The last week and a half has seen the sub-.500 Cincinnati Reds trade away Scooter Gennett, Yasiel Puig, and top prospect Taylor Trammell, and somehow, their offense has improved dramatically. Unsung prospects Josh VanMeter and Aristides Aquino have taken the roster by storm, as has former 1st rounder Phil Ervin, another unheralded bat at this juncture of his career.
Somehow, though, the mix and match nature and effectively platooning have been working wonders for that section of the Reds roster, and the result is that the offense has gone from largely dormant to the club that has scored the 6th most runs in baseball since the All Star break.