Reds would throw a parade if these ESPN trade proposals actually happened

Right about now, Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations is wishing that ESPN's baseball writers were actually on the other end of the line as he's working the phones with just over 48 hours remaining until the MLB trade deadline passes.

Why? Because some of the experts over the Worldwide Leader in Sports just proposed some of the most lopsided trade deadline deals you'll ever see. If Krall and Co. come anywhere close to these deals, the city of Cincinnati should hold a parade on August 1.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers believes the Reds could secure Eugenio Suárez from the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitching prospects Ty Floyd and Zach Maxwell. If that's all it would take to pry Geno away from the D-backs, he'd be in Cincinnati right now batting cleanup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reds would throw a parade if these ESPN trade proposals actually happened

But it gets better. ESPN's prospect evaluator Kiley McDaniel believes Cincinnati could land Ohio-native Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitching prospects Adam Serwinowski and Connor Phillips. To be fair to McDaniel, this deal is a bit more believable. But if Krall was able to land an outfielder like Ward, who's under team control through 2026, for two mid-tier arms, he should make that deal in a heartbeat.

While this time of year is ripe with outlandish trade proposals and incessant rumors, the one thing that both Rogers and McDaniels got right was the Reds' need for a right-handed bat. Either Suárez or Ward would fit quite nicely in the heart of Terry Francona's batting order, and would give the team some real pop from the right side.

The Reds are also said to be targeting relievers at the trade deadline, and have been observed scouting both the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays of late. Pitchers like Jhoan Duran, Danny Coulombe, and Pete Fairbanks could be on the Reds' shortlist.

The trade deadline is fast approaching, and very few moves have even been made to this point. MLB insiders expect a blitz to the finish, and if some teams become desperate, who knows what could happen? Maybe one of these wacky ESPN trade proposals will actually come true — but that's doubtful.

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