Reds could be surprise aggressors at trade deadline after hot stretch

The Cincinnati Reds are currently 39-36 and sit six games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central.

The Reds have gotten hot at the right time, winning seven of their last 10 and sitting just one-and-a-half games out of the third NL wild card spot.

Cincinnati has won its last four series, including taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers who hold the best record in Major League Baseball.

Led by Elly De La Cruz, the offense has been in the upper half of most categories. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott headline a talented Reds starting rotation and outside of facing the Cubs, the bullpen is one of the best in baseball.

With this recent surge, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal believes the Reds could be surprising aggressors at the trade deadline.

“I'll give you one team that I do expect to be more aggressive than we would expect, and that's the Cincinnati Reds,” said Rosenthal on Foul Territory. “They've invested a lot into this team already, they've got really good pitching, they've got more pitching coming, and they're a team that seems to be at least one bat away.”

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Could the Reds be one bat away from contending? It’s certainly possible. Adding a power bat to the middle of the lineup could work wonders for Cincinnati.

The question is, can one impact bat really make the Reds serious players in October?

“When healthy, their odds would improve greatly if they got a big bat as Rosenthal mentioned, but are the Reds only one bat away from competing with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets? I think it's hard to make that argument,” wrote FanSided’s Zachary Rotman.

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