The Reds’ season has drifted into damage-control mode, and ESPN’s David Schoenfield didn’t bother softening the blow. Cincinnati, now 73-84 and 25 games back in the National League Central, earned a “D” in his team-by-team grades - with only five clubs finishing below them.
That harsh verdict lands because the disappointment is so plain. After reaching the postseason a year ago, the expectation was simple: take a step forward, maybe even break through for the first postseason win since 2012.
Instead, the Reds have spent 2026 looking stuck. Schoenfield pointed to the run differential as a glaring marker of how far things went off track, noting that only the A’s and Rockies will finish worse in that category.
The strange part is that the talent was there. Schoenfield highlighted Elly De La Cruz, probable NL Rookie of the Year Sal Stewart and Chase Burns, who went 15-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 185 strikeouts. Even with that kind of top-end production, Cincinnati still became “a dreary watch,” as Schoenfield put it, especially after the club was 20-11 at the end of April.
The rotation took the biggest hit. Schoenfield noted that Cincinnati had ranked 16th in rotation ERA in 2024 and then ninth in 2025, an impressive number given the ballpark, before tumbling all the way to 28th in 2026 despite Burns’ excellence.
He also questioned what exactly the Reds are trying to be. “It feels like the Reds need an identity.
They're not a pitching-and-defense team. (The defense was bad.)
They have the veneer of a power-hitting team, at least in 2026, but the park helps inflate their power totals. They don't hit for average (last in the majors).
If they're going to build around pitching, maybe it makes sense to change the dimensions of the park and get some better defenders to surround De La Cruz and Stewart.”
That’s the uncomfortable truth hanging over the offseason: too much talent, not nearly enough results. Stewart looks poised to win National League Rookie of the Year, De La Cruz should land in the top five of MVP voting, and Burns was one of the best pitchers in the league. None of it has translated into contention.
If Cincinnati keeps acting as though nothing needs to change, there’s little reason to expect the same movie to play out differently next year.
Even with the season going sideways, De La Cruz has given fans plenty to cling to. He’s one homer and one stolen base away from becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to post a 30-homer, 30-steal season, joining Brandon Phillips, Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. Phillips was the last Reds player to do it, back in 2007.
And De La Cruz has finished strong. Over his last 28 games since August 22, he’s hit .411/.488/.757 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs. He also leads the majors in hits, on-base percentage and total bases this month.
One more stolen base would add another line to the record book: it would make him the first Red and only the eighth player in MLB history to steal at least 30 bases in each of his first four seasons.
In Other News...
Reds Report Puts Ownership Heat On Krall Debate All Over Again
A fresh report from The Athletic has brought an old Reds conversation back to the surface, this time centering on the relationship between owner Bob Castellini and front office executive Nick Krall. Citing unnamed sources, the story describes a tense exchange over how Cincinnati can build sustained success, with Castellini and Krall reportedly at odds over the best path forward for a club that has spent years trying to get the balance right between winning now and building for later.
The report says Castellini pushed back on trades Krall proposed that would have moved established players, while Krall continued to focus on collecting and developing young talent. Some of Kralls trades are part of that larger picture, and the broader challenge for the organization remains the same: figuring out whether patience, aggression, or some mix of both can finally get the Reds where they want to go. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Collapse Put One Big Clubhouse Problem Front And Center
After last years playoff trip, the Reds spent 2026 looking for traction and never really found it, finishing 73-85 and landing at the bottom of the NL Central. The frustrating part for Cincinnati is that the season was not short on individual bright spots, with players such as Sal Stewart continuing to perform well even as the club as a whole slid backward.
What stood out most was how thin the veteran layer felt around that young core. The offseason did not bring the kind of experienced clubhouse additions that can steady a team through the inevitable rough patches, and the collapse has put that choice under a brighter spotlight for the front office as it figures out how to build on a promising start that never quite carried over. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Just Got A Front Office Message That Solves Nothing
Cincinnatis offseason has already been heavy on questions about direction, and the latest message from ownership did little to change that. Bob and Phil Castellini said Nick Krall and Brad Meador will keep steering baseball operations, while the organization also takes a closer look at its player development system, a sign the Reds are still trying to sort out what needs fixing after years of uneven results.
The larger point from the statement was clear enough: baseball people will make baseball decisions, and the front office wants that line to be understood. But for a fan base worn down by modest postseason returns and underwhelming development rankings, the announcement mostly confirmed the same thing it was meant to answer, leaving the real test where it has been for a while now, on whether the organization can turn that structure into better outcomes. [Read more 🡒]