Reds' core remains mostly intact after quiet Deadline

CINCINNATI -- With no shortage of available players -- including seven with expiring contracts at season's end -- the Reds were figured to be a very active club with transactions ahead of Monday's Trade Deadline. However, it did not turn out that way.

When the clock struck 6 p.m. ET, two players had departed Cincinnati. Lefty slugging first baseman/designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe went to the Guardians for infielder Juan Brito and Minor League right-hander Alejandro Rivera.

Right at the zero hour, lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson went to the Cardinals for $250,000 of international bonus space.

Meanwhile, catcher Tyler Stephenson, starting pitcher Brady Singer, third baseman Eugenio Suárez and relievers Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson remained with the Reds. All can become free agents after the season, but the level of interest from other clubs appeared low.

“We had a lot of conversations about a lot of guys, but at the end of the day, the deals weren’t just there for us. That’s why we moved the guys we did," president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “You would hope that more things would happen, but at this point, they just didn’t."

TRADE DETAILS

Reds receive: IF Juan Brito, Minor League RHP Alejandro Rivera
Guardians receive: 1B/DH Nathaniel Lowe

Reds receive: $250,000 international bonus space
Cardinals receive: LHP Caleb Ferguson

The 24-year-old Brito made his Major League debut this season with Cleveland and is batting .176 in 15 games at second base. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Columbus, where he batted .237 with a .745 OPS, nine homers and 48 RBIs in 83 games. The Reds will assign the switch-hitter to Triple-A Louisville.

Rivera, 19, had a 3.06 ERA in 13 games (nine starts) between Cleveland's Rookie-level and Single-A affiliates this season. He will report to Single-A Daytona.

"We thought that he has a chance to be a starter in the big leagues. Obviously, he’s 19, but we felt there was upside there," Krall said.

The 30-year-old veteran Lowe was signed by Cincinnati to a Minor League contract in February and made the club out of Spring Training. He batted .266 with an .821 OPS, 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in 83 games, but his opportunities were often limited lately behind rookie Sal Stewart at first base.

"We traded Nate, who did a great job here for us, but we felt we’re going to bring [Reds' No. 3 prospect] Héctor Rodríguez up tomorrow, and it’s a spot we had to fill internally.”

Ferguson, 30, signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Reds on Dec. 18. He opened the season on the injured list with a right oblique injury and posted a 4.01 ERA in 26 appearances (one start) this season.

One player under club control through 2028 who was involved in rumors, outfielder JJ Bleday, is also not changing clubs. Bleday has 19 homers and an .805 OPS this season.

“He’s a guy that was a very popular ask on the trade market," Krall said. "We felt that we have him for several years or more under control. We’re really excited to have him.”

Perhaps the most notable players to stick around were Singer and Stephenson.

Singer, who will start for the Reds vs. the A's Tuesday, dealt with a blister out of Spring Training and pitched through a couple of nagging injuries early on after being hit by comebackers. After a rough first two months, he has a 2.73 ERA over his past nine starts and is a venerable innings-eater.

Singer could be in play for a qualifying offer after the season as a free agent and would bring Draft-pick compensation if he didn't accept.

“I think we’re going to play the rest of the season out and see what happens, but I think we’ll discuss that when we get to November," Krall said.

After a slow start, Stephenson is batting .348 with a .992 OPS in 35 games since June 7. The calculus was that there was more value in keeping the group as veterans on a younger club, while acknowledging the risk that all five players could depart for nothing as free agents.

“We weighed that going into the Deadline, but at the end of the day, what we were getting back from teams we talked to at the Deadline didn’t offset that for the last two months of the season," Krall said.

The Reds are 53-58 and 5 1/2 games out from the final National League Wild Card berth with five clubs to leapfrog. But they have won eight of their last 12 games and three of their last four series, and Krall felt like the club had to hold the line on its asking prices for trade returns.

“Obviously, we’ve played really well over the course of the last few weeks," he said. "This team is, we feel, finally together and moving in the same direction. But at the same time, we looked at it as what’s the best moves for this organization now and for the future.”