Reds
I liked Gavin Lux. I always thought of him as a baseball 'dude'. He was a grinder, fought off pitches and knew what he wanted to do at the plate.
Heck, he led the Cincinnati Reds with a .269 batting average last season. He just wasn't going to be able to help them enough in 2026, in enough ways, and he was making $5.5M.
His only realistic position was DH. He hit just five homers in 503 plate appearances. He couldn't hit LHP (.179). He posted a -0.2 WAR. At the risk of getting all analytically on you, but he didn't exactly crush the ball. Underlying metrics even indicated some luck that is due to meet regression.
The Reds are clearly leaning into defense, and his glove numbers were subpar at 3B and LF. He wasn't going to play 2B. The Reds have multiple players to rotate through at DH.
So, here we are.
The trade frees up $3M. I would think/hope/pray that money will be put towards a bat that offers more than Lux. Heck, maybe a familiar face like Austin Hays or Miguel Andujar.
I can see Nick Krall working. His hands are tied by the payroll he's been given. Although, he's created some of his own problems, including Jeimer Candelario dollars on his books. Either way, this roster on January 16 calls for creativity.
This roster needed more than Lux was going to be able to offer....and his contract wasn't going to provide enough flexibility, or return on the investment.
The next move.....for a bat, is important. The free agent market will start to settle more, as players without jobs get antsy. We are about to find out the meeting point between desire, need and dollars.
Final thought: The Reds traded OF prospect Mike Sirota and a draft pick to acquire Lux. That move required giving up a draft slot/money to make the Lux contract work. Sirota hit .333-.4352-.616-1.068 in 59 games at Low/High A for the Dodgers, with 13 homers and 54 RBI in just 59 games.
The Reds traded that for 140 games from Lux and making the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2013.
Worth it?