Reds swing trade with Giants, add veteran Slater to struggling outfield mix

WINNING ROAD TRIP. BARBARA DAVIDSON AND AUGUST DOLL ARE GEARING UP FOR A LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND OF WORK. A MARRIED COUPLE WHOSE IDEA OF RETIREMENT REVOLVES AROUND BASEBALL, WLWT NEWS FIVE’S OLIVIA RAY SHARES THEIR STORY. ONLY A FEW OF BASEBALL’S FINEST CAN BE SPOTTED AT GREAT AMERICAN. FOUR HOURS BEFORE THE GATES OPEN. IT’S THE BIG LEAGUERS TAKING BP AND A COUPLE OF HEROES WHO ARE HITTING THEIR SECOND ACT OUT OF THE PARK, TUCKED AWAY IN THE DUGOUTS AT GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK. BARBARA DAVIDSON IS FULFILLING ONE OF HER CHILDHOOD DREAMS IN A SENSE, I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE CINCINNATI REDS. GROWING UP IN CINCINNATI, I WAS 12 YEARS OLD AND I WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO GET A JOB ON THE GROUNDS CREW WITH THE CINCINNATI REDS. THAT WAS MY DREAM. NO GROUNDSKEEPING. BUT FOR THE LAST DECADE, SHE’S PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES. ALL WE DO IS WHAT’S CALLED HEADSET TECH, AND IT’S WITH THE REPLAY OPERATIONS THROUGH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO, WHY WE ARE IN THE DUGOUT, IS WE ACTUALLY ARE HANDLING ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS ON THE FIELD BETWEEN THE UMPIRES. BARTZ LOVE FOR AMERICA’S PASTIME FINALLY BROUGHT HER BACK TO HER HOMETOWN, BUT ONLY AFTER 30 YEARS OF SERVING HER COUNTRY. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE LIVING THERE AND WE RETIRED FROM THE ARMY RESERVES OUT OF MINNESOTA, AND THERE WAS AN OFFICE THAT WAS HELPING VETERANS FIND JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND IT GOT A MESSAGE THAT IT’S MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. AND I SAID, COUNT ME IN. I AM READY TO GO. BOTH OF US WERE PRIOR SIGNAL CORPS IN THE ARMY, AND THIS IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF BEING ABLE TO DO THE STUFF THAT YOU TOLD OTHER PEOPLE TO DO AND HAVE FUN WITH IT, AND IT JUST TURNED OUT TO BE A GIFT TO BE ABLE TO WORK FOR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, FOR RETIRED COLONEL BARBARA DAVIDSON AND HER HUSBAND, LIEUTENANT COLONEL AUGUST DOWELL, THE MILITARY IS A WAY OF LIFE, DEFINITELY MISSION. FIRST, IT’S IN THE MILITARY. IT’S ALWAYS MISSION. MISSION FIRST. SOLDIERS ALWAYS ME LAST. AND SO THE WHOLE THING IS GET THE SHOW ON THE AIR. THEIR SERVICE NEVER STOPS, EVEN IF THEIR NEW ROLE IN RETIREMENT IS A PART OF A DIFFERENT KIND OF TEAM. BASEBALL AND AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY. THEY GO HAND IN HAND, JUST LIKE BART AND AUGUST, A WONDERFUL PAIR WHOSE ARMY VALUES WILL NEVER FADE. AND NOW EVEN GAME DAYS ARE BETTER BECAUSE OF IT. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE. OLIV

Amid a crucial homestand that could define which direction the Cincinnati Reds choose to go at the 2024 trade deadline, the club has added a veteran bat to the roster through a trade with the San Francisco Giants.The Reds announced the move early Monday morning, bringing in outfielder Austin Slater in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Alex Young.A former eighth-round pick by the Giants in the 2014 MLB Draft, Slater spent parts of eight seasons with San Francisco, hitting .254/.344/.391 with 39 home runs while playing all three outfield spots.For his career, Slater has done much of his damage against left-handed pitching, hitting for a .804 OPS and 24 home runs across his career against southpaws.That success has not carried over to this season for the 31-year-old Slater, however, with the outfielder hitting .200 with a .330 on-base percentage and just one home run over 112 plate appearances.Slater will be added to a Cincinnati outfield mix that has largely struggled this season, particularly in the absence of center fielder TJ Friedl, who has spent three different stints on the injured list in 2024.Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild and Nick Martini are each hitting under .225 this season, with Benson the lowest at .189. The club has also given at-bats to several other outfielders who have struggled, including Jacob Hurtubise, Blake Dunn, Bubba Thompson and Levi Jordan.On Monday, Fairchild was placed on the injured list due to a back injury, while right fielder Rece Hinds was called up from Triple-A Louisville.Jake Fraley has been the best hitter among full-time Reds outfielders this season, entering Monday with a .278 batting average, though he has hit just one home run this season after 15 last year.Spencer Steer has seen some time in left field this season, though with Christian Encarnacion-Strand's injury, Steer has played more first base as the season moves along.To acquire Slater, the Reds sent out the 30-year-old Young, who has pitched only two innings with Cincinnati this season after dealing with a back injury for much of the first half.Young was among the Reds' most reliable options out of the bullpen last season, delivering a 3.86 ERA in over 53 innings of work.Coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, the Reds enter the final week before the All-Star break at 42-48 and five games out of the final National League Wild Card spot.Cincinnati begins a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on Monday before welcoming the Miami Marlins to Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI —

The Reds announced the move early Monday morning, bringing in outfielder Austin Slater in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Alex Young.

[twitter align='center' id='1810169584919494936' username='Reds']https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1810169584919494936[/twitter]

A former eighth-round pick by the Giants in the 2014 MLB Draft, Slater spent parts of eight seasons with San Francisco, hitting .254/.344/.391 with 39 home runs while playing all three outfield spots.

For his career, Slater has done much of his damage against left-handed pitching, hitting for a .804 OPS and 24 home runs across his career against southpaws.

That success has not carried over to this season for the 31-year-old Slater, however, with the outfielder hitting .200 with a .330 on-base percentage and just one home run over 112 plate appearances.

Slater will be added to a Cincinnati outfield mix that has largely struggled this season, particularly in the absence of center fielder TJ Friedl, who has spent three different stints on the injured list in 2024.

Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild and Nick Martini are each hitting under .225 this season, with Benson the lowest at .189. The club has also given at-bats to several other outfielders who have struggled, including Jacob Hurtubise, Blake Dunn, Bubba Thompson and Levi Jordan.

On Monday, Fairchild was placed on the injured list due to a back injury, while right fielder Rece Hinds was called up from Triple-A Louisville.

Jake Fraley has been the best hitter among full-time Reds outfielders this season, entering Monday with a .278 batting average, though he has hit just one home run this season after 15 last year.

Spencer Steer has seen some time in left field this season, though with Christian Encarnacion-Strand's injury, Steer has played more first base as the season moves along.

[twitter align='center' id='1810405650607853901' username='char_cliff']https://twitter.com/char_cliff/status/1810405650607853901[/twitter]

To acquire Slater, the Reds sent out the 30-year-old Young, who has pitched only two innings with Cincinnati this season after dealing with a back injury for much of the first half.

Young was among the Reds' most reliable options out of the bullpen last season, delivering a 3.86 ERA in over 53 innings of work.

Coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, the Reds enter the final week before the All-Star break at 42-48 and five games out of the final National League Wild Card spot.

Cincinnati begins a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on Monday before welcoming the Miami Marlins to Cincinnati.

Reds swing trade with Giants, add veteran Slater to struggling outfield mix

Share

Share

Share

Top Picks