JJ Bleday gave the Reds a promising look in 2026, but Cincinnati would be wise not to let that early burst talk them into an everyday job next season.
That’s the trap here. For a few weeks, Bleday looked like a real find after the Athletics non-tendered him.
He was getting on base, driving the ball and looking like he might solve part of an outfield problem that needed help. But the full season paints a much less stable picture, and the Reds can’t let one hot stretch do all the talking.
From April 26 through May 31, Bleday was excellent. He hit .303/.398/.642 with 18 extra-base hits and a 177 wRC+.
He walked in 14.1% of his plate appearances and struck out only 17.2% of the time. That’s the kind of stretch that makes people start penciling in roles before the season is even over.
The problem is what came next.
From June 1 through the end of the year, Bleday hit just .190/.300/.347 with 25 extra-base hits and an 81 wRC+. His walk rate dipped to 12.9%, and his strikeout rate climbed to 23.7%. The walks still helped, but the overall line fell off hard, and over that much longer stretch he finished 19% below league average by wRC+.
That’s the part Cincinnati has to keep front and center. Bleday showed he can look dangerous when things are rolling, but pitchers clearly adjusted, and he still has to prove he can answer back when that happens.
If the Reds use him as a starter next season, the safer lane is against right-handed pitching only. Against lefties in 2026, he hit .200/.288/.356 with a 77 wRC+, which is not enough to justify giving him an everyday role on a team that needs more offense.
Nick Krall’s recent comments fit that reality.
“We need to have more complements to be able to put guys in positions every day to succeed,” Krall told Charlie Goldsmith.
That kind of setup could help Bleday, too. A platoon partner would let the Reds use him where he’s more likely to succeed instead of forcing him into a job his numbers don’t support.
Even so, that’s only part of the answer. Cincinnati still needs multiple outfield additions this offseason, and Bleday’s presence shouldn’t change that. He can have a role, especially against righties, but one strong month can’t be allowed to outweigh what happened over the final four.
In Other News...
Reds Pitching Search Could Test Terry Franconas Pull Early
The Reds entered the winter with a pitching staff that needs help on more than one front, and the search for a new pitching coach figures to be one of the first places Terry Franconas influence gets tested. Cincinnatis group is still young, but injuries and uneven performance have left the staff in a tough spot, and the club will be looking for a voice that can steady development while helping clean up results.
One name that fits that profile is Ruben Niebla, the Padres pitching coach, who has a connection to Francona and would bring a strong track record to the job. The complication is that he is under contract through 2027, which makes any pursuit more complicated, and another San Diego option, bullpen coach Ben Fritz, has also surfaced as a logical target after helping guide a strong relief group. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Be Adding Another Catcher To A Growing Roster Debate
The Reds are already weighing a familiar question behind the plate, and now there is another name to track in the pipeline. A Baseball America scouting report by Ben Badler links Venezuelan catcher Dylan Rodriguez to Cincinnati as a potential signing in the 2027 international signing period, adding a promising young backstop to a system that has made catching a clear area of focus.
Rodriguez is viewed as a prospect with strong offensive upside and defense that is still coming along, the kind of profile that can make a club pause and project. For Cincinnati, it only adds another layer to an existing roster debate, with Alfredo Duno sitting atop the catching prospect board while the big league picture continues to require decisions of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face A Real Emilio Pagan Decision After His Huge Finish
Emilio Pagns late-season run has given the Reds something they did not have to think much about earlier in the year: a real long-term decision on a bullpen arm who has suddenly made himself expensive. With a player option for 2027 worth $10 million, Pagn now has to weigh the comfort of a guaranteed payday against the possibility that his recent finish and the state of the market could open the door to something bigger.
For Cincinnati, the calculus goes beyond one season and one contract number. Pagns age, the demand for relief pitching and the uncertainty around the next collective bargaining agreement all make this a complicated call, and the Reds will have to be prepared for either path. If he takes the option, he stays. If he declines, the club could be staring at a free-agent market where a strong finish has changed his value in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]