After trading third baseman Todd Frazier to the White Sox, as it turns out, the Cincinnati Reds’ offseason firesale might not be complete just yet.
According to a report by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports on Tuesday, the Reds are discussing a possible trade of long-time second baseman Brandon Phillips with the Washington Nationals.
Phillips, 34, has been with the team since 2006 and would have to waive his no-trade clause in order to make such a deal happen.
The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner hit 12 home runs and 70 RBIs on a .294/.328/.395 slash line in 2015. While he still remains a productive contact hitter and a threat on the basepaths (having stolen 23 bags last season), Phillips’ power numbers and once-exceptional defensive metrics have dipped slightly in recent years, perhaps due to age. He is in the final two years of his contract with the Reds and will be owed $27 million over that span.
The Nationals would pose an interesting destination for Phillips as he played under new Washington manager Dusty Baker for six years in Cincinnati from 2008-2013 and since the development of current Nationals starting second baseman Danny Espinosa has been progressing fairly slowly.
This news supports earlier reports that the Reds are willing to deal anyone and everyone on their roster, as evidenced by their trade of Frazier on Wednesday and their attempted trade of closer Aroldis Chapman last week.
With the Reds, who finished a nauseating 64-98 last season, all but certain to be in the midst of a full-scale rebuild this winter, Phillips may not be the only one joining Frazier on the way out of Cincy in the near future.
