Anthony DeSclafani, Eugenio Suarez making Reds' Latos, Simon trades look good

LOS ANGELES — When Walt Jocketty traded Mat Latos to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Anthony DeSclafani and Chad Wallach, one scout texted The Enquirer and said it was not only a steal, but that he’d trade DeSclafani for Latos straight up.

At the time, it seemed like hyperbole.

Latos had just turned 27 and in three seasons with the Reds, went 33-16 with a 3.31 ERA. He was only being traded because it would cost too much to keep him. The Reds had four starters entering their last season before free agency.

Something had to happen, and that came to a head on the final day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Dec. 11, 2014.

That morning, two Reds trades were announced — Latos to the Marlins and Alfredo Simon to Detroit. In exchange came DeSclafani and Wallach from the Marlins - and shortstop Eugenio Suarez and right-hander Jonathon Crawford from the Tigers in exchange for Simon.

Simon, 33 at the time, had made his first All-Star appearance in 2014, going 15-10 with a 3.44 ERA in his first full season as a starter.

While not all observers went as far as the National League scout that texted the Enquirer, opinions of the two deals were fairly neutral. Most assumed the Reds would have to move at least two of their four starters, but the Reds held on to ace Johnny Cueto and the homegrown Mike Leake. The return was seen as solid, if not spectacular.

Through two-thirds of the 2015 season, that scout seemed to be proven correct — and perhaps on both trades.

Leake and Cueto are now gone, leaving DeSclafani as the most experienced of the Reds' all-rookie rotation. DeSclafani has thrown 138 innings, putting up a 7-8 record and a 3.72 ERA.

He’s also taken his spot as the leader of the team’s young rotation, the most dependable of the five starters and the one with by far the most experience. As it stands, his 138 innings pitched this season are more than the rest of the rotation has in their combined big-league careers (135 2/3).

“Well, Disco’s the veteran rookie, if there’s such a thing,” Reds manager Bryan Price said after DeSclafani lost while allowing just two runs in a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. “He’s not really a veteran, but he handles himself like one. He’s not as vulnerable as the other guys to getting emotional in the middle innings. It never feels when he’s on the mound that he’s in the middle of a crisis. I always feel comfortable.”

Latos, on the other hand, has struggled both with some minor injuries and on the mound since leaving Cincinnati. Between Miami — and Los Angeles, where he went at the trade deadline — Latos is 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA. Not only are his record and ERA worse than DeSclafani's, he’s made four fewer starts and thrown 35 fewer innings.

Simon, meanwhile, has a better record than DeSclafani, but his ERA is worse than Latos’ (4.81), benefitting from the Tigers’ offense.

Just like with DeSclafani, it’s tough to imagine where the Reds would be without Suarez, who was acquired in exchange for Simon.

Suarez has been the Reds' everyday shortstop since Zack Cozart’s season-ending knee injury in June. Suarez has done nothing but impress since he’s been with the Reds, especially at the plate.

Suarez is hitting .296/.333/.472 in 54 games this season, plus seven home runs and 29 RBI.

After a rough stretch defensively earlier in the season — including a seven-game stretch with seven total errors at the end of June — Suarez has shown he’s capable of playing shortstop every day in the big leagues. He has just 11 errors total, three since the All-Star break. The more advanced statistics back that up, with him rating eight runs above average according to Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average, while Baseball Info Solutions marks his runs saved as zero. Ultimate Zone Rating does give him a negative mark. All numbers agree that he isn’t as good defensively as Cozart, but his bat can’t be denied.

Crawford pitched just five innings between Rookie ball and high-A before going on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury.

Wallach is hitting .245/.321/.349 with three home runs and 29 RBI in 92 games for the Reds’ high-A team in Daytona, Fla.

Regardless of what happens with either of the other players in the deals, the combination of DeSclafani and Suarez have certainly made the trades not only worth it for the Reds, but look like steals.

According to FanGraphs, Suarez’s Wins Above Replacement is 1.4 and DeSclafani is at 1.7 for a total of 3.1. The two players traded away have put up a WAR of 2.6 — 1.4 from Latos and 1.2 from Simon.

And then there’s the actual money, the biggest reason for the trades. Both DeSclafani and Suarez are making the Major League minimum, $507,500, or in Suarez’s case, a prorated portion of the minimum after being called up in early June.

Regardless of the actual dollar amount down to the penny, the pair will cost the Reds less than $1 million this season. On the other hand, Latos lost his arbitration case, but is still earning $9.4 million this season. Simon avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Tigers for $5.5 million.

So when it comes down to it, the Reds are getting slightly more value out of the two players at the big-league level, but have paid roughly one-fifteenth of the price. That is not just a win, but a big win in a season that's been a struggle for the Reds.