The Cincinnati Reds have made two trades at the 2020 trade deadline. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was the first to report on both of those deals. Brian Goodwin, an outfielder, was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in one deal. The Reds then acquired right-handed reliever Archie Bradley from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a second deal.
In the Archie Bradley deal the Reds are sending Arizona utilityman Josh VanMeter and outfield prospect Stuart Fairchild. Reports I had been hearing on Fairchild from Prasco Park were good. Entering the year, Fairchild was a top 10 prospect with the organization. The Reds are also getting cash back in this deal.
In the deal for Brian Goodwin the Reds are trading left-handed pitching prospect Packy Naughton to Los Angeles. They are also sending a player to be named later.
Brian Goodwin is currently hitting .242/.330/.463 through 30 games this season. The left-handed hitter has a career best OPS+ of 114 right now, and is coming off of a season in 2019 when he had an OPS+ of 108. He can play left field, center field, and right field – and he’s got experience at all three spots this year. He strikes out a lot, with a career rate of 28.4%. This season he’s walking at an 11% clip, up from an 8.6% rate over the previous three seasons. He is under team control through the 2022 season and is arbitration eligible in both 2021 and 2022.
Archie Bradley hasn’t been in the bullpen for his entire career, but has been there for the last four seasons. This season he’s sporting a 4.22 ERA, but in his career as a reliever his ERA is 3.01 in 227.0 innings – all for Arizona. This season he’s been crushed by a high BABIP, which currently sits at .448 on the year. The league average BABIP this season is .288. He has three walks and 12 strikeouts this season in 10.2 innings pitched and he’s notched six saves. Cincinnati will be hoping that the BABIP Gods allow things to even out for him moving forward. Bradley is under team control through 2021 and will be arbitration eligible.
Adding another outfielder to the mix is certainly an interesting move. The team also called up Aristides Aquino this afternoon, while optioning Joel Kuhnel back to Prasco Park. The addition of Bradley to the bullpen makes tons of sense. Cincinnati’s bullpen has either been good, or terrible. Consistency could go a long way to improving the late-inning woes for the Reds.
Another outfielder. HMM At least they called up Aquino.
And AA will start in LF tonight
How does Goodwin rate in CF vs. Shogo?
The Goodwin trade strikes me as insurance for Nick Senzel’s return or absence. Or, to fill the role held by Payton in a playoff run.
The Bradley trade gives us a potential back end weapon and/or an Andrew Miller (rightie of course) 7th inning weapon, with the playoffs and 2021 to be sorted out in time.
I like both of these trades. Goodwin is not all that great, but he can be helpful. I love the Bradley acquisition. With that said, there are two quick ways to make this team better offensively. Play Aquino, and get Stephenson up here.
Yeah, I agree. The Reds had 3 obvious issues going into the deadline (CFrs and LFrs not named Winker, the BP, and offense from the Catchers) and addressed two of them. The return for Goodwin and Bradley is reasonable.
It will be interesting to see where Bradley is pitched going forward. It will be nice to have another option in the late innings.
Thought I was agreeing to Dave CT, but Chris you are on the same page.
It’s good baseball operations, is what it is. Throw in the Reed deal, and they’ve done nicely.
VanMeter plus (especially) Fairchild seems like a lot for 1 additional year of Bradley. Since the end of the 2018 season, the Reds have moved a truckload of mid to high prospects who seemed like probable core pieces as early as 2021-22. So, far nothing to show for it in terms of results. If this doesn’t change, somebody named Dick Williams should have a lot of splainin’ to do.
I agree Ricky,I mean Jim. One guy had 262 at bats in the big leagues and is 25 years old and Fairchild hasn’t even got a cup of coffee yet. Seems like a lot to pay for a bullpen piece.We shall see in a couple of years or so.
Fairchild hasn’t shown much and was a college OF so he aint’ youngish anymore. We know Van Meter is a decent utility guy and nothing more. I think the deal was good for the Reds.
