Former Reds All-Star SS Zack Cozart calls team out after trades

The Cincinnati Reds lost a lot of talent on Monday when they traded Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker to the Seattle Mariners. Both Suárez and Winker made an All-Star team in Cincinnati. Zack Cozart, himself a former Reds All-Star, has now weighed in on the matter.

Cozart, who last played with the Reds in 2017 and who hasn’t played in the majors since 2019, directly apologized to the Cincinnati fans for the actions of his former team.

We can’t argue with Cozart’s “this is how they operate” claim. After all, only five current Reds are slated to make more in 2022 than Ken Griffey Jr., who’s long retired and has been outside of Cincinnati even longer.

The Reds have had some tough times since their last World Series win in 2010. The best era since then would probably be from 2010-2013, when Cincinnati won two NL Central division titles and earned three postseason trips. And that’s what makes Cozart calling the Reds out so interesting.

That era was his time in Cincinnati. He hadn’t yet been called up in 2010, when the Reds won the division title. But he was Cincinnati’s primary shortstop on 2012’s NL Central Championship-winning team, playing in 138 games that season. Cozart then played 151 games on the Reds team that earned a Wild Card spot in 2013. Outside of 2010, 2012 and 2013, Cincinnati has only made the playoffs two other times since 1990.

Cozart experienced the closest thing the Reds have had to “glory years” since that last championship. Yet, he’s still saying “this is how they operate.” We can only imagine what someone who was on the team from 2001-2009 — when the Reds had nine straight losing seasons — would say.

It’s also not as though Cozart has a complete anti-Reds agenda on social media. Another recent post praised Cincinnati for how well it handles the tradition of Opening Day.

Cozart isn’t the only person to weigh in. Current Reds pitcher Amir Garrett also expressed sadness regarding the trade.

Monday’s trade — as well as other moves that took place before the lockout — are an indicator that the Reds are looking to slash payroll. The less cynical approach would say that they’re rebuilding. Either way, we doubt Suárez and Winker will be the last players to depart Cincinnati. If more players are dealt, Cozart, Garrett and other Reds (both past and present) will likely have more to say.

[Chad Dotson, John York]