Nick Krall's Explanation for Not Trading Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson Raises Serious Questions

It was a huge surprise on Monday when the Reds elected to hold onto most of their players, especially Tyler Stephenson and Brady Singer, who are both on expiring deals.

During Tuesday's game against the Athletics, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall spoke about their deadline strategy.

"We had some interest in both guys," Krall told John Sadak. "Brady is a guy who is a really good veteran leader for this club. What he does for this club and how he helps the young pitchers and continues to help them develop. And then lead by example. He goes out there, gives you six innings every night, he battles through things."

"He's had a 2.7 ERA since the beginning of June. He battled through a blister at the beginning of the season. We wanted to continue to keep him on this club and see if we can give this club a shot."

While it's great that Singer has become a strong mentor for the Reds' younger pitchers, that's simply not a compelling enough reason to keep an expiring asset instead of trading him for future value. Krall mentioned making a run, but the Reds are in last place in the National League Central and have six teams ahead of them in the National League Wild Card race.

Krall on Tyler Stephenson

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) hits a home run in the seventh inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tyler Stephenson has been red hot at the plate over the last two months. He's also been the best catcher in all of baseball when it comes to ABS challenges. Stephenson's contract is up at the end of this season and it was a shock that they did not trade him.

"With Tyler Stephenson, there was no other catcher to go back and get," Krall continued. "With what he does with the pitching staff and where he is, both guys have been quality contributors here and we wanted to play it out."

The message from Krall was clear. The Reds didn't believe trading Stephenson made sense if they couldn't replace him, and they weren't ready to wave the white flag on the 2026 season despite their place in the standings.

Whether fans agree with it or not, Krall made it clear the Reds believe this team can still make a run. In my opinion, that kind of thinking is exactly why the Reds have been stuck in mediocrity for years and still haven't won a postseason game since 2012.

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