Terry Francona and Nick Lodolo just gave Reds fans a trade deadline mystery to watch

The Cincinnati Reds won their second game in a row against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, and pulled to within 4½ games of a playoff spot. Amid the postgame celebration, however, came an interesting exchange between Reds manager Terry Francona and starting pitcher Nick Lodolo.

RedsTV cut away to Francona, Lodolo, and Brady Singer as the trio came onto the field to celebrate Cincinnati's 8-7 victory. The video showed Francona and Lodolo — each with a hand on the other's shoulder — having a brief discussion before panning back to Sal Stewart and the Reds' on-field celebration.

Obviously, this could be much ado about nothing, but with the trade deadline looming, those who saw the exchange between Francona and Lodolo are reading between the lines (and attempting to read lips). Did Tito get word that Lodolo is going to be traded?

Are the Reds shopping Nick Lodolo ahead of the MLB traded deadline?

While both Hunter Greene and Brady Singer have drawn considerable trade speculation all week, Lodolo's name hasn't been tied to any meaningful rumors. The Athletic, however, recently published an article (subscription required) with the Reds' lefty among their list of 60 players most likely to be traded ahead of Monday's deadline.

Lodolo is currently on the 15-day injured list while recovering from a blister on his left hand, and before you ask, yes, players on the IL can be traded. Lodolo threw a bullpen session earlier this week, and all signs point to him returning to the mound later this month.

Lodolo represents what you might call a buy-low candidate. His injury history eliminates any chance of a meaningful return for the Reds, but if Cincinnati could be looking to find a Major League bat in exchange for the southpaw's services. That type of offer might be too good to pass up.

Complicating things with Lodolo is his contract status and the upcoming Collective Bargaining negotiations between the owners and the MLBPA. Lodolo is only under team control for one more season, and the season itself is in jeopardy.

In other words, if the Reds can anything of value for Lodolo before the deadline passes, they may feel pressured to make a deal. This is an intruiging development, and one that Reds fans will keep an eye on in the coming days.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow