Terry Francona discusses reaching his 2,000th career managerial win with Cincinnati Reds
Terry Francona discusses reaching his 2,000th career managerial win with Cincinnati Reds
NEW YORK – The Cincinnati Reds are buyers, and they’re open for business.
How aggressive they’ll get between now and the MLB trade deadline on July 31 is another question.
But with less than two weeks to go, they’ve taken a firm buyer’s stance and are in the midst of talks with every would-be trade partner to gauge options for adding a hitter and bullpen help, general manager Brad Meador said.
There’s still time for that to change. But a team that played its 100th game July 20 in the middle of a playoff chase is looking to give its October-tested manager, Terry Francona, help at the deadline.
“We have to keep playing well,” Meador said. “And the other thing is we’re always going to look at short-term and long-term; we’re not going to make any decisions that are going to set us back for five years.
“That being said, if there’s something we can do to boost this team and put us in better position to get in the playoffs and have a better chance in the playoffs, then we’re going to do that.”
The Reds came out of the All-Star break and beat the New York Mets twice to move to 1 1/2 games behind the final wild-card position. In the process, they passed the St. Louis Cardinals in the standings and entered July 20 with only the San Francisco Giants between them and the San Diego Padres, who own the final wild-card spot.
“Hopefully, we’re able to add and keep moving forward,” Meador said.
Don’t expect the Reds to necessarily go after the biggest names circulating in the rumor mill.
But while a lot of the buyers are negotiating for starting pitchers, the Reds are measuring every corner of the hitter market for an upgrade – with an eye on upgrading the team’s overall fielding, too.
That means that both in terms of potential cost and upgrade factor, somebody like Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon, a former All-Star with an excellent glove in a down offensive year, could be an upside fit in a way that Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suarez, a worse-fielding option having his best offensive season, might not (even for a reunion with a popular player).
Suarez, 34, might cost more in player capital, even as a rent-a-player on an expiring contract. McMahon, 30, has two years of club control left at $16 million per.
“I do think we can improve our team defensively as well,” Meador said when asked about the kind of hitter the club might want to add. “We can improve this team defensively and still give ourselves a better chance. It doesn’t just have to be a middle-of-the-lineup hitter. There are other ways to improve this team.”
The Reds don’t seem necessarily close to narrowing their targets that specifically yet. Because of the versatility they have on the roster in players such as Spencer Steer, they’re able to think across the gamut of position possibilities for upgrades.
“If there’s a hitter that can help us in our lineup, I think there’s a different place that we can make that work,” he said.
The other big uncertainty with more than a week before the market hits the traditional frenzy mode in the final days involves the large number of teams occupying the middle muck of fringe wild-card contention.
Seven teams in the National League that trail their division leaders were within 4 1/2 games of wild-card position entering play July 20 – including the fence-sitting Arizona Diamondbacks, who opened the season with pennant aspirations.
Seven were in that position in the American League.
“A lot of teams are in the same boat we are,” Meador said.
Which is a reminder that the Reds intentions could change quickly with a sudden swoon in the next week or so.
But that’s not the front office intent right now.
And Meador said based on conversations around the league so far, he suspects “there could be some movement here this week.”
Maybe even for the Reds.
“If something presents itself to help you right now, to boost you, between now and the deadline, that makes sense, then we would do it,” he said. “We’re not waiting until the 31st to make a move just because that’s the deadline. But it has to make sense.”