The Reds Can't Afford to Trade This Player at the Trade Deadline

The Reds need to be aggressive at the trade deadline, but they can't afford to make big mistakes.

Cincinnati Reds left fielder JJ Bleday (22) celebrates a solo home run in the first inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The Reds led 1-0 after four innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds will likely make a few trades at the trade deadline this year. They have a few expiring contracts to trade away before the August 3 deadline, but there's a chance that the Reds make a bigger move and trade away or acquire a controllable player.

C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic recently discussed JJ Bleday as a trade chip despite the fact that he has a few more years of team control on his contract.

"Bleday would be a welcome addition to several teams, but he still may have the most value to the Reds, who don’t have many players they can pencil into an everyday lineup in the outfield for 2027," Rosecrans wrote. "The Reds signed Bleday after he was non-tendered by the Athletics last offseason.

"After he was called up from the minors early in the season, Bleday has been one of the team’s better offensive players. At 28, the former fourth pick is under team control for two more seasons. While he has more trade value than maybe anyone else on this list, it’s far from certain that the Reds would get more value in return than retaining him."

JJ Bleday is More Valuable to the Reds than as a Trade Chip

Cincinnati Reds left fielder JJ Bleday (22) runs the bases on a solo home run in the first inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The Reds led 1-0 after four innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Bleday would certainly garner some attention if he were dangled on the trade block as a trade chip. The Reds will almost certainly listen to offers for him, too, but it wouldn't be a smart move to make at this point in time. Bleday is more valuable to the Reds as a player on their roster than he is as a trade chip.

Bleday has been one of the more consistent players in the lineup this year. He's slashing .231/.339/.470 with 18 home runs in 79 games. It's the first time in his career that he's posted an OPS over .800. And this isn't by accident.

His bat speed is up from 71.6 miles per hour in 2025 to around 74 miles per hour this year. That kind of change isn't by accident. Bleday is swinging much harder this year than in the past and the results are following. As long as he can continue to swing this hard with his bat to ball skills, he's going to be a slugger in the big leagues. Pair that with his addtional years of team control and the Reds' lack of organizational outfield depth and it becomes a no-brainer to keep him on the roster.

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