Lottery Ticket Acquisition Headlines Reds' Disappointing Trade Deadline

Both were acquired at the trade deadline on August 3.

Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall walks between fields at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds had a disappointing trade deadline, not making any major moves to either improve the team this season or retool for the future. They traded away Nathaniel Lowe to the Cleveland Guardians for pitching prospect Alejandro Rivera. Caleb Ferguson was traded in-division to St. Louis for international free agency bonus money, and they acquired Juan Britto from Cleveland for cash considerations.

Alejandro Rivera Assigned To Daytona Tortugas

Apr 11, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of the ballpark as the sun sets after the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rivera was named to the Dominican Summer League All-Star team in 2025 and won the Arizona Complex League Pitcher of the Month in June with the Guardians. This season, he is 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 13 games. On July 15, the 19-year-old tossed five perfect innings with eight strikeouts. He has a three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, a low-80s changeup, and a slider. 

This move is a lottery ticket. To give Nick Krall a small amount of credit on this acquisition, he has had some success on lottery ticket trades. The Hector Rodriguez and Jose Acuna trade was considered a lottery ticket. They acquired both from the New York Mets for Tyler Naquin in 2022. Rodriguez is now the Reds' third-ranked prospect and made his Major League debut on Tuesday, and Jose Acuna is having success with Triple-A Louisville. Rivera had a 2.44 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in the ACL, both were best in the league. He was assigned to Low-A Daytona upon being acquired.

Juan Brito Assigned To Triple-A Louisville

Columbus Clippers infielder Juan Brito (24) laughs during the game against the St. Paul Saints at Huntington Park on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Brito was designated for assignment by the Guardians on August 3 and was acquired by the Reds for cash. This season, Brito is slashing .237/.351/.394 with nine home runs, 19 doubles, two triples, and 48 RBI. In seven minor league seasons, he is a career .267 hitter with 65 home runs and 65 RBI. In a cup of coffee on the Guardians’ big league club, he slashed .176/.250/.255 with four doubles, 17 strikeouts, and three RBI in 51 at-bats.

In 2025, he was the Guardians' 10th-ranked prospect. He is a switch-hitter and was originally signed by the Colorado Rockies in 2018 out of the Dominican Republic. He was traded to Cleveland in the Nolan Jones trade in 2022.

Brito always has made consistent contact and controlled the strike zone from both sides of the plate." MLB Pipeline wrote about Brito. "He also has displayed the aptitude to launch balls in the air to his pull side, though he produced just 31 homers in his first 296 pro games before bashing a career-best 21 last year. He did a better job of driving the ball as a righty after struggling to do so in 2023.

This season in Triple-A, he swings out of the zone at a 27 percent rate. In his short time at the big league level, he chased over 35 percent of the time. Since he was acquired through trade, he is on the Reds' 40-man roster and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.

This trade deadline feels like there was no direction for the organization. If their plan was to try to compete this season or to improve the farm system, they failed.