results have been less than stellar. Moll, who's in the midst of a horrific season, has made 10 appearances since Rogers left and owns a 4.97 FIP. Suter's watched his ERA skyrocket to 8.03 during the month of August while mainly serving as the Reds' mop-up man.

It's difficult to be overly critical of Nick Krall and the Reds front office; after all the trade did net Cincinnati a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman. Including Rogers in the deal, howerver, was only done to balance the salaries which kept Cincinnati from increasing payroll.

Had the Reds just held onto Rogers (and included another prospect to seal the deal), they'd at least have a serviceable southpaw in the bullpen to help improve their odds as they attempt to make a playoff push. Instead, Cincy's relief corps is now devoid of any type of talented left-handed pitching — something that's bound to come back and bite them during the final month of the season.

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