Reds trade Tyler Naquin, Phillip Diehl to Mets for two Minor Leaguers

In the first of what is likely many moves for the Cincinnati Reds this week, the Reds have traded outfielder Tyler Naquin and lefty reliever Phillip Diehl to the New York Mets.

Naquin’s stint as a Reds after a season and a half, where he has provided some solid value in the outfield. Originally brought on as a non-roster invitee in the Spring of 2021, he has been a regular in the Reds’ lineup and has hit the ball pretty well. In 182 games as a Redleg, Naquin hit .262/.324/.462 with 26 home runs, including one in today’s loss to Miami. He’s been fun to watch as a Red and now he gets to play for one of the best teams in the National League in the middle of a pennant race. Best of luck to you, Tyler.

Phillip Diehl goes to the Mets after having a cup of coffee with the Reds back in the early part of the season. Diehl, who has decent stuff, hasn’t been able to put it together in the big leagues. He pitched 5.2 innings for the Reds this year and gave up 7 earned runs.

The Reds will receive two minor leaguers from the Mets: Pitcher Jose Acuna and infielder Hector Rodriguez.

Acuna is 19 year-old right handed pitcher in his 2nd year in the Mets organization. He has been pitching for the Mets’ Rookie League team but was recently called up to St. Lucie, their low-A team. He’s thrown 33.2 innings this year in 8 games, 5 of which were starts, and struck out 48 batters against only 12 walks. Rodriguez is an 18 year-old middle-infielder who is also in his 2nd year in the organization. He was just called up to St. Lucie just a couple of days ago and has played in 2 games. He’s hit .342/.378/.532 with 11 extra-base hits in 104 at-bats. He’s rated #30 on the Mets’ top 30 prospects by Fangraphs. Here is what they had to say about him earlier this month:

This will almost certainly be a busy week for the Reds. Stay tuned as we try and keep up with all of the moves over here at Red Reporter.