Brent Rooker to the Reds?

Jason Burke | Jun 13, 2024

May 16, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Brent Rooker (25) reacts after an out during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds are rolling, having won eight of ten and sitting just a half-game out of the NL Wild Card picture. The problem is, they're tied with both the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, with all three NL Central teams holding a .485 winning percentage. The Reds have made a habit out of acquiring former Oakland A's of late with Frankie Montas currently in the rotation, Sam Moll in the bullpen, Conner Capel and Nick Martini in the minors, and Tony Kemp spending spring training with the club.

Even with the Reds swinging the bat well, there is always room for improvement, and one player that could help them out is Brent Rooker. He's a great, veteran presence in the clubhouse and he's evolving as a hitter this season, putting up 13 homers and 40 RBI which land him a 151 wRC+ (100 is league average) on the year. Only Marcell Ozuna and Shohei Ohtani are having better seasons out of the DH spot.

Rooker represents a clear upgrade for the Reds on offense, but adding him could also lead to some roster construction issues. Over the past six games, five different players have had a turn in the DH role, showing that Cincinatti is using the spot as more of a rotating half-day for players instead of dedicating it to a masher. If they land Rooker, that could change.

The other issue here is the impending return of Noelvi Marte, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Boldenone. The big question for the Reds during camp was where all of their infielders would end up playing, and we haven't seen their plan in action just yet with Marte on the sidelines. Adding Rooker may complicate things just a tad in terms of getting everyone consistent playing time.

Rooker will begin his arbitration eligibility next season, giving him 3.5 years of team control at the moment. His bat plus that team control mean that he won't come for just a lottery ticket prospect. In terms of what the A's would want in return, they could go in any number of directions. The real question is when they're building for.

If they're hoping to have a team built and constructed for postseason damage by the time their proposed ballpark in Las Vegas opens in 2028 (or beyond), then they could target younger players. However, if they're interested in not taking too big of a step backwards, then maybe they look for more Joe Boyle types that they feel confident moving forward with.

The A's are probably going to want to maximize their return for Rooker because he is the best trade piece they'll have at the deadline this season. There will be other players, like Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Paul Blackburn, and Seth Brown available over the next few weeks, but Rook is by far the best available option.