Brandon Drury

The idea of a possible contract extension between the Cincinnati Reds and ...

Brandon Drury leads the Cincinnati Reds in many categories. He should have been an All-Star. But the best thing Nick Krall can do is trade the slugger at the deadline for a player that can be part of the next playoff-contending Reds team. Signing Brandon Drury to a contract extension would be a mistake.

Drury, 29, showed enough promise in his early years with the Diamondbacks that he cracked Baseball America's top 100 list in 2016 and then was traded to the ...

He has slumped a bit this year, hitting .243/.346/.360 in the Arizona Complex League for a 99 wRC+. He is still just 18, however, and was considered one of the better prospects in the San Diego system coming into today. Drury is having a career year, already having hit 20 home runs and producing an overall batting line of .274/.335/.520 for a wRC+ of 132. The Mets took a flier on him last year, which worked out well, as Drury hit .274/.307/.476 in a bench role. When Fernando Tatis Jr. eventually returns from his injury, the picture will get a little more crowded, but the Padres also cleared out their usual designated hitter by including Luke Voit in the Soto deal. Drury, 29, showed enough promise in his early years with the Diamondbacks that he cracked Baseball America’s top 100 list in 2016 and then was traded to the Yankees after the 2017 season. The Reds brought Drury aboard on a minor league deal, which could hardly have gone any better.

Brandon Drury was traded for one of the San Diego Padres top prospects, Victor Acosta, on Tuesday.

The Padres are getting somebody who is really at the top of their game, very confident in his game right now and it’s going to help them win a lot." He loved being a part of our team. He has a .346 on-base percentage with 16 walks to 30 strikeouts, and he's stolen five bases in 12 attempts. He led the Reds' offense with 22 doubles, 20 homers, 59 RBI and 62 runs in 92 games. "I'm excited to help them win ballgames." Reds General Manager Nick Krall said Monday contract extension talks weren't on the table, which made it even more likely he would be traded.

The Padres acquired Drury from the Reds on Tuesday in exchange for shortstop Victor Acosta, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

- Reds' Brandon Drury: Mashes 17th homer - Reds' Brandon Drury: Hits game-winning, pinch-hit homer On the books for just $900,000 this season, Drury proved to be a major value pickup from the scrap heap for the Reds. In addition to being able to play all over the infield as well as either corner-outfield spot, Drury is in the midst of a career season at the dish, as he's slashed .274/.335/.520 with 20 home runs, 62 runs, 59 RBI and two stolen bases in 385 plate appearances.

The Cincinnati Reds have traded infielder Brandon Drury to the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.

Drury already has a career-high 20 home runs this year. Drury struggled badly with the Blue Jays and was outrighted in 2020, but re-established himself with the Mets and Reds the past two years. With the Reds near the bottom of the National League standings and Drury an unrestricted free agent after this season, the former Toronto Blue Jay was a strong candidate to be dealt prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline.

The Padres are not done dealing, even after acquiring Juan Soto at the MLB trade deadline.

Where he plays in the infield remains to be see; Acosta is athletically-gifted and has a howitzer of an arm, but can be inaccurate at times. With a 128 OPS+ and defensive versatility — Drury has played every position in the infield this season — the 29-year old was one of those under-the-radar talents that teams were chomping at the bit to get. Drury has tended to be a league-average hitter for most of his career.