With the Reds sliding toward seller mode, the trade deadline picture in Cincinnati is starting to sharpen fast. The club was supposed to be in the mix for a playoff push, but instead it sits at the bottom of the NL Central with less than a month left before the August 3 deadline.
That leaves the Reds with a clear decision to make: move pieces now and try to reload, or stand pat and let useful trade chips walk later. Elly De La Cruz is not part of that conversation, despite the noise from some fans online. But several other Reds are looking more and more like deadline casualties.
Brock Burke is near the top of that list. Cincinnati picked up the left-hander in a three-team deal this past offseason, and he has been the club’s most dependable left-handed reliever.
In 46 appearances, Burke has put up a 3.05 ERA. The catch is his 14.1% walk-rate, which could trim the return a bit, but left-handed bullpen arms are always in demand this time of year.
With Burke set to become a free agent after this season, it would be a surprise if he’s still in Cincinnati after August 3.
Brady Singer also fits the profile of a pitcher who could draw plenty of interest. The Reds are carrying six starters on the active roster, though Rhett Lowder has recently shifted to the bullpen, and Singer is under team control through the 2026 season.
His overall numbers are down from last year, but he has been solid lately, posting a 2.83 ERA over his last five starts. He’s already made 18 starts this season and has reached 150 or more innings in each of the past four seasons, which gives him the kind of durability teams love to chase in late July.
Nathaniel Lowe is another name that looks movable. His early surge has cooled, and over the last month he’s hit just .200/.312/.288.
Even so, the former Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award-winner still offers a contender a left-handed bat off the bench and some veteran presence in the clubhouse. Cincinnati signed Lowe to a minor-league deal in February, so anything the Reds can get back would be a win, even if the return is modest.
If Lowe goes, it could also create a path for former Colorado Rockies slugger Michael Toglia, who is mashing in the minors.
Caleb Ferguson rounds out the group. Like Burke, and possibly Sam Moll as well, he looks like a likely trade candidate.
Ferguson started the season on the IL and got off to a slow beginning, but he has settled in since returning and become one of the more productive arms in the Reds’ bullpen. In 18 appearances, he owns a 2.00 ERA and 3.11 FIP with 17 strikeouts and seven walks.
He’s also headed for free agency after the 2026 season, and despite his Ohio ties, he does not appear likely to re-sign with Cincinnati.
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Eugenio Surez Just Reached A Painful Crossroads With The Reds
Eugenio Surez came back to Cincinnati with the kind of expectations that usually follow a familiar face returning to a place where he once mattered. Instead, the season has been defined by interrupted rhythm and missed time, including a left oblique strain that cost him 25 games, and by the broader frustration of a Reds club sitting in last place and looking toward the August 3 trade deadline with a sellers mindset.
For Surez, the crossroads is less about nostalgia than about whether there is still enough production left to matter in the stretch run. His offensive numbers have lagged, his defensive value has slipped, and even with Terry Francona publicly showing faith in what Surez can still provide, the bigger question around the veteran is whether Cincinnati can get enough out of him to change the conversation at all. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Costly New Reality On Jacob Misiorowski
The Reds long-term bet on Chase Burns has already sent a ripple through the division, and it is the kind of move that tends to reset the market for young pitching. A seven-year, $105 million extension gives Cincinnati cost certainty on a right-hander with front-line upside, while also putting a fresh price tag on what elite, pre-arbitration arms can command when teams decide to buy out the future early.
For Milwaukee, that matters because Jacob Misiorowski is now the next name to watch in the same conversation. The Brewers have a pitcher whose performance this season has only strengthened his case, and the Burns deal suggests any serious extension talks would have to climb well past that benchmark. In other words, if the Brewers want to lock Misiorowski in, they may be staring at a number that gets uncomfortable in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Prospect Just Made The Kind Of Debut Fans Notice
Ben Wereski did not need long to make an impression in the Reds organization. The Double-A right-hander, now with the Chattanooga Lookouts, was named Player of the Week after a dominant first outing that immediately put him on the radar in a system that has been leaning hard toward college arms and polished, ready-made talent in recent drafts.
Wereskis path makes the debut even more notable. He pitched at Columbia and Rutgers, spent time in independent ball before landing with Cincinnati, and arrived with the kind of backstory that often comes with a little extra urgency. With the Reds continuing to build around college players and with draft rules potentially shifting in ways that could change how clubs like Cincinnati attack future classes, performances like this one only sharpen the conversation around who might be next to rise. [Read more 🡒]