Cincinnati Reds: 3 familiar faces to trade for not named Aroldis Chapman

Twins RHP Jose De Leon could make a return to Cincinnati, but it’s not the most likely option

The Reds bullpen has been continuously depleted down the stretch of June. They faced many injuries in their starting rotation, resulting in their starters being a bit worse and not being able to go as deep into games as they expected. In turn, this has increased the load on the bullpen tremendously. When this has happened, the Reds have opted to call up players from Triple-A to fill in while they await their starters returning.

The bad news is these call-ups have often been less than adequate replacements for such a talented team. The Reds likely need to make a move for a reliever or two and Jose De Leon would make sense for the Reds.

The issue here is that this trade may not make much sense for the Twins. De Leon has been good for the Twins this year, providing them with a consistent reliever for the middle innings of a game. He’s thrown 17 innings and allowed less hits than innings pitched, showing flashes of potential with his sub-5 ERA.

De Leon wouldn’t provide the Reds with the sole difference maker to a World Series team, but he is much better than their Triple-A options. The former Red wouldn’t provide any issues with the clubhouse and if the Twins are willing to move him, Cincinnati would be a good destination to do so.