The Cincinnati Reds hadn’t made any trade move as of July 29, nor had widespread dealing kicked off across MLB. But with the Aug. 3 trade deadline five days away, the realities of the likely trades to come were evident throughout baseball, and especially for starting pitchers potentially making final starts for their current clubs.
Count Cincinnati’s Brady Singer among those starters. Thought by some to be a likely candidate for a trade, Singer’s next start could come in a different team’s uniform.
Facing the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park, Singer posted four scoreless innings before the gloves behind him undid his shutout effort in an eventual 6-1 Guardians win. Cleveland recaptured the Ohio Cup, which will return to Progressive Field after it won four of six games against Cincinnati in 2026.
More importantly for the Guardians (56-54), the series win will aid their pursuit of the Chicago White Sox, the American League Central division leader. Cleveland also stood alone in the third AL wild card spot, leading its nearest challenger by 1.5 games.
The series defeat was the Reds’ first since prior to MLB’s All-Star break, and dropped the club to 50-57 with 55 games to play. Cincinnati had won three consecutive series coming out of the break.
Several Reds players spoke publicly about fighting to keep the 2026 team from being dismantled via trade, but it might be too late for Singer and other Cincinnati players.
Singer, a reliable innings eater for the Reds over the last two seasons, had his name tied to trade speculation in recent weeks. Aside from the Reds’ distant place in the standings, that was due in part to Singer’s expiring contract, plus the perceived seller’s market for starting pitching.
“It’s out of my control and stuff like that, but, yeah, just gonna come to work tomorrow and do my stuff,” Singer said. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen. We’ll just have to find out.”
Through his July 29 start, Singer had amassed a 19-22 record in 53 starts for the Reds. He tossed 277 1/3 innings since coming to the club in November 2024 via a trade for second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer.
Singer won 14 games in 2025 in helping the Reds reach the postseason.
Manager Terry Francona frequently described Singer’s starts as quietly effective, often using similar wording to his July 23 post-game evaluation: “You look up in the sixth or seventh, and you generally have a chance to win.”
“Had some ups and downs, and obviously the start of this season wasn’t very good,” Singer said. “But, you know, just trying to go out there and give us a chance every time. If (tonight) is my last, I enjoyed the heck out of this clubhouse and the guys in there. It’s just, it’s been a joy.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Guardians take Ohio Cup, Reds’ momentum in series win
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
