By HAL McCOY
The Cincinnati Reds made a trade late Monday night, but pitcher Matt Harvey wasn’t involved. It involves outfielder Adam Duvall, shipped to the Atlanta Braves for three players.
For Duvall the Reds acquired left handed pitcher Matt Wisler, right handed pitcher Lucas Sims and outfielder Preston Tucker.
The trade of Duvall was twofold — monetary and the emergence of Jesse Winker. Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams said the trade frees up money and turns the outfield over to Winker, Billy Hamilton and Scott Schebler.
Of course, Winker is out for the season with a shoulder issue and Schebler is on the disabled list, although he is expected back soon. So Williams was talking about next year.
“We saw Winker and Schebler emerge as corner outfielders and have a lot of success,” said Williams.
And Williams believes the trade of Duvall won’t disrupt the success the team is having this season.
“The team has been playing very well and we’re pleased with the way the team has played in the middle of the summer,” said Williams. “But we are keeping an eye on next year. But also this year is important. The winning vibes and the winning culture that has been present recently is something we have been looking for and are pleased to have found it.”
That culture has developed under interim manager Jim Riggleman, three games over .500 since he replaced fired manager Bryan Price when the team started the season 3-and-15.
“We don’t want to disrupt that, but at the same time we have to keep our focus on next year, keep our eye on down the road,” he added.
“The projections for next season, the salaries and arbitration, it made think about our resources down the road,” said Williams. “We’re competing with some of the best teams right now, but we recognize that there are some shortcomings that need to be addressed. We need to address those resources for our needs next year. This freed up some money to invest in other parts of the team and brought us back three players that can help us.”
Tucker will join the Reds on Tuesday in Detroit, while Sims and Wisler are expected to report Wednesday and will be assigned to one of the team’s minor league affiliates.
Sims, 24, has been one of Atlanta’s top prospects since he was selected in the first round (21st overall) of the 2012 first-year player draft. He made his Major League debut with 14 appearances for the Braves last season, while this year he made six appearances out of the bullpen. In 2017, he combined for 173 innings, 59 walks and 176 strikeouts between Gwinnett (AAA) and Atlanta.
Sims spent most of this season at Gwinnett, where he went 4-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 14 starts and one relief appearance.
Wisler, 25, spent most of this season at Gwinnett, where he went 4-4 with a 4.37 ERA with two complete games and one shutout in 13 starts. He also made three starts and four relief appearances for the Braves.
Wisler, a native of Bryan, Ohio, was selected by San Diego in the seventh round of the 2011 first-year player draft but was traded to Atlanta in April of 2015 that involved Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr.
He has been up and down with the Braves the last four seasons with 74 career appearances and 49 starts.
Tucker, 28, originally was selected by the Astros in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. He was traded to Atlanta in December of 2017 and spent most of 2018 with the Braves, hitting .256 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI in 62 games.
Duvall, a Louisville, Ky. native, appeared in 105 games this season and was productive despite his .205 battinng average. Participating in the Reds four-man outfield rotation, he had 15 home runs, 19 doubles and drove in 61 runs.
Duvall came to the Reds at the July trade deadline in 2015 in exchange for pitcher Mike Leake and the Reds also received right handed pitcher Keury Mella.