Why Cincinnati Reds might be at full roster strength by August – including Matt McLain

SAN DIEGO — Now that the Cincinnati Reds have gotten to May above sea level in the standings for the first time in more than a decade, imagine where the trade winds might blow them this summer.

Could the Reds zig for hitters while the rest of the would-be buyers are zagging for pitching as they approach the trade deadline, based on how well the bolstered pitching staff has performed?

Then, again, what if there’s no place to add a hitter by then?

Despite a less-than-sterling team hitting performance the first month of the season, that might not project as the level of concern for front office planners as for fans complaining a lineup that lugged six guys hitting .212 or worse to the plate in Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to the Padres in San Diego.

“We’ll see what that looks like,” general manager Brad Meador said. “We’re still a ways away from that. And even bigger than that, I think we’re going to have some reinforcements coming around that same time from possibly (Noelvi) Marte, (Matt) McLain; we’re getting (TJ) Friedl back, (Brandon) Williamson’s a month away.

“We weathered the storm, and just internally we’re starting to get healthy into the summer. That should help us as well,” he said.

“What the trade deadline looks like, I have no idea. Let’s get those guys back first and see how we look.”

Friedl, the centerfielder and leadoff man, starts a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday. Marte, the promising 2023 rookie third baseman popped for steroids in spring training, is eligible to return in mid-June.

And McLain – the best player in the lineup last year as a rookie when healthy?

“It’s still way too early to determine a time when he would get back to us, but the goal would still be early August ideally,” manager David Bell said.

McLain, who had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after injuring it on a dive in the field during spring training practice in March, initially looked like a candidate to miss the entire season.

He’s less than a week from a six-week followup exam to determine a rehab schedule to begin at that point at the team’s Arizona training facility/

How he looks by the time Friedl’s been back for a couple months and Marte’s impact is starting to be measured could play a significant role in the Reds’ trade-deadline posture, and, in turn, the look of their playoff chances.

“We won’t know for sure until he’s able to start baseball activities, which is probably still a month away,” Meador said. “But fingers crossed we’ll get him back late summer.”

Regardless, the Reds maintain enough payroll flexibility – even after spending $108 million on free agents over the winter – to entertain adding salary at this summer’s trade deadline, presumably even more than the $240,000 they added last year when they acquired reliever Sam Moll.

The trade markets won’t start to develop for close to two months, but so far, the pitching depth created by much of that free agent spending might mitigate their pitching needs compared to other potential buyers.

A strong start by the Reds free agency-bolstered pitching staff might suggest that much after they got through the 30 games before May with a 3.92 rotation ERA, a healthy Nick Lodolo (1.88) and 5 1/3 innings per start.

“Assuming we have all our guys healthy, those guys have the ability to cover a lot of innings for us,” catcher Luke Maile said. “One of the things about last year that is well documented is just how many innings the bullpen had to throw.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Matt McLain might influence Cincinnati Reds' trade deadline plans