Reds Offseason Breakdown

The Reds entered the 2025/2026 offseason coming off an 83-win season where they finished above .500 in a middling NL Central. Surely they’re adding, right? Sort of. 

Cincinnati has made slight additions to its bullpen and bench. Relief options Pierce Johnson, Brocke Burke, and Caleb Ferguson have been added to the mix, along with the retention of 2025 closer Emilio Pagan. As for the bench, rangy outfielder Dane Meyers made his way over from Miami via trade. Outside of that, it’s been rather quiet for the Redlegs. 

What should this team be looking to add/subtract for the remainder of the offseason?

Room for Rhett? 

The Reds have the greatest problem to have in baseball: too much pitching. The starting rotation is currently listed as: Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo, and Chase Burns. 

Top prospect Rhett Lowder came up and impressed in 2024, pitching to a dreamy 1.17 ERA in 30.2 innings. Injuries sidelined the newcomer in 2025, but he’s scheduled to be firing on all cylinders for the 2026 season. 

Lowder needs to pitch full-time in Cincy. His value is diminished one game at a time that he spends outside of the rotation. The obvious solution is to move Brady Singer. The right-hander had a solid 2025 campaign but is entering his last year of arbitration. 

The other option the Reds could explore is to flip Nick Lodolo. The 28-year-old southpaw is coming off an extremely effective season and has plenty of team control left. If the Reds find themselves blown away by an offer, they shouldn’t hold onto Lodolo too tight. 

Whatever route the front office decides to take, Rhett Lowder needs a roster spot and should be starting games full-time in 2026.  

Playoff Optimism?

A record that was 2 games above .500 had Cincy in the mix down the stretch for the seemingly always attainable third Wildcard spot. If there’s a time to go for it, it’s now. 

The Cubs continue to bolster their lineup with big-market moves, and the Brewers look to have a chokehold on the division. If Cincinnati is going to compete with those two teams, it’s going to be while Elly De La Cruz is in town. If they think otherwise, why even keep him around? Surely his trade value could recoup enough prospect value to nearly reset the entire starting lineup. 

The Reds need a power bat. Great American Ballpark is a homerun hitter’s dream. The fact that the front office in Cincy hasn’t made a concerted effort to target a big-time bopper is a self-inflicted shot to the foot. Names that are still live on the market include: Marcell Ozuna, Rhys Hoskins, Rowdy Tellez, Eugenio Suarez, and many more. 

Give a power bat half a season in Cincinnati and watch 20 home runs turn into 35. 

The Reds Reality

Cincinnati might be one more year away from true contention. Until the front office knows entirely what they hold in youngsters like Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and any other prospects making their way upstream, it seems unlikely that the Reds will look outwards for additional slug and strikeouts. 

The Reds are one of baseball's most headspinning teams. Their lineup is chock-full of young, blossoming talent, but when one player takes a step forward, someone else takes two steps back. They can’t seem to get everyone on the same page, and now have to deal with a backup of talent because it’s hard to quit on pipedreams that have already shown promise. 

I don’t envy the position that this front office finds themselves in. At some point, their young talent will either show up, or Cincinnati fans will look back on this team in the same manner that southsiders in Chicago look back on the 2021 White Sox. 

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