Reds rumors: 3 trades Cincinnati should make with fellow contenders

1. The Reds should send RHP Fernando Cruz to the Dodgers

The Reds have one of the best and most depended-on bullpens in the MLB. They have seen almost every bullpen arm compete and deal quality innings this season. But, they will likely be active on the trade market, looking to improve their bullpen, despite how good it has been this year.

They still need to add a lefty and a high-leverage reliever to the backend of their bullpen. This could mean the Reds could shop Fernando Cruz the same way they shopped Joel Kuhnel.

Enter the Dodgers. The Dodgers are one of the best teams in the MLB, but they have the second-worst bullpen in terms of ERA (5.01 bullpen ERA). They will absolutely be adding bullpen arms before the deadline, with the quality of them being higher than Cruz for the most part. But, they could still take a flier on Cruz in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. The Astros recently acquired Reds reliever Joel Kuhnel in a similar deal to what the Dodgers could do.

Cruz hasn’t been spectacular this year, but he does have a wipeout splitter and has shown good signs of potential. Cruz is a guy that likely won’t have a spot with the Reds after they make bullpen acquisitions, so the Reds would be better off getting something in return for him, likely to a contender.