Cincinnati Reds Made the Right Choice to Pivot Away From Luis Robert Jr. Trade

The Cincinnati Reds have been busy over the last couple of days adding multiple players to the roster. One report had them linked to an even bigger upgrade, though I am not sure it would have been better than what actually happened.

According to Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic, the Reds and Chicago White Sox were in serious negotiations that would've sent center fielder Luis Robert to Cincinnati. Talks stalled on Sunday as the two sides couldn't find middle ground on the players the trade would involve or the money heading to Cincinnati.

The Reds are not the only team that has tried to acquire Robert.

Rosenthal even said that the San Francisco Giants were in talks with the White Sox but that talks stalled in that case, as well. Earlier this offseason, multiple teams were reportedly interested in the outfielder, but those teams have since ended pursuit.

It is clear that the White Sox are asking too much for Robert.

Coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the White Sox are trying to hit the reset button…with one trade. Rosenthal said the Reds were talking about sending Edwin Arroyo to Chicago as part of the deal, but that the two teams weren’t in agreement on that, or if there were other players involved. 

The Reds dodged a bullet here by not overpaying for Robert.

His talent is undeniable, but his durability is highly dubious. He has just one season where he played in more than 100 games. For that reason, I would not want the Reds to overpay for him like the White Sox are clearly asking them to do.

Had the Reds went through with the overpay for Robert, that likely would have been it for their offseason moves. While that would have helped the outfield, but that would not have helped the bullpen.

I much prefer the acquisitions of Austin Hays and Taylor Rogers to Robert. Nick Krall has added a good quantity of talent for Terry Francona to work with. A championship team is more than just a few stars. It needs to be a deep roster. 

The Reds chose the right path.