The Cincinnati Reds have spent 2026 staring at an offseason that already feels bigger than the one in front of them. The playoff race is gone, the 2027 outlook is murky, and the fan base has largely moved on to what comes next.
At the center of that next chapter is Sal Stewart.
The rookie slugger has been one of the few real bright spots for Cincinnati this year, and he has quickly put himself in position to be named NL Rookie of the Year. More than that, he looks like the kind of player an organization can build around. That’s why the Reds’ most important move this winter is obvious: get Stewart locked into a long-term extension.
Not later. Not after everything else is sorted out. First.
Yes, Cincinnati has plenty of other problems to solve. Yes, Stewart remains under team control through 2031, so there’s no immediate urgency on the calendar. But the Reds have already lived through the danger of waiting too long with a young star, and that history hangs over this decision.
Elly De La Cruz is the warning sign. He debuted in 2023 and hit .235/.300/.410 with 13 home runs and 35 stolen bases in 98 games. If the Reds had pushed for an extension during the 2023-24 offseason, there’s a strong chance they could have reached a long-term agreement, even with Scott Boras representing him.
Instead, Cincinnati spent $108 million in free agency on Jeimer Candelario, Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, and others. De La Cruz then turned in an All-Star season, batting .259/.339/.471 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, and 67 stolen bases. He finished eighth in NL MVP voting and sent his price well beyond the range the Reds would want to meet.
The Reds did make a half-hearted effort to keep him, but the 10-year, $225 million contract Joey Votto signed in 2012 is not enough this time. That window has already started closing.
Stewart is the player they cannot afford to let get away from them in the same way. He’s already been to the All-Star Game, he’s on track to win Rookie of the Year, and he’s watched a wave of other young players cash in this year.
Kevin McGonigle got an eight-year, $150 million deal from the Detroit Tigers. Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a nine-year, $140 million contract earlier this year.
Colt Emerson and the Seattle Mariners worked out an eight-year, $95 million deal before he even played a game. JJ Wetherholt, Stewart’s main Rookie of the Year competition, signed an eight-year, $112.5 million extension with the St.
Louis Cardinals.
That’s the market. That’s the standard.
And that’s why Stewart has to be the Reds’ No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 priority this offseason.
The rest of the roster is not in great shape. Outside of Stewart, De La Cruz, and Chase Burns, the talent pool is thin.
Ownership has not shown a willingness to spend heavily in free agency, and the farm system has been drained. Add it all up, and Cincinnati is staring at the possibility of another rebuild.
Trying to make a real jump in 2027 is already a difficult ask, and the looming collective bargaining dispute could shorten that season as well. Hunter Greene is set to cost $15.3 million while rehabbing from elbow surgery, and Ke’Bryan Hayes’ $7 million is essentially money that won’t help on the field. That leaves $22 million tied up before the Reds even start trying to fix the rest of the roster.
So the smart play is simple: put the rest of the 2027 planning on pause until Stewart is signed. Once that deal is done, the Reds can start looking ahead to 2028 and beyond with Stewart and Burns in place for the long haul.
For a fan base that needs something solid to hold onto, that matters. Instead of watching De La Cruz become the player he is now and wondering when the next exit will come, the Reds have a chance to make a real commitment to one of their own.
They can’t afford to miss it again.
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Eugenio Surez Had A Bigger Reason For Leaving The Reds
Eugenio Surez was away from the Reds for two days this week, and the reason had nothing to do with an injury or a baseball matter. The veteran infielder was in Miami working through the naturalization process, a step that included passing his U.S. citizenship test as he continues a long path that began after he came to Major League Baseball from Venezuela more than a decade ago.
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Joey Votto Just Reignited A Bigger Reds Debate
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For a franchise that has leaned so heavily on youth in recent years, that message landed with extra weight. It also reopened a broader question around Vottos place in Cincinnatis future, with his connection to the organization strong enough to fuel plenty of speculation about a possible front office path down the road, even if nothing is actually in motion yet. [Read more 🡒]