Cincinnati Reds Add Donnie Murphy and Dylan Axelrod
By Adam Hughes
Jun 21, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Donnie Murphy (16) is out as second base as Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (73) covers during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Hopefully, these are merely Jocketty’s opening salvos in this assault on the summer trade market …
Cincinnati Reds fans worried about the fate of our team this season in the face of injuries and poor production over the first half can breathe easier after a pair of transactions reported late this week on
On Thursday, the Reds agreed to send an unnamed player to the Chicago White Sox for righty Dylan Axelrod, and then on Friday signed infielder Donnie Murphy on a minor league contract. General manager Walt Jocketty is clearly flexing his roster-building muscles in an attempt to make sure the Reds are still playing in October.
Axelrod logged 20 starts for the ChiSox last season but has spent 2014 in Triple-A, so it’s not clear what the Reds have in mind for him. Murphy can play anywhere on the right side of the infield and showed some pop (11 RH in 46 games) for the Chicago Cubs last season. He almost surely will find himself in Cincinnati soon as the Reds try to plug the hole left by Brandon Phillips’ thumb injury.
These types of minor deals happen all the time, of course, but the timing of these make their magnitude disappointing. With less than two weeks now until the non-waiver trade deadline, the Reds have lots of questions in need of answers, and the Murphy/Axelrod combo seem unlikely to push the team into the playoffs.
Hopefully, these are merely Jocketty’s opening salvos in this assault on the summer trade market, but they feel more like the routine shifting from leg to leg of a man intent on standing pat.