Reds May Have Stumbled Into a Valuable Piece at the Trade Deadline

The Cincinnati Reds’ 2026 MLB trade deadline was uneventful. Multiple players expected to be dealt stuck around, as Cincinnati’s front office overvalued the returns it could have gotten for guys like Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson. 

One deal they did make was sending left-handed hitting designated hitter Nate Lowe and cash to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for prospect Juan Brito and pitcher Alejandro Rivera.

Lowe signed with the Reds before the 2026 season and hit .266 with 12 home runs as a platoon bat. He hit .271 with an .822 OPS against right-handed hitters in 2026 for both the Reds and the Guardians. He signed a one-year deal and went to the Guardians as a rental. 

The assumption was that the Reds didn’t get a special prospect when it was released; they acquired a player to be named later, which was later identified as Juan Brito. 

Brito, a utility player who can play multiple infield positions and the outfield, is a switch-hitter who spent a short time with the Reds’ minor league team before being called up on September 1. 

In 18 games with the Reds, Brito hit .309 with an .848 OPS. He hit three home runs and drove in 11 runs. Brito struck out just nine times in 59 plate appearances, showing a strong ability to put the ball in play when he had the chance. 

Brito had five multi-hit games and three games with three hits during his time with the Reds. Nate had two three-hit games during his stint with the Reds and 14 multi-hit games with nearly six times as many plate appearances. 

Looking at it now, in early October, it looks like the Reds won that trade, or at the very least got a good return in exchange for Lowe. In 43 games with the Guardians, Lowe hit .226 with five home runs and a .650 OPS. 

I’m by no means saying that Brito is going to be a star, or even a surefire starter for the Reds in 2027, in the off chance there is actually baseball. However, is he in a position to compete for at-bats next season? Yes. 

The Reds' outfield could very well be a revolving door next year. Names like Blake Dunn, Hector Rodriguez, and JJ Bleday all have some uncertainty around them, while Dane Myers should line up to man center field for the Reds next year. 

Brito’s offensive stretch and solid arm in the outfield could give him a good chance to find himself with the big league club in 2027, especially since he can also play infield.