In a trade snuck in just under the deadline wire, the Reds have picked up outfielder Brian Goodwin from the Angels, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter). The Angels officially announced the deal, revealing that the return is left-hander Packy Naughton, as well as either cash or a player to be named later.
Goodwin can play all three outfield positions, though his likeliest deployment in Cincinnati is left field or center field, giving the Reds an upgrade over Shogo Akiyama and rookie Mark Payton. Once Nick Senzel returns from the injured list, the Reds will be able to juggle some combination of Senzel, Goodwin, Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos between the three outfield spots and the DH position.
Over 109 plate appearances with the Angels this season, Goodwin has hit .242/.330/.463 (113 wRC+, 114 OPS+) with four home runs. It marks Goodwin’s second straight year of good production in Anaheim, after being claimed off waivers from the Royals in March 2019 and originally slated as a fill-in for an injured Justin Upton. The 34th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Goodwin was a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Nationals’ farm system but became expendable since Washington had several other outfielders in the pipeline. He is already 29, so is perhaps something of a post-hype breakout player, but Goodwin has shown that he can contribute as an everyday player.
This gives the Reds extra outfield depth going forward, as Goodwin is controlled via arbitration through the 2022 season. Senzel and Winker don’t appear to be going anywhere, and Akiyama is signed through 2022, plus Castellanos’ $64M contract runs through the 2023 season. Goodwin’s presence could give the Reds a plan B if Castellanos exercises either of the opt-out clauses in his contract (after this season or after the 2021 season).
Naughton was a last-second addition to the Reds’ 60-man player pool, which allowed him to be dealt to L.A. now rather than officially traded in a few months time as a player to be named later. A ninth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in the 2017 draft, Naughton has a 3.59 ERA, 3.72 K/BB rate, and 8.0 K/9 over 371 career minor league innings, starting 68 of his 70 games. MLB Pipeline ranked Naughton 14th in their list of the top 30 Cincinnati prospects, describing him as a “cerebral pitcher” whose “stuff doesn’t wow people, but it’s still considered a good enough three-pitch mix where he has the feel for his fastball (87-94 mph), slider and changeup.”
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