CHICAGO – No team in the last eight years, since Major League Baseball devised its current playoff format with two wildcards in each league, made the playoffs after being more than 4 ½ games out of a playoff spot on July 31.
The Cincinnati Reds hope they can close their gap over the next few days, sitting six games out Wednesday, but they’re ready to put up a fight.
General manager Nick Krall, in his first year as the head of baseball operations, added three relievers through two trades in a 14-hour span Wednesday in a clear sign the Reds view themselves as buyers. It’s not an all-in push as none of the three relievers were at the top of the trade market, but it was a vote of confidence in the team’s chances over the last two months of the season.
All three relievers provide a different skillset, bolstering a struggling bullpen. Mychal Givens, acquired from the Colorado Rockies for two minor league pitchers, has been a solid setup man this year. Right-hander Luis Cessa is a middle reliever who fits into a multi-inning role and 10-year veteran Justin Wilson is a lefty.
