The Reds will have a few familiar faces to track when the 2026 World Series opens Friday night at American Family Field, even if the matchup itself belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. One of those teams will claim its first World Series title by the end of the Fall Classic, and Cincinnati fans can at least sort through a roster packed with former Reds connections.
The most interesting link may come on the mound in Game 1. Nick Martinez, Cincinnati’s former jack-of-all-trades, gets the ball for the Brewers.
The veteran made his first All-Star Game this season and is expected to draw plenty of attention in free agency. A return to Cincinnati is possible, though the source material makes clear the price could be steep.
That won’t stop the Reds from being connected to him. With uncertainty hanging over the rotation heading into next season, it would not be a surprise if Nick Krall and the front office made Martinez their top offseason target.
The Rays also carry several ex-Reds on their roster, though not all of them are likely to factor into the series. Joe Boyle, whom the Reds sent to the Athletics at the 2023 trade deadline for left-handed reliever Sam Moll, has not yet appeared in a postseason game for Tampa Bay this October. He logged 19 innings in the regular season and still brings a big fastball, even if his command has remained an issue.
Gavin Lux is another former Reds connection in Tampa Bay, but he won’t be on the field during the World Series. He has not played in a game all season after suffering a shoulder injury before the year began, and he has spent the entire campaign on the 60-day injured list. Lux came to the Rays in the offseason as part of a three-team deal that sent Brock Burke to Cincinnati.
Casey Legumina is in a similar spot. The Rays acquired him from the Seattle Mariners during the season, and he finished with 55 appearances and a 3.77 ERA. That mark was a clear step forward from his work with the Reds last season, but it still doesn’t appear to be enough to put him on the World Series roster.
Ryan Vilade is the one Rays former Red who has turned himself into a real piece of this club. Cincinnati moved on from him for what the source describes as peanuts last season, and he’s rewarded Tampa Bay with a strong season across 96 games. Vilade hit .245/.321/.429 while seeing time at five different positions, and he’s expected to platoon in left field alongside Chandler Simpson during the series.
On the Brewers’ side, Jake Bauers adds another former Reds tie, even if he never appeared in a Major League game for Cincinnati. He was in the organization in 2022, has bounced around several teams in his career, and most recently earned NLCS MVP honors last week. He’s another player the Reds could have interest in this offseason, although his performance may have pushed him beyond their comfort zone.
In Other News...
Reds Face One Big Offseason Decision On A Familiar Arm
Nick Martinez is back in the conversation for Cincinnati, and it makes sense why. The former Reds right-hander spent this season with the Rays, stayed durable enough to make 31 starts, and kept his earned run average at 3.10 while showing the kind of steadiness that tends to stand out when a club is staring at rotation uncertainty. For a Reds team that has spent a lot of time trying to stabilize the pitching staff, a familiar arm who already knows the organization is going to look awfully relevant once the offseason market opens.
The bigger issue is timing, because the Reds are headed toward a 2027 rotation picture that already looks thin, and the front office will have to balance that need against its budget realities. With the club also facing other departures and Hunter Greene unavailable after Tommy John surgery, adding dependable innings is not a luxury item. Martinez fits the profile of a pitcher Cincinnati could circle back to, but whether the Reds can make that fit work financially is the question hanging over the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Have A Real Dane Myers Question In 2027
Dane Myers gave the Reds something useful in his first season in Cincinnati, appearing in a career-high 117 games and batting .257 with eight home runs while giving the lineup a right-handed option who could hurt lefties and come off the bench in key spots. Acquired from the Marlins in December 2025, he settled into a role that made the trade look sensible almost immediately, especially with the way he handled pinch-hitting duties and gave the club another layer in center field.
Now the Reds have a health issue to monitor heading into 2027 after Myers had to deal with a bruised left shoulder and follow-up surgery on the AC joint. The expectation is that hell be back around Spring Training, but for a player whose value is tied as much to matchup flexibility as everyday availability, even a short interruption can create a real question for how the Reds want to shape their outfield mix. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Pitching Search Just Got Tougher After A Brutal 2026 Regression
The Reds search for help on the mound just got a little more complicated. Cleveland Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis is expected to remain with the Guardians, despite earlier speculation that he could be a fit in Cincinnati, and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt also is reported to be staying put. For a Reds team trying to regroup after a rough 2026 regression, that removes one of the more obvious veteran names from the board at a moment when the club is trying to stabilize its pitching infrastructure.
Cincinnati is still sorting through a broader overhaul after Derek Johnsons departure, with two pitching-related openings to fill for 2027. Bullpen coach Oscar Marin and assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy are among the internal options, while outside candidates such as Matt Blake and Connor McGuiness could also enter the mix. The challenge now is finding the right combination of voices to guide a staff that needs both direction and continuity, and the list of possible fits only seems to be growing more complicated. [Read more 🡒]