MLB trade grades: Reds take a flyer on former Mariners All-Star

The Cincinnati Reds are dead last in the NL Central at 50-55, but this season, that is not enough to disqualify Cincy from the postseason hunt. There's a world in which the Reds mount a Wild Card push, especially if the front office operates aggressively ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

Most trade rumors have painted the Reds as sellers, and reasonably so, but Cincinnati pulled off an unexpected deal for an immediate MLB contributor on Monday. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, former Seattle Mariners All-Star Ty France is on his way to Cincinnati in exchange for minor-league catcher Andruw Salcedo.

France, recently DFA'd by the Mariners, gets a fresh start in the midwest. The Reds' offense is 28th in total hits this season, so an injection of proven bat-to-ball skills is much needed. France was an All-Star in 2022 and, at 30 years old, he's still in his athletic prime. It's not unreasonable for the Reds to have confidence in France's ability to help, even if he has struggled rather substantially this season.

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Reds trade for Mariners outcast Ty France, boosting infield depth

Salcedo is not highly ranked in the Reds' farm system, so this move comes with minimal risk for Cincinnati. France is under team control through next season, so the Reds should get an extended look at him. Experienced at both corner infield spots, as well as second base, France provides depth in areas of need for Cincinnati.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand is on the 60-day IL right now, while Jeimer Candelario's production tends to come in waves. Cincinnati needs a more consistent infield bat; it's not clear if France can provide that, but he's certainly in line for consistent reps and a chance to carve out an everyday spot in the Reds' lineup. That was obviously not the situation France faced on a more competitive Seattle team.

France's metrics are down across the board this season. He's a below-average defender, and always has been, so the Reds will count on the bat coming to life. There are faint glimmers of hope. His chase rate (25.5), in the 65th percentile, signals a disciplined approach in the batter's box. France has struck out more than his fair share this season (83 in 300 ABs), but that is uncharacteristic. He has a long history of battling at the plate and putting the ball in play.

He's currently hitting .233 on the season with a .662 OPS, the lowest of his career. On one hand, it's hard to feel great about how France has performed this season, but on the other hand, he has literally never been this bad before. He's due for positive regression, which could coincide with an overdue change of scenery. A fresh start should, hopefully, do France a lot of good.

France has eight home runs and 31 RBI to date. The Reds aren't wanting for power as much as contact, but France can drive in runs and rack up extra-base hits when it's all clicking. Odds are this won't drastically change the Reds' trajectory this season, but it does reinforce the Reds at weak positions and protect against further injuries.

For Seattle, it's clear France was falling out of the rotation. Salcedo is slashing .188/.350/.188 through seven games with High-A Daytona. The 21-year-old has a long way to go, but catcher depth never goes out of style.

Reds grade: B
Mariners grade: C