Williams: See who Cincinnati Reds should shop in trade to jolt MLB's worst-hitting lineup
Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com
Message: Yes, this season is still relatively young. And no, this Reds club won’t continue to hit .205 collectively, but I get the sense that anything from here may be too little, too late. Do the Reds need to make a move to bring in fire power? Who would be most likely to get the ax if Nick Krall pulled the trigger?
Reply: It certainly feels like this Reds season is on the brink of being lost. Everything is working against the Reds right now − the schedule and injuries. They have no margin for error.
But it's not time to panic. The schedule finally starts to lighten up following the next homestand, after 13 more games against the rugged NL West. I don't think the next 13 games are going to define this season − unless the Reds only win a couple of them.
For perspective, the Reds’ record was similar at this time last year. They were 17-21 through May 12 last season. They're 17-23 after Sunday's loss in San Francisco.
A big difference: The Reds had hot prospects on the verge of coming up to jolt the lineup at this time in 2023. Excitement was building for Matt McLain (May 15 debut) and Elly De La Cruz (June 6). The Reds don’t have any potential difference-making, position-player prospects who are ready to come up right now.
One reason not to freak out yet: The starting pitching has been strong top to bottom. Graham Ashcraft had the rotation’s highest ERA entering Sunday at 3.86. The Reds should stay competitive if the rotation keeps this up.
As such, the Reds need to do everything they can to make a move and jumpstart the lineup. Krall, president of baseball operations, is actively looking to make a deal, according to Enquirer Reds reporter Gordon Wittenmyer’s scoop last week.
Who could the Reds look to trade? For starters, they should aggressively shop Christian Encarnacion-Strand. And maybe Jonathan India. The Reds have some pitching prospects they could probably deal, too.
They’ll have to wait on shopping CES, who’s out at least a month with a broken wrist. What we’ve seen from the first baseman this season is about what to expect. CES is a feast-or-famine hitter, and he just doesn’t seem to fit on a team built around pitching, defense, getting on base and running.
Yes, you need a power hitter to drive in all those small-ball guys, but CES’ two home runs, sub-.200 batting average, 35 strikeouts and poor on-base percentage shows he's too one-dimensional. The Reds should’ve traded him last season, and they may be stuck with him now.
As for India, the Reds made the right decision not to trade him in the offseason. At the time, it looked like his leadership would be needed. And then McLain went down in spring training with the shoulder injury, opening the door for India to return to second base. But now the lineup needs a jolt, and India isn’t in the Reds’ long-term plans.
It's a good sign that Krall isn't waiting until closer to the Aug. 1 trade deadline to start looking to make a move. That's when it might be too little, too late.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds should shop Jonathan India in trade talks