Not sure about Goodwin, or Naughton for that matter. In the end, I don’t think the Reds gave up ANYONE today that is part of their answer in 2023 and beyond…and that means I am okay with both trades in a vacuum.
It’s depressing. The White Sox were where the Reds were a couple of years ago and look at them now. They have a promising core of young players. The Reds took the route of free agent signings and trading away youth for guys with one year of control.
Williams has been horrible aside for the Sonny Gray trade. He has the 2010’s mindset where you give up prospects for guys on short term deals. It all started with that Dodgers fiasco. Williams took a promising team with a Top 10 farm system and turned it into an aging average to below average team with a weak farm system.
+500
I will credit the front office for the Disco/Latos trade and the Suarez/Simon trade. Those were excellent moves.
But the whole philosophy is where my problem is. Trading away good to great prospects for rentals, especially in years in which the Reds aren’t competing.
Trammell
Josiah Gray
Jeter Downs
Scott Moss
And now
Packy Naughton
JVM
Fairchild
Not all of those guys will pan out, but some will.
Reds need to be more realistic about their chances to compete. This “go for it” mentality is an attractive message but it’s not working. For the last 3 years, Reds have guessed wrong on being contenders. They have now further delayed the rebuild and further delayed the next winning season. I now no longer have faith in the front office.
The Reds gave up very little. Decent-but bit-great outfielder and need-a change-of-scenery mid-level prospects are not highly valuable.
Fairchild, who’ve I’ve enjoyed following since drafted, is a fringe average major league OF. I’d like him has a 4th guy, not much more. Which for where he was drafted is actually a good outcome. JVM is a decent bench piece. For Bradley.
I like the Bradley deal more than the Goodwin deal. But I hate to give up Fairchild, that stung some.
Giving up Naughton for Goodwin further depletes the LH side in the organization. Goodwin is now the de facto CF. That further gives me the sense that Senzel is not coming back this year.
Much better than standing pat, and they didn’t give away a Josiah Gray like they did to LAD.
No LH reliever acquired when several were dealt today was not a good sign, but the Reds get a strong B, maybe a B+, for trade deadline day.
Fairchild, I agree, has been a nice player to watch come along but he’s likely not more than a 4th OF. So, he’s easily replaceable even though not necessarily as a young, controllable player. JVM is also a bench piece going forward. So the same for him. For Bradley and cash, I’ll take it.
Aquino is probably up only until Goodwin gets to town.
I’m hoping that’s the case also, instead of Aquino up and down again.
In my opinion the bottom line is they are stronger today than they were yesterday. Glad they are going for it this year. I think Goodwin takes over for Jankowski and I like adding Bradley to the Bullpen.
This could mean Senzel return is far away… maybe Goodwin/Aquino is a likely platoon in LF or making trio with Winker… Payton might be optioned to Prasco… Looking for a sense on this move, Goodwin seems to be better option than Payton
When I heard about Goodwin and did a bit of research on him, it seems to me that he is the replacement for Payton. Goodwin is a lefthanded hitter with experience and a 114 wRC+ this year. Possibly Goodwin and Aquino will platoon in left until Senzel returns.
I suggested Bradley as Arizona is not in position to challenge. Reds need a LH pitcher in the pen but I don’t think any is available. Like to see Aquino get hot and mash some balls and infuse some life into this morbid offense. I’ll give the FO kudos for giving it a go with these trades and I hope it works.
Like both the trades. Especially like both could be here longer than just this season. I liked Goodwin when he played for the Nats, remember advocating for the Reds get him to lead off…but those were dog days of the Price era….
For the prospect price it costs, seems the prospects were worth the additions in a year we’re trying for the playoffs.
Any idea who the PTBNL will be? Usually they get leaked out.
Bradley deal is fine. Hate giving up Fairchild since he seemed to turn a bit of a corner but he’s still down the roster. They are weaker in LH pitching after trading Packy on top of Moss last year and it’s a bit to give up for a utility outfielder but whatever. Not a big desk either way imo.
