Blockbuster Trade Idea From Reds Insider Would Add Serious Firepower to Lineup

The Cincinnati Reds are still in need of an impact bat to improve their offense. However, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said the Reds had about $15 million or so to spend this offseason. They have already spent $14.5 million on relief pitchers Emilio Pagan and Caleb Ferguson.

What that means is if the Reds are going to add an impact bat, they'll most likely do so through a trade.

Reds reporter C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic recently said he had an interesting trade idea floated to him.

"It's a tough one because it starts with Chase Burns," Rosecrans said. "I think it was Chase Burns, and Brandon Williamson or something for Ketel Marte."

It would be really hard for the Reds to give away the second overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft in Burns, but you also have to give up talent to acquire talent in a trade.

Marte would be the kind of impact player that instantly improves the lineup in a big way. Over his last three seasons, he's had a bWAR of 4.9, 6.8, and 4.4.

In 2024, he slashed .292/.372/.560 with 61 extra-base hits. In 2025, he took a slight step back, but still slashed .283/.376/.517 with 56 extra-base hits. Marte, 32, is under team control through 2031.

Burns appeared in 13 games for the Reds in 2025 with a 4.57 ERA. He struck out a staggering 67 batters in just 43 1/3 innings at the big league level.

While Marte would be a fantastic addition to the lineup and Cincinnati has plenty of pitching depth, the Reds probably shouldn't be in the business of dealing their top prospects, especially pitchers, since it's hard to sign pitchers to pitch at Great American Ball Park.

While speaking to the media this offseason, Krall doesn't sound like a guy who wants to trade pitching.

“I think that's the hard thing, right?" Krall told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "We've got five guys at the end of the season healthy in our rotation, and we have three guys that are coming back from full-season injuries. When you lose a starter, it's hard to replace that guy. We all go through it.

This is why it's so frustrating that the Reds refuse to spend money on a big bat in free agency. Instead of money, they'd have to give up a potential star to improve their lineup.

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