Reds Front Office Under Fire After Disastrous Trade Deadline

The Reds didn't make very many moves at the trade deadline, and it's not aging well.

Reds president of baseball operations, Nick Krall, answers questions from the audience during a Reds on Radio affiliates luncheon at Great American Ballpark in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds came into the trade deadline with a few big decisions to make. They could have opted to buy, which seemed unlikely considering they were well out of the postseason picture at the deadline. They could have opted to conservatively sell by trading away expiring contracts in an attempt to retool for next season.

They could have also opted to aggressively sell, which might have involved trading away players like Spencer Steer, JJ Bleday, and Hunter Greene in an effort to blow up the roster and plan for the future.

Instead, the Reds largely opted to stand pat at the trade deadline. They traded away Nathaniel Lowe and Caleb Ferguson and didn't land anything significant in return. But they held onto players like Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Eugenio Suárez, and a few other players who are headed for free agency at the end of the year.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently gave the Reds the superlative of "Worst Job of Standing Pat" at the trade deadline this season after the Reds opted to hold onto everybody except Ferguson and Lowe.

Reds Made a Horrible Decision by Standing Pat

Aug 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) walks back to the dugout after her making a pitching change against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The Reds didn’t buy and didn’t sell; they just punted," Bowden wrote. "An organization that had so many needs at the major-league level wasn’t able to add anything to help this year’s team nor improve it for future years. Very disappointing."

Standing pat was the most disappointing option the Reds could have chosen. They didn't land a haul of prospects to help revitalize their struggling farm system. They didn't do anything to put themselves in contention either.

Analysis

Instead, they're able to attempt to compete for the postseason in 2026, but this team isn't fully built for that. They recently lost Greene to a season-ending surgery, which is a huge blow to the team's pitching staff. Their odds of making a run at the postseason were low at the deadline, but it's even lower now.

The Reds will likely lose most, if not all, of their expiring contracts in free agency. They could land a comp pick in the MLB Draft depending on a few other factors, but that doesn't make up for their poor judgment and the decision to stand pat at the deadline.

The Reds' front office is quickly becoming one of the worst in the league. They've received plenty of criticism. That will likely continue following their inactivity at the deadline.

Check out Bowden's full article here.