All the talks heading into the deadline were centered on Matt Garza and Denard Span. It seemed like one of the former first round picks would be heading to the Cincinnati Reds to help make a World Series push.
As the deadline approached though it became more and more clear that the prices for these two may be too high. So Red’s management began to look elsewhere.
Around an hour before the 4:00 PM deadline the deal came through, the Red’s had acquired reliever Jonathon Broxton from the Royals.
An ERA of 2.27 and 23 saves on the season make Braxton one of the best closers in baseball, but durability has been a question of late.
The real question on the minds of all Reds’ fans though is, why a reliever? With the best ERA in the National League the relief staff is already stellar and perhaps the sturdiest position on the team.
So what was the thinking behind bringing Broxton in?
The answer has two parts to it. The first is quite obvious, he is incredibly talented.
Even though Cincinnati is already pretty assured at the position it never hurts to bring in a little more help. The Reds would much rather have to deal with the “problem” of too many talented players then not enough.
The second part has nothing really to do with Broxton himself, but rather with the team as it is. With the other, more high profile trades the asking price was just too high. After using most of their resources on Mat Latos in the offseason and signing big deals with Votto and Phillips it was the right move to play it conservative.
It was the smart move to hold onto the high level prospects that are still left. Even without signing that extra bat or starter the current Reds’ roster is good enough to win it all.
The fans may not be happy with it but the move is a smart one for management. Keeping the current group will bring them together as a team and make a difference down the stretch.
With Votto coming back, and a 3 game lead on Pittsburgh, the Reds are looking like the National League favorites heading into August. This may be the year that all the pieces finally comes together in Cincinnati.