The Cincinnati Reds are in an intriguing position heading into the 2026 MLB season. There are arguments to be made for both the Reds trying to build a contender or entering a potential rebuild. They finished third in the National League Central after recording 83 wins in 2025, and the team displayed signs of potential overall. With that being said, Cincinnati either needs to commit to building a winner or hitting the reset button, as spending time in the middle of the division as a mediocre squad is a difficult place to be.

The Reds have a number of young stars on the roster. Elly De La Cruz is the shortstop of the future. He is already establishing himself as a star at the MLB level. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are among the young pitchers with bright futures on the roster.

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Cincinnati has its core, now the next step is to add proven veterans who can help the Reds move to a true threat from a fringe contender. While the chances of the Reds going out and signing a superstar such as Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette appear to be slim, there are a number of free agents available who could make sense for the ball club.

Trades are a possibility as well. Bringing in a player such as Nick Castellanos would give Cincinnati a veteran with experience.

Of course, having manager Terry Francona around the young players will only help matters. Francona is one of the best managers of the past couple of decades. When he took over the job in Cleveland with the Guardians, he helped the team become a consistent contender in the American League Central. While Cleveland fell just short of snapping its World Series drought (they lost Game 7 of the 2016 World Series), Francona’s managerial performance was impressive without question.

The move to bring in Francona suggested the Reds were going to go all in on winning as opposed to rebuilding. Now is the time to be aggressive in free agency/trades in an effort to develop a winning squad.

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One may argue that the Reds have already selected a franchise direction, but they need to make their decision more clear moving forward. Otherwise, the Reds may not be able to reach their goals.

Cincinnati will be worth closely monitoring as the MLB offseason continues.