Barry Larkin didn’t bother softening the blow after the Reds’ 9-1 loss to the Cubs on Sunday. He said out loud what a lot of Cincinnati has been carrying around for a while: this team is nowhere close to where it needs to be.
Speaking on the broadcast, Larkin pointed to the stretch run as a harsh measuring stick and made it clear he thinks real change is overdue.
“I think these last three weeks of baseball playing against some of the better teams that are going to be going to the postseason really illustrates how far we are behind at this big league level," Larkin said on the broadcast. "And change has to happen.
This city deserves better than that, and I know every player down there feels that. But something has to give.
We have to get better because we are so, so far behind.”
That frustration lands because the record backs it up. The Reds have missed the postseason in 26 of the last 31 seasons. They have not won a postseason game since 2012, and they have not won a postseason series since 1995.
For a fan base that keeps showing up, that’s an exhausting amount of waiting. Wait for the young talent.
Wait for the injured players. Wait for next year.
The cycle keeps repeating.
And that’s where Elly De La Cruz makes the situation even sharper. The Reds have a generational talent in him, but since he reached the big leagues, Cincinnati has made the postseason only once. A player like that should be a trigger for urgency, not more delay.
Those chances don’t come around forever. Once they pass, they’re gone.
There’s also the bigger organizational question hanging over the club. Nick Krall is rumored to be returning even though the Reds have reached the postseason just once during his tenure. If that’s the path ownership takes, it’s fair for fans to wonder what would actually be different this time.
The answer can’t fall on one person alone. Ownership has to spend to win.
The front office has to use those resources wisely. The coaching staff and players have to produce when it matters.
But the people building the roster can’t keep asking for patience without offering any real proof the finish line will move.
The Castellinis came in promising to turn the Reds into a winning organization in 2006. Two decades later, sustained success still hasn’t arrived. Instead, the team has lingered around .500, avoiding a full rebuild even when staying stuck in the middle has clearly done damage.
Larkin’s comments cut right to the frustration behind all of it. The Reds are still looking up at the better teams and seeing just how much ground they have to make up.
Cincinnati deserves better. Reds fans deserve better.
In Other News...
Reds Roster Shakeup Just Put Two Cincinnati Futures In Doubt
Chase Burns breakout rookie season hit an abrupt stop when the Reds placed the All-Star pitcher on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain, officially ending his year. In the same roster move, Cincinnati brought up Carson Spiers from Triple-A Louisville and cleared a place for him on the 40-man roster by designating outfielder TJ Friedl for assignment, a procedural step that can carry major consequences even when it is done to solve an immediate pitching need.
For the Reds, the timing makes the whole transaction feel bigger than a simple injury replacement. Burns was part of the clubs present and future on the mound, and Spiers now gets a chance to step into that opening, but Friedls status is the one to watch next because the assignment gives other clubs a chance to claim him off waivers. What looked like a straightforward answer to one roster problem may end up creating another question about how much of Cincinnatis future core is actually staying put. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Have Chosen Who Pays For This Disappointing Season
The Reds have made their first significant call of the winter, and it points toward continuity at the top of the baseball operation. Nick Krall is staying on as president of baseball operations despite a season that left plenty of fans frustrated, with the club struggling badly on both sides of the ball and again coming up short in the kinds of spots that decide games.
Now the focus shifts to where the changes might actually land. Cincinnatis offensive issues were not limited to a cold stretch or two, and the pitching group never fully solved its development problems, which puts Chris Valaika and Derek Johnson squarely in the conversation as the organization looks for answers. If the Reds are going to turn this around, the next move may be less about who remains in charge and more about which coaches are asked to carry the blame. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Have A New Prospect To Watch Closely
The Reds have spent much of the season trying to rediscover the energy that carried them through a strong start, but there have still been enough bright spots to keep the focus on what comes next. Elly De La Cruz has continued to give the lineup a jolt, and Sal Stewart has added to the sense that the organization still has impact talent on the way.
One name now drawing more attention is Alfredo Duno, whose all-around game has started to stand out in a system that badly needs more certainty. The praise for his offense and defense is starting to sound less like long-range optimism and more like a real development track, with some in the organization seeing him as a possible contender for a major league starting job by 2028. [Read more 🡒]