Blockbuster Mock Trade Sends Three Reds Players to Chicago

Jul 28, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) scores a run against the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Blockbuster Mock Trade Sends Three Reds Players to Chicago

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Greg Kuffner | Last updated Jul 31, 2026 3:05 PM ET

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Major League Baseball's trade deadline is just a couple of days away. The Reds have plenty of players who are on expiring contracts and will likely be on the move.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently wrote an article and included one trade every team should make at the deadline. Here is his proposal for the Reds:

Reds Receive: IF Javier Mogollon (No. 10 CWS), SP David Sandlin
White Sox Receive: SP Brady Singer, C Tyler Stephenson, RP Brock Burke

"The return here isn't earth-shattering, but Javier Mogollon has an .827 OPS in 59 games and was recently promoted to High-A, while David Sandlin made his MLB debut earlier this year and represents a plug-and-play replacement for Singer with upside," Reuter wrote.

"The Reds would trim roughly $7.5 million from the books if they offloaded the three players listed above, so that will also be motivation to get a deal done."

You can see all of Reuter's mock trades here.

Why the Reds Would Not Do This

While yes, all three Reds players in this deal are on expiring contracts, it certainly feels like this would be a massive overpay by the Reds. Starting pitching is always desperately needed at the deadline. With that being said, Singer should have decent value by himself. There is no reason to package him with Stephenson and Burke.

Burke has been fantastic this year for the Reds. Like Singer, he should also have some standalone value. While rental relievers don't often go for much, the Twins traded their 21st and 29th prospects to the Twins for rental reliever AJ Minter on Friday.

Stephenson is one of the best available catchers on the market. Like Burke and Singer, he will also have standalone value.

Mogollon is certainly an interesting prospect, but he's still only ranked No. 10 in Chicago's system and was recently promoted to High-A, meaning there's still plenty of development ahead of him. Sandlin, meanwhile, doesn't move the needle enough for me to make up the difference. He has already reached the big leagues and could potentially step into Singer's spot in the rotation, but he profiles more as a back-end option than a high-upside piece.

Ultimately, the Reds would be giving up three useful major leaguers and essentially getting one notable prospect in return, which feels incredibly light even with all three players set to hit free agency.

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This article first appeared on Cincinnati Reds on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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