Reds predicted to trade for All-Star third baseman to solve big problem

Billy Heyen

Reds predicted to trade for All-Star third baseman to solve big problem image

The Cincinnati Reds could use some help at third base.

The Colorado Rockies may be happy to provide it as they only can choose to rebuild amid a nightmare season.

Ryan McMahon, a slugging former All-Star, should be available. ESPN's David Schoenfield writes that the Reds should go get him.

"The Reds should absolutely be looking to add -- and third base has been a black hole all season, with Reds third basemen ranking near the bottom of the majors in OPS. They released Jeimer Candelario, even though he's under contract for $16 million this year and another $16 million in 2026, but the ongoing roulette spin to see who starts from Santiago Espinal, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux isn't a solution. The Reds also have a couple of third-base prospects in Sal Stewart and Cam Collier that they could offer in return. It's just a matter of them absorbing more salary on top of Candelario's sunken cost."

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McMahon has hit 12 home runs this season while batting just .219, but he's a career .241 hitter, so there could be some positive regression to the mean if he joins a better batting lineup.

The lefty swinger is on pace to reach the 20-homer mark for the fifth consecutive season.

Cincinnati, like Schoenfield writes, could use someone with a pulse over there who can once in a while launch a long ball.

That's who McMahon is, and the Reds should make the call.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle