3 Reds players who aren’t on the trade block, but should be

The Cincinnati Reds have been incredible lately. They have a few players in the MLB that haven’t been shopped but should probably be on the trade block.

The Cincinnati Reds have completely flipped their entire season around since Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott debuted. But their young prospect takeover doesn’t end there. They have multiple players in the minor leagues that are playing well enough to deserve a promotion, but they don’t have a spot on the roster just yet.

The Reds are also likely to be active at the trade deadline, which could lead to more players having to lose their roster spot. The Reds will likely look to acquire bullpen help before the deadline, which leaves some of their relief arms in question. They could also add a starting pitcher, when paired with the returns of Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, spells trouble for starters in the backend of the Reds rotation.

Let’s look at players that, according to MLB rumors, anyway, are not yet on the trade block, but perhaps should be.

Reds SS Kevin Newman should be traded now at his peak value

Kevin Newman has been discussed in trade rumors, but every time this seems to happen, he begins to play well again, which results in his spot on the Reds remaining safe. But Newman doesn’t have a very valuable role on the Reds roster. He is a platoon-only player that hits left-handed pitchers much better than right-handed pitchers. Even with his splits, he is only hitting about .300 against southpaws, which is down from where it was earlier in the season.

Newman is still a negative WAR player and a below-average defender, especially at first base, where he’s been used frequently as of late. His value to the Reds continues to shrink, but he has found himself as a staple in the Reds platoon lineup for lefties. This isn’t a hard spot to replace, as the Reds could do so with a younger, better-hitting corner infielder that they have sitting in Triple-A Louisville.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand is the perfect replacement for Kevin Newman. Newman’s loss on the Reds roster would be patched up quite easily, while the Reds could receive decent value in return for him because of an opposing team’s desperation for infield help. The Reds haven’t openly shopped the veteran shortstop, but he should definitely be on the trade block before the deadline.