Three Players the Cincinnati Reds Should Target Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Cincinnati Reds find themselves in an odd spot. As of July 1st, they find themselves three games over .500, but are 5.5 games out of the NL Central and 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.

Ideally, you would like a clear direction to where this team could go going into the deadline. With an expanded Wild Card, more teams could be buyers, rather than sellers. What will the Reds do? I would like to see them buy, but not blow up the farm system doing so.

Here are some candidates the Reds should target:

Jake Byrd from the Colorado Rockies is a relief pitcher that I would like to see the Reds take a look at.

In 2025, Byrd has a 2.68 ERA in 36 games with a 1.44 ERA in 19 home games pitching in Coors Field. Left handed relief pitchers will be a hot commodity, so looking into a right handed reliever with good reverse splits could be a something the Reds could inquirer.

His splits vs lefties are really solid. He has 28 strikeouts and only 8 walks, opposed to 29 strikeouts and 11 walks against right handed batters. Left handed batters are hitting .244, while righties are hitting .221. The Rockies have been historicly bad this season, so trading for one of their better relievers could be costly. Either way, the Reds should look to prioritize relief options at the deadline.

Luis Robert is an outfielder that has been often linked to the Reds for a possible trade. Now could be the time to pounce. Roberts was placed on the 10 Day IL with a hamstring strain and has underwelmed in Chicago this season. With an OPS of just .583, he does have 22 stolen bases and 8 home runs. Maybe a change of scenery could spark Robert Jr. into the player he showed flashes of in 2021 and 2023?