The MLB Trade Deadline is a hard thing to assess right away, with the real measure of a front office's success or failure coming after the fact both down the stretch and in the years to come. However, we're at least comfortable with our assessment that the Cincinnati Reds failed the deadline on multiple levels. Here's 3 Reasons Why The Reds Front Office Gets An F At The Deadline.
A 'Meh' Return For Johnny Cueto
The Royals organization was high on lefty Brandon Finnegan, but there's a chance he'll never graduate to more than being a solid setup option. That's fine in and of itself, but it's hardly an ace-level return if that's the case. Lefties Cody Reed and John Lamb are undeniably talented, but again some scouts believe they'll jump to the Majors as bridge relievers and not starters. All of that is partially speculative, mind you, but we're not exactly blown away by what the Reds got back on first and second glance.
Another Iffy Return For Mike Leake
Righty pitching prospect Keury Mella has a nice fastball, but he has to develop any semblance of a secondary-pitch arsenal. First baseman Adam Duvall's coming-home story is heartwarming indeed and his bat has pop. But, his speed and defensive peripherals are below average, slotting him as a one- or two-tool player at this juncture. Mike Leake is the type of pitcher that's essential to any pitching staff -- a back-end innings eater who can go on month-long streaks of dominance at random. Once again this is an underwhelming return for a valuable pitcher.
False Starting The Rebuild
Whether or not the Cueto and Leake deals pan out, the fact remains that Reds GM Walt Jocketty dipped his toe in the rebuilding pool without really pushing the reset button. Jocketty could have brought in a relative haul for closer Aroldis Chapman and talented outfielder Jay Bruce, but either he couldn't find the returns he wanted or he was looking at the deals as seriously as baseball pundits thought. Either way, the Reds are now stuck in limbo without their ace (Cueto) and without a clear plan for an organizational reboot.
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