A Reds-A trade to give Cincinnati’s offense a power boost

It’s no secret that the Cincinnati Reds offense is in desperate need of offensive help this season. Before the year started, Cincinnati was going to lean heavily on their superstars Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz.

Fast forward to a fourth through the season, and De La Cruz was the only regular in the lineup. McLain has been sidelined with a shoulder injury and will likely miss at least 80 percent of the year. Marte was served a half-season suspension for PEDs. Encarnacion-Strand has been horrible in limited time, finding himself on the injured list multiple times.

It’s gotten to the point where Cincinnati is signing (and playing) the likes of Jacob Hurtubise and Conner Capel. A trade to the Oakland Athletics could try to bolster that offense.

The biggest holes in the Reds’ lineup were right-handed hitters and power bats. Brent Rooker would fill both holes.

Jim Bowden of the Athletic listed Rooker as the most likely member of the Athletics to be traded by the July 30 deadline.

Rooker would be a perfect fit in Cincinnati’s lineup. He will play almost every day, rotating into both the outfield and the DH slot. It would allow a fully healthy Cincinnati team to trot three lefties against a RHP with Rooker at DH.

Rooker fills the power hole, having already slugged 11 home runs, which would lead the Cincinnati Reds on the season. His .935 OPS is off the charts for Reds fans.

Instead, the Reds could be giving up two MLB-ready prospects, Lyon Richardson and Blake Dunn. Dunn would replace Rooker in terms of the A’s players, and Richardson would give them high pitching potential.

For the Reds, neither of these two perspectives would really affect the agricultural system as a whole. Cincinnati has much better MLB and farm pitching than what Richardson offers. Dunn, on the other hand, is overshadowed by players at the MLB level.

Either way, the A’s must embark on a full-scale rebuild. Trading Rooker while they have the chance makes sense and Cincinnati could be the perfect suitor to send him to. The Reds need a kickstart to their offense this year and a trade for Brent Rooker would be the perfect deal to send them in the right direction.