Trade Rumors: Cincinnati Reds Interested in Emilio Bonifacio
By Adam Hughes
Jul 29, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Emilio Bonifacio (64) hits a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Reds have all but stuck a fork in their 2014 season, and you can hear the rotund soprano warming up in the background, but that doesn’t mean they’re not part of the occasional trade rumor as tomorrow’s trade deadline roars at us. Case in point is a report from Bruce Levine that has the Reds as one of several teams interested in Chicago Cubs utility player Emilio Bonifacio:
Reds concerns with Phillips health and offensive struggles have them in on Bonifacio .
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) July 30, 2014
This idea seems pretty absurd at this point in a (probably) lost season unless the Reds really think Phillips is done for good and that Bonifacio would somehow be a good fit for the team next season. Bonifacio has been nothing like an offensive force during his career, and his real value lies simply in the fact that he is a switch-hitter who plays a lot of positions: second base, third base, shortstop, center field, rover, free safety, and wing man.
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Bonifacio will be a free agent after this season and will probably earn something like $3 million on his next contract, so the likelihood is that he is just a rental for his next 2014 team, in which case that team should be a true contender. Alas, the Reds do not qualify and should just look the other way.