The player cannot come from the 60 man pool.
That is why so many PTBNL may be on the trades (not reds) this year.
Bradley replaces DeLeon and Goodwin replaces Payton on the 28 man roster. Winker basically full time DH. Goodwin and Shogo rotate in CF and Shogo and Aquino rotate in LF based on pitching matchups. Bradley and Iglesias share closer role going forward.
Wonder what’s happening with Ervin and Strop. Hopefully, we can trade them like getting O’Brien for Reed. Get a couple of minor leaguers to replace VanMeter, Fairchild and Naughton, lost in today’s trades.
No news yet on either… Give it a couple more days I’m sure we will see what happened to then.
A good move by the FO to strengthen the late game bullpen, especially some competition for Iglesias as closer.
@Chris – Very wise. 🙂
Like the Bradley deal, don’t think Fairchild was in any OF lineup projections for the next 5 years.
I don’t get this incessant need to gather MORE mediocre OFs. Don’t we already have a glut on the roster? It seems to me OF is the one position we don’t need MORE bodies, causing even more time off for better players. Goodwin is solid, but nothing special and any time he is in the lineup it means someone else that can hit is not.
I am not sure about Packy Naughton’s upside. Maybe it wasn’t too much to give up, but don’t see the need for a Goodwin on this team.
all of that said, just glad they didn’t trade a top 10 prospect for 3 or 4 weeks of some good, not great RP. My head would have exploded.
Yeah. Don’t understand about the outfielder either. ???
Outfielder: If Senzel does not return and Payton not up to the task, it’s needed now, flexible 4th-5th outfielder next year.
Didn’t Bell say Garcia was going to basically be the every day SS for the most part? Has he played in two games in a row?
Garcia needs to play every day.It serves no purpose for him to set.Freddy will not be here next year so whats 25 games or so for Garcia to play.Makes no sense if he can play.
one of those is not like the others
I am good with both trades. Fairchild has a little potential but I think he was hyped up a little more than he was worth.
Packy I don’t know much about The player to be named later probably will be a prospect in the top 15 to 20 players.
Overall I like both deals. I think they probably let Iggy continue to pitch the 9th unless he really starts blowing it. If the team is smart they talked to Iggy and said look your the closer we are just getting someone to set you up better. Confidence seems important to the quality of Iggy’s pitching.
As for the OF situation. I too am kinda surprised we got another decent OF to put out there. I guess if Castellanos leaves we have at least an option out there. I am hoping he stay on the merit that hopefully we have a full season next year and he can build his value even higher. It’s not like the team is paying him a handful of change next season and he does still have the opt out after next season as well.
Gave up too much for not enough. This seems like a deal for next year, not to help with this year.
Don’t you think both will help
Immediately, as well?
Interesting point.
Overall. trades are OK. Not great, but just good enough, if they’re able to perform from the get go. In Goodwin’s case, he’s under team control for at least two more seasons, he’s still relatively young at 29 (30 next November) with an OPS near the .800 mark and, as always, is yet to be seen the exchanged prospect’s future. Bradley’s case looks more promising: proved BP arm, younger at 28, but under team control for only one more season. Players given in exchange were not going make any impact, though, UT/AAA+ as much.
Don’t like to see Packy Naughton go. That one will probably sting in the future.
I liked Fairchild but the Reds have a bunch of players like him or better coming up, like TJ Friedl, Michael Siani. I hope JVM can get some PT somewhere and have a decent career.
Most of all, I hope the acquisition of Goodwin does not mean that there is something extra wrong with Nick Senzel. I have a specific dread of what it could be, but it would be stupid for me to say it. So I just hope he’s ok.
I saw that on Twitter L’il Senzii has given strong indications of his soon return.
The parts keep moving but the results stay the same. I don’t know what the problem is but there’s something fundamentally wrong with this organization. Mental? Jeff Brantley said the Cardinals are in the Reds head and they need to overcome it. I agree. They own us.