Reds acquire IF Leonardo Rivas from Angels to complete Raisel Iglesias trade

The Cincinnati Reds sent their closer to the Los Angeles Angels earlier this week, kickstarting what, at the time, looked like it could be an eventful week of ‘virtual’ Winter Meetings. As it turns out, both that deal and the days that followed continue to look increasingly less blockbuster-y, with almost zero action in its wake and the finality of the Iglesias deal itself being a bit of a clunker.

When dealt, Iglesias brought back reliever Noe Ramirez and a Player To Be Named Later, and while Ramirez was a middle reliever (at best), the hope was that the prospect eventually included to round out the deal might salvage it as more than a mere salary dump. In learning that said player was infielder Leanardo Rivas, it’s clearer than ever that the Reds opted to simply move Iglesias to save money, as the return stays incredibly light.

The Reds themselves announced the move on Twitter.

Rivas was rated the #25 prospect in the Angels rather weak system, a mostly shortstop who has a decent glove, decent athleticism, and a somewhat impressive eye at the plate. That said, he brings almost zero punch to the plate with his bat, as evidenced by him slugging just .377 in 73 games in the incredibly hitter-friendly Advanced-A California League back in 2019. That’s the last we saw of him, of course, as there was no minor league play in 2020, so there’s always the chance that he’s a diamond in the rough with untapped power potential, but that’s almost surely a pipe dream.

Sadly, this again looks to be an example of the Reds waiting too long to move a proven, above-average player until there was little chance of getting any real talent in return, a move in the same vein as the ones that prolonged the rebuild until massive splashes in free agency were needed to resuscitate the roster. And considering they reportedly included money in the trade just to get it done...

Well.