CINCINNATI (WXIX) – On the whole, this Cincinnati Reds’ offseason sounds like it’s going to follow the status quo.
Following the team’s first full-season playoff berth since 2013, president of baseball operations Nick Krall announced on Monday that all of the coaches have been invited to return. The budget for 2026 will get set over the next month, which will shape how much the Reds can do in free agency. The biggest path toward improvement will be the young core taking the next step.
“Internally, some guys need to step up,” general manager Brad Meador said. “We need guys to have good offseasons, show back up ready to go and show back up ready to take the next step. We all know we need to take the next step. Part of that is leadership. Some of the young guys aren’t young anymore.”
Most of the pieces for the 2026 Reds are set. Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Noelvi Marte, TJ Friedl, Gavin Lux and Tyler Stephenson figure to be regulars in the lineup again. Sal Stewart will get the chance to build off of his promising second half of the season. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder give the Reds a championship-caliber rotation.
The big question, like it is every year, is how much payroll flexibility the front office gets to work with to add to the roster. It always goes back to the budget.
The Reds enter the offseason with sneaky number of needs. Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, Zack Littell and Miguel Andujar are free agents. Austin Hays has a mutual option, which almost never gets picked up by both sides. The Reds have options on Scott Barlow and Brent Suter.
The Reds will have to retain any of those guys for more than they were paying them last year, or they’ll have to replace them.
“What’s next? How do we get better?” Meador said. “We’re losing some key parts, and we’re losing some leaders. It’s really important that we not only bring those guys back or replace those guys. But also continue to move forward and take the next step.”
There’s an under-the-radar need for rotation depth or the next Martinez. Several Reds pitchers will be on innings limits in 2026. With Brandon Williamson and Julian Aguiar coming off of Tommy John surgery, Rhett Lowder coming off of a lost season and Chase Burns still so early in his professional career, the Reds have a lot of starters that will need to be managed.
On paper, that makes the idea of trading one of the team’s established starters for a power bat more tricky to pull off.
“I wouldn’t say no, but when you trade pitchers you’ve got to go fill that somehow,” Krall said. “We all know how it works where you run out of innings at some point in the season. Guys get hurt. Things happen. I’m not sure you’re going to trade a pitcher for offense. You might (have to) trade a pitcher for a prospect and then have to go sign the offense. We’ve got to figure out what makes sense.”
The only two locks in the bullpen right now for 2026 are Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft. Connor Phillips set himself up well with his strong finish to 2025. There’s a wave of prospects who have already debuted and will battle for spots in the spring, including Zach Maxwell, Luis Mey, Lyon Richardson (now out of options) and Yosver Zulueta.
The front office will also look for opportunities to bolster that group with veterans. But there aren’t many small market teams splurging for closers and setup relievers on the free agent market.
Obviously, the lineup has to be better in 2026. Steer has to be steadier, McLain was just getting back to really feeling 100% coming off of shoulder surgery in 2024, De La Cruz has to figure out what style of hitter he wants to be, Hayes has to make adjustments, Lux has to slug some more and Marte and Stewart have to stick with the cat-and-mouse game as the league adjusts to them.
On paper, it makes a lot of sense for the Reds to add a veteran presence to their lineup at first base, DH or left field.
“We want somebody who’s going to be able to add to this team,” Krall said. “I don’t think there’s a specific style to where you need this or need that. Would you like more power? Sure. Would you like more defense? Sure. Are you going to get a guy who’s one dimensional and can’t do other things? You don’t want to do that. You want to get the best players you can get.”
When asked about team needs, Krall said that he’s looking to upgrade both the Reds’ offense and defense.
Because of the versatility on the Reds’ roster, there’s a lot to be determined about who plays where. Building out a defensive lineup starts with the question of where to put De La Cruz.
“He had some hiccups defensively in the second half of the season,” Krall said. “We’ve got to figure out how to clean those up and get him to become a better shortstop and make those routine plays.”
Have there been any thoughts about moving him to the outfield?
“As of right now, no,” Krall said.
If the Reds did move De La Cruz, though, it’s much more difficult to find an impact middle infielder to fill that slot than it is to find an impact first baseman/corner outfielder/DH.
One change that it looks like will take place with De La Cruz in 2026 is going to be how often he plays.
“He got tired toward the middle of the season,” Krall said. “It caught up with him. We talked about what’s the best way to deploy him moving forward on a daily basis.”
Following shortstop and second base, which McLain can play at a very high level, the next most premium defensive position is center field. TJ Friedl has manned that spot since 2022, and he ranked 17th in MLB in on-base percentage this year. According to Baseball Savant, Friedl’s range and sprint speed have declined over the last few seasons.
“He did a good job overall,” Krall said. “There were times where you could see his sprint speed go up and down and he was conserving his legs. It took its toll on him over the course of the season, but he showed up every day and played every day. Overall, he did a good job.”
The Reds have never had a full-time designated DH since the NL adopted that rule in 2022. They’ve prioritized versatility at that spot. On Monday, Krall was asked about how he views the DH position in 2026.
“You’d like to be able to rotate guys through there,” Krall said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be the case. It’s all going to be dependent on what the roster looks like going into next year.”
After making the playoffs in 2025, the next step is really challenging blue blood teams like the Dodgers, Cubs and Phillies. Ideally, the Reds get there by becoming a more efficient, more consistent and deeper team in the mold of the top-seeded Brewers.
Experiencing the postseason was a step for the Reds, but there’s more work to be done by the players, the coaching staff and the front office.
“There were younger guys in some spots that hadn’t been in those spots before,” Krall said. “This is the postseason. It’s a little bit different. It’s a good thing. It shows them what it’s like and gives them a taste to want to get back there. This is what we’re striving for every year.”
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