Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Not long ago, just making the playoffs wasn’t good enough for the Cincinnati Reds. But over the past 20 years or so, things have drastically shifted with this team, much to the frustrations of the loyal fanbase.
The Reds are coming off a season that saw them reach the playoffs, and as they enter the offseason, the priority should be to build upon the roster. Cincinnati has a solid young team in place, but they do need a little more consistency from the offensive side of the game.
This could see Cincinnati be aggressive this offseason, even if it’s jsut them adding around the edges of the roster. But the hope is that the team will look to go big-game hunting, even if it’s not how they have typically acted of late.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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Cincinnati Reds Trade For Jarren Duran
As the Reds move forward with the offseason, the team very badly needs to upgrade the outfield position. Cincinnati had a rotating cast of characters in the outfield on this team, and only TJ Friedl was able to play in more than 110 games.
Since the Reds don’t typically dip their toes into the free agent pool, we could see the team look to address the issue via trade. One option for them could be to go after outfielder Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox.
Duran has been put into trade rumors over the past year, but Boston has held off moving him for now. However, many around baseball believe that the Red Sox will look to actually trade him this offseason, and the Reds should be at the front of the line to land his services.
The veteran had a good 2025 season for Boston, and all it did was increase his value across the league. Overall, Duran hit .256 with 16 home runs and 84 runs batted in over 157 games played.
Duran could fit in well with this Reds clubhouse, and he could help them make a push to find more success next year. The Reds also have the type of return that the Red Sox would want, which is pitching help.
Boston needs to add another starting pitcher to the mix, and the two sides could work together to solve the issues. While all the noise around a trade of Reds ace Hunter Greene has quieted down, both Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo could also make a lot of sense for the Red Sox.
The Reds have depth in the pitching staff, and while they likely would prefer to keep either of these two starters, you have to trade talent to land talent. Cincinnati could benefit heavily from adding Duran to the mix, even if it were to meant trading one of the young arms.
This team has to maximize this young core, especially with manager Terry Francona still performing at a high level. But whether the front office agrees on this thought remains a major question in the Queen City.