The Cincinnati Reds have traded outfielder Stuart Fairchild to Atlanta for cash considerations. Cincinnati had previously designated Fairchild for assignment after he failed to make the opening day roster. Out of options, the club was unable to send him to the minor leagues without him first clearing waivers.
Atlanta felt that someone else could put in a claim before they had an opportunity to do so, so they contacted the Reds and offered up an undisclosed amount of money in exchange to purchase his contract (which is considered a trade in Major League Baseball terms). Cincinnati accepted.
This is the second time in his career that Stuart Fairchild has been traded by the Reds. Originally drafted by Cincinnati, Fairchild played for them until August 31st of 2020 when he was traded along with Josh VanMeter to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Archie Bradley (who would pitch 7.2 innings for the team).
In April of 2022 Fairchild had his contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners. They traded him to the San Francisco Giants three weeks later for former Cincinnati Reds infielder and minor league knuckleballer Alex Blandino. Less than a month later the Giants designated Fairchild for assignment and Cincinnati would claim him.
In his three years with the Cincinnati Reds he hit .232/.316/.403 and produced 2.3 WAR while playing in 229 games. He was often used in a platoon role, facing left-handed pitchers when the opportunity was there.
This spring, though, he struggled in a big way. Entering camp his job didn’t really seem to be in jeopardy. But then he went out and hit .132/.233/.184 in 45 plate appearances. His complete lack of hitting and the production from both Blake Dunn and Jacob Hurtubise during their time in Arizona made the decision for the Reds front office to go with the two younger guys for the 5th/6th outfield spots.
You can see the career starts for Stuart Fairchild here.
