In trading Dan Straily, the Cincinnati Reds finally made it perfectly clear that they have no hope of competing in 2017. That is not much of a surprise. What the Reds need to be concerned about is not competing in 2018.
The Reds have made no secret of the fact that Zack Cozart is nearing the end of his Reds’ career. They tried to trade Brandon Phillips twice before he finally accepted a deal. Now they can move on and the next generation can move up.
The opposite of veterans blocking the way for MLB ready players is what is happening with the pitching staff.