Reds predicted to trade for 35-homer All-Star outfielder from Twins

The Cincinnati Reds haven't been the biggest spenders in baseball lately, but that doesn't mean they haven't tried.

They were interested in Kyle Schwarber before he returned to the Philadelphia Phillies, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they showed interest in top trade candidates this summer.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicted that the Reds would acquire one of those trade candidates in All-Star Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton at the MLB trade deadline.

Reds predicted to trade for Byron Buxton at deadline

"Twins star Byron Buxton waives his no-trade clause and is traded to the Reds at the deadline with two-and-a-half years of control remaining on his contract," Bowden predicts.

This would be a surprising move for the Twins to make, as landing Buxton, one of the more sought-after players in trade talks the last few years, would be a major commitment from the Reds front office and ownership.

Last season for the Twins, despite Minnesota being one of the worst teams in the league and trading a large chunk of their roster at the deadline, Buxton was a fantastic player.

He put up 4.9 bWAR in 126 games played, the most games he's played in a season since 2017. Buxton had 129 hits, 97 runs scored, 21 doubles, seven triples, 35 home runs, 83 RBIs, 24 stolen bases (zero caught stealing), a .264 batting average, and an .878 OPS.

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In his big-league career, Buxton has a 114 OPS+ and .795 OPS, with his .856 OPS since 2021 being the exact kind of player any team would love to have.

Combined with this good offense is fantastic defense, and great base running. While the outfield in Cincinnati isn't terrible, adding Buxton would be well worth it.

The cost might be a lot, but for someone whose upside is as good as Buxton's, he would be worth the investment if they could make a trade work.

Bowden is predicting that the Reds and the Twins will work out a deal at the trade deadline to send the All-Star outfielder to Cincinnati.

It would be for a big package, but Buxton, the 32-year-old star with MVP-upside, is the kind of player that would be worth splurging on.

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