The Big Pod Machine: Reds off season, Redsfest and Thanksgiving
Reds Beat Reporter Gordon Wittenmyer and Sports Reporter Pat Brennan discuss the Reds off season and whats coming up
Anybody wondering how the Cincinnati Reds might compete in the National League Central in 2026 just got a blockbuster answer from the St. Louis Cardinals this week when the Cards shipped ace Sonny Gray to the Red Sox for a pitching prospect and another guy who hasn’t pitched a full season in the majors yet.
The only thing the Cardinals will be competing for next season is to stay in front of Paul Skenes’ big-talk, no-walk Pirates for last place.
What’s more, the already cost-conscious Cubs reacted with shock when starting pitcher Shota Imanaga threw a grenade into their payroll budget by accepting the $22 million qualifying offer.
Nobody believes the defending division-champion Brewers don’t look like they’re going away anytime soon.
But it looks like there might be more wins to be had for the Reds in that quarter of the season schedule comprised of the Pirates, Cards and Cubs — even if the Reds stick to their bargain-shopping, margin-tweaking approach they seem to be taking so far this winter.
Imagine if they wanted to push their chips in even a little more aggressively to try to make it a two-team race in their effort to not only reach the playoffs again but to make noise once they get there.
With that in mind, here’s a list of five free-agent fits they should target, listed in order of priority (including at least one or two who might be had within their current budget):
DH Kyle Schwarber,* Phillies
The Phillies have made no secret about wanting him back, and Schwarber often talks about how much he’s loved his four years there and wants to stay. But if Philadelphia decides they have other priorities during a winter in which they’d also like to bring back All-Star free agents Ranger Suarez, a left-hande pitcher, and catcher J.T. Realmuto, then the Middletown kid’s hometown team needs to seize this once in a generation opportunity to bring the best hometown player in the game back home.
It’ll probably cost a four-year commitment north of $120 million — maybe $130 million. But the Castellini’s could pay most of that just out of the revenue sharing money they’ve pocketed the last few years after shedding the roster of veteran contracts to do the young-and-cheap rebuild.
Closer Emilio Pagán, Reds
The price might have gone up if Raisel Iglesias’ $16 million deal to return to Atlanta is any indication.
That was just a one-year deal, but Pagán is a year younger coming off a better season and, according to sources, already had at least 10 teams showing interest even before the Iglesias signing.
It’ll take at least two years to get Pagán, and the cost figures to be significantly higher than the $8 million a year he made on his just completed two-year deal with the Reds.
But he talked repeatedly this season about how much he likes the team, loves manager Terry Francona and how much his family likes Cincinnati.
How many free agent pitchers want to be in Cincinnati that bad? At all?
1B Pete Alonso, Mets
The (Polar) Bear facts are that the Mets’ all-time home run leader comes with a likely prohibitive price tag, and many expect him to re-up with the Mets before he gets too far down the road with any other team. But one can dream, right?
Dude has never hit fewer than 34 home runs in a season, and he hit 53 as a rookie in 2019. What’s the opposite of free agent pitchers not wanting to pitch at GABP?
Consider Alsono a poor man’s Kyle Schwarber.
1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn, Padres
The lefty-hitting O’Hearn won’t necessarily check any boxes for desired defensive upgrades, but he’s a solid hitter coming off an All-Star season who could fall into the Reds’ budget range (he made $8 million in 2025).
Consider him a (very) poor man’s Kyle Schwarber, with a discount to match — a guy who hit a career-high 17 home runs combined in Baltimore and pitcher-friendly Petco Park, batting .281 with a career-best .803 OPS.
He’s 6-for-17 (.353) in four career games at GABP with two doubles, two homers and a 1.157 OPS.
1B Nathaniel Lowe, Red Sox
The lefty-hitting former Gold Glove winner was non-tendered by Boston a few months after they signed him as a free agent in August.
He struggled much of 2025 (.228 with 18 home runs). But he’s a career .264 hitter (.347 on-base percentage) who hit 27 home runs for the Rangers as recently as 2022 — and won a World Series with Texas the following year.
Lowe, 30, is another veteran upside play who brings the desired plus-defender profile and might come at a relative discount, at least in terms of length-of-contract commitment.
*-Received qualifying offer from his team, which means draft-pick compensation from any other team signing him.