Marty Brennaman Makes Eye-Opening Claim About Nick Krall's Trade Deadline Gamble

The Reds are running out of time to turn things around under Nick Krall.

Apr 25, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Reds Hall of Famer and former broadcaster Marty Brennaman, acknowledges the crowd during a Reds Hall of Fame induction ceremony before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds made one of the more surprising decisions at this year's Trade Deadline when they elected to mostly stand pat despite sitting below .500 and having several players on expiring contracts. Instead of selling or even adding pieces for the future, Nick Krall, the front office, and ownership decided to bet on the current roster making a late-season push.

So far, the Reds have at least given Krall some reason to believe in that gamble. Cincinnati is 15-10 since the All-Star break and has played much better baseball over the last few weeks, but the club still has plenty of work to do to get back into serious postseason contention.

While they've played good baseball of late, injuries are starting to add up. Hunter Greene will miss the rest of the season after having the second Tommy John surgery of his career. Emilio Pagan has pitched just once in the last eight days due to hand soreness. Chase Burns could be shut down soon due to an innings limit. It's hard to see a scenario where this team pushes through all of those issues and makes the postseason.

The deadline strategy also means the Reds could lose players like Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson for nothing this offseason after failing to move them to a contender. With Cincinnati still searching for its first postseason series win since 1995, longtime Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman believes Krall's decision could ultimately have an impact on more than just the remainder of this season.

"I honestly think Nick Krall is rolling the dice on this club and his future," Brennaman told his son, Tom, on 700 WLW.

Krall's Future?

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

Krall has been with the organization since 2003. In 2018, he was named General Manager. In 2023, he was promoted once again to President of Baseball Operations.

The Reds have yet to win a postseason game with Krall at the helm. While he's had some success with additions like JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe, several of his bigger moves haven't worked out nearly as well. Cincinnati was forced to designate both Mike Moustakas and Jeimer Candelario for assignment before their contracts expired, leaving the Reds to eat the remaining money on both deals. Krall also traded for Ke'Bryan Hayes last season, and Hayes has been one of the worst offensive players in baseball this year.

Every season that goes by without the Reds winning only risks pushing more fans away. At this point, it doesn't matter whether you want to put the blame on ownership, the front office or Krall. Reds fans are tired of excuses. They simply want to see a winning baseball team, and it's time for the organization to finally give them one.