Fansided

Top 25 tradeable pieces to keep an eye on this season

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – JUNE 8: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds bats against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on June 8, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – JUNE 8: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds bats against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on June 8, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

6. Scooter Gennett

Inexplicably, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett has blossomed into an MVP candidate less than two years removed from being cast aside by the Milwaukee Brewers after a year in which he hit .263/.317/.412 with 14 home runs and eight stolen bases. Gennett has found a power stroke to make himself the National League’s answer to Jose Abreu and continues to show his four-homer game last year was no fluke.

Since joining the Reds, Gennett is a .309/.353/.540 hitter with a home run every 17.8 at-bats. With over a third of the 2018 season gone, he is hitting .340/.376/.558 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 39 RBI. Gennett was a solid player before being passed over by the Brewers, but never showed any signs that he was capable of putting up numbers like this.

Gennett was picked up the Reds to play a backup role to top prospect Jose Peraza, who has shifted over to shortstop after the departure of Zack Cozart. The 28-year-old is still a year away from free agency and is not blocking any top prospects down in the minor leagues. The best hitter in the Reds farm system, Nick Senzel, can shift to the outfield down the road.

The Reds have not made much progress with their rebuilding effort because they began it with very few tradeable assets. Gennett looks like the real deal and the type of player a team like Cincinnati could lock up with a long-term extension. Selling high isn’t a terrible idea, either, and the rest of the league would certainly line up to make trade offers for a second baseman with an OPS over .900 and another year of arbitration before free agency.

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