Monday links!
After the dust settled on Sunday evening after the week of baseball that was, the Cincinnati Reds now sit just one game out of a National League Wild Card spot. They’re playing some of their best baseball of the year at precisely the time when their front office and ownership have to decide whether it’s a team worth augmenting, or not, and clearly the players are of the opinion that they’ve got a club worth aiding in any way possible.
Emilio Pagán intimated as much to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon after yesterday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays pushed the Reds to 6 games over the .500 mark for the first time all year. The Reds, who have been rumored to be searching for some bullpen help and a bat to help the middle of the order, even got linked to Tampa 1B Yandy Diaz by Buster Olney during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast last night.
One name that was brought up often over the offseason in terms of players who should potentially be linked with the Reds was Chicago White Sox OF Luis Robert, Jr., who has been mired in a seasons-long slump. He finally has begun to show some of the same talent that made him an All-Star back in 2023 of late, however, and now his name is back in the trade rumor circuit – this time with the Philadelphia Phillies being interested in his services. While that’s not a direct Reds Rumor™, it’s a clear example of ‘there are a lot of other clubs out there shopping for the same thing as the Reds this deadline.’
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
In other news, it seems like the upcoming game between the Reds and Atlanta Braves in Bristol, Tennessee is set to break the record for most fans in attendance for a regular season game, per MLB.com’s latest update. I have to wonder how many Braves fans who bought tickets to this months ago are actually still excited about making the drive to see that club play. Their entire Opening Day starting rotation is currently on the IL, by the way, in what’s been a devastatingly unfortunate season for them.
Sal Stewart got off to something of a slow start in his first handful of games with AAA Louisville after earning his promotion there at the All-Star break. That ended on Saturday, however, as Sal smashed a pair of homers as part of a 4 for 4 day that also included a double, 3 runs scored, and 4 ribbies. Sal’s gonna be just fine with the Bats, and he’s gonna be a real fine Red sooner than later, too. Doug Gray of Reds Minor Leagues has more on Sal’s big evening, including video.
Andy McCullough of The Athletic has a brilliantly crafted look at the GMs and front office heads who will be making the moves for MLB clubs at this particular trade deadline, including quotes from the folks themselves.
Finally, today marks the deadline to sign the recently selected members of the Cincinnati Reds draft class. 5 PM ET is the official deadline, as C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic noted in his morning rundown, with 17 of the team’s 20 picks already inked. The three remaining are high school products, however, who have the leverage of big-time college options in their corner as the Reds try to get them signed. We’ll keep you updated on their signing status in our updated draft signings tracker through the signing deadline.