Reds acquire outfielder Austin Slater in a late-night trade.
The Cincinnati Reds were busy on Sunday night, completing a trade that technically was announced after midnight and was officially a Monday deal. The Reds and San Francisco Giants got together to make a deal that brought outfielder Austin Slater to Cincinnati and saw left-handed reliever Alex Young get moved to the Giants organization. Cincinnati is also getting an undisclosed amount of cash in the deal. Slater is making $4,000,000 this year.
The Reds outfield is a bit of a mess right now. TJ Friedl and Nick Martini are both on the injured list, and Jake Fraley is on the family medical emergency list. Stuart Fairchild is on the active roster, but manager David Bell noted on Sunday that he’s dealing with a back issue.
Cincinnati seemed that they wanted to add some insurance for that by acquiring Austin Slater. From 2021-2023 he hit .257/.345/.412 for the Giants. That’s good for a 110 OPS. This season, though, hasn’t gone nearly as well. He missed nearly a month on the injured list. He was hitting just .128/.306/.128 through 25 games when he was placed on the IL due to a concussion.
He returned on June 5th and has hit a bit better – though it would be nearly impossible not to. His first seven games saw him go 9-22 (.409) with a home run. Since then he’s gone 4-29 (.138) with a double. Overall this season he’s had 90 at-bats and is hitting .200 with two extra-base hits. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter has never been known for his power, but he’s been entirely powerless this year. Defensively he’s got experience at all three outfield spots over the last few years and can cover you there. He will be a free agent after this season.
You can see the career stats for Austin Slater here.
Alex Young missed the start of the 2024 season. After his rehab assignment in Triple-A he joined the Reds in late May. He made three appearances, throwing 2.0 innings of shutout baseball before he was optioned to the minor leagues. He’s been good in Louisville this year, posting a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings with 12 hits allowed, seven walks, and had 22 strikeouts. Young is not eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season.
