The Reds had enough talent to chase a postseason spot, but the year unraveled into more disappointment than reward, and Noelvi Marte ended up taking the biggest hit in the conversation about Cincinnati’s letdowns.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter singled out Marte as the club’s most disappointing player of the 2026 season, and the case is hard to argue with after the 24-year-old turned in the worst season of his big-league career.
"There is no shortage of candidates for the Reds, including a poor contract year from Brady Singer, a disappointing reunion with Eugenio Suárez and a historically awful offensive showing from Ke'Bryan Hayes," Reuter wrote. "However, Marte was trending toward being a legitimate long-term piece in 2025 with a 104 OPS+ and 1.4 WAR in 90 games, so his massive step backward in his age-24 season has bigger long-term ramifications."
That step backward was steep. Marte hit .189/.229/.321 with a .550 OPS, a sharp drop from the .263/.300/.448 line he posted in 90 games last season. He finished the year at -1.5 WAR.
For Cincinnati, the frustration goes beyond one bad stat line. Marte was one of the pieces the Reds landed in the trade that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners a few years ago, and he was supposed to grow into one of the young players that could help drive the franchise forward. Instead, his path has been interrupted by a failed drug test that cost him half a year, and his production has fallen well short of expectations.
The Reds still need Marte to turn things around. If he doesn’t make real progress over the offseason and into next year, his hold on a roster spot could be in danger. The talent is there, but he has yet to make the adjustment to big-league pitching.
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