Splash-less at deadline: Cincinnati Reds come up empty on final day

CHICAGO — Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall said he got down to about 20 minutes before Tuesday night’s trade deadline thinking he might make another deal before realizing Monday’’s acquisition of lefthanded reliever Sam Moll was going to be all he would add to his divisionleading team.

“We had a lot of conversations. I thought we were getting closer,” Krall said. “But at the end of the day, we just couldn’t pull off a deal.”

Moll, 31, joined the team Tuesday after the trade from the Oakland A’s for a prospect. And while there’s every indication he’ll help the depth in one of the heaviest-worked bullpen’s in baseball, it’s not the kind of move – at least the only move – many expected when Krall declared the Reds were buyers several weeks ago.

Maybe not the extent even Krall expected when he set out in search of both starters and relievers to add before Tuesday night.

Chicago White Sox starting targets Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn went to the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. White Sox middle reliever Keynan Middleton went to the New York Yankees in the final hour Tuesday. Both New York Mets Cy Young veterans Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander went to the two Texas teams. Even former Red Michael Lorenzen wound up traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the NL Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs got busy filling key needs in recent days.

The Brewers added veteran lefty reliever Andrew Chafin and veteran hitters Carlos Santana and Mark Canha. The Cubs added the best third baseman on the market (Jeimer Candelario) and depth bullpen righty Jose Cuas.

“I saw what they did,” Krall said. “But at the same time we have to focus on us. We have to do what’s best for our organization and what’s best for us. We’ve got a team that’s been able to win some games so far this year, and we just need to keep playing hard and doing well.”

Krall, who mentioned the anticipated returns from the injured list in the next month of young front-of-the-rotation starters Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, said some of the inability to pull off a final-day deal – or a bigger splash than Moll – involved teams asking for young Reds players and prospects that are part of the team’s long-term plans.

“We’ve got a good group of young players that are playing here now, and we’ve got a really good mix of veterans,” Krall said. “We’ve got guys that have started rehab assignments that are coming back that can really help this club out.

“I just didn’t feel there was a deal to be made with what we had to give up.”