The Reds may have let one of their best trade chips slip away at the deadline, but Spencer Steer could still come back into play if Seattle starts reshaping its roster.
Cincinnati’s biggest misstep in 2026 was playing it too safe when the trade market opened. Instead of moving veterans whose long-term fit was shaky, the Reds mostly stood pat. One of the clearest regrets was holding onto Steer before a wrist injury ended his season.
That opportunity looked real before the August 3 deadline. The Mariners were already linked to Steer then, and now their offseason outlook makes the fit even cleaner.
Seattle is expected to lose Randy Arozarena in free agency. Taylor Ward was a major disappointment after the deadline and is likely on his way out, even if there’s still a chance he rebounds.
Victor Robles is also headed for free agency.
That leaves a lot of right-handed outfield production walking out the door. For a Mariners club that already had trouble scoring and is leaning too heavily left-handed in the lineup, help is going to be needed. Steer checks a lot of boxes for them again.
He brings a right-handed bat with pop, and through 98 games he hit .238/.319/.421 with 16 home runs. He also gives a team flexibility all over the field, which matters for a Seattle roster that may need to shuffle pieces around just to build something balanced for 2027.
For the Reds, that creates a chance to press for the kind of return they need most: starting pitching.
Cincinnati’s rotation remains a clear need, and Seattle has the kind of arms that could make a Steer deal worthwhile. Kade Anderson, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect, is widely seen as the top pitching prospect in baseball. He debuted last year and impressed, and his presence only adds to the Mariners’ rotation congestion.
That’s why the expectation is that Seattle will deal from its starter depth to add offense. George Kirby and Emerson Hancock are the names most often mentioned as possible trade candidates, and either one would make sense for the Reds.
Kirby fits the buy-low mold. He has shown flashes of being a No. 2 starter, but he’s now coming off back-to-back seasons with an ERA above 4.00, and his strikeout rate dipped in 2026.
Even so, he still brings serious velocity, with fastballs averaging nearly 97 miles per hour, and he pairs that with a deep arsenal. He also comes with two more seasons of team control, though his salary is climbing toward $10 million in arbitration.
The more intriguing target may be Hancock. A Steer-for-Hancock framework was already floated by insiders around the deadline, and the right-hander may offer more than a short-term fix.
Hancock made 25 starts in 2026 and worked exclusively as a starter for the first time in his career. Over 138⅔ innings, he struck out 22.3% of hitters, walked just 5.7%, and posted a 3.57 ERA. He won’t reach arbitration until 2028 and is under team control through 2030.
That kind of control matters for a Reds team building around Sal Stewart and Chase Burns. Hancock is 27, older than those two, but he could still grow with them over time.
If Cincinnati has to give up Steer to get him, it would mean parting with a useful and popular player. But the payoff could be worth it.
In Other News...
Reds May Have Just One Ke'Bryan Hayes Escape Route
The Reds long-term commitment to KeBryan Hayes has already become one of the trickier financial pieces on the roster, with the club on the hook for the remaining $23 million on his deal through the 2029 season. For a team that has tried to keep its payroll flexible, that kind of money attached to a player whose fit has not yet fully settled naturally invites trade chatter, even if the market for a move like that is thin.
One idea floating around would require another club willing to take on salary in a way that helps both sides, but the practical obstacles are obvious. Any swap built around a veteran pitcher with his own contract baggage would have to make sense for the other team as well, and the Reds are not exactly in a position to expect a clean escape from Hayes deal. For now, the most realistic path may be waiting for a partner with a very specific need, because the list of teams able and willing to absorb that much money is not a long one. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Have A Ninth-Inning Problem They Didn't Expect
The Reds are heading into the winter with an unexpected hole at the back end of the bullpen after Emilio Pagan moved on, leaving Cincinnati to sort out a ninth-inning role it had largely been able to pencil in for the past two seasons. Pagan had been one of the clubs steadiest relievers, giving the Reds a dependable late-game option and helping stabilize a bullpen that leaned on him heavily when games tightened up.
His departure matters because it is not just the loss of an arm, but the loss of a proven closer the team trusted in pressure spots. Cincinnati now has to identify a new answer for 2027, and finding one with the same level of reliability will be a major offseason task as the Reds try to keep their late-inning structure intact. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Mourn The Loss Of A Former Manager And Baseball Lifer
Bob Boone, a familiar name to Reds fans from an earlier era, has died after a long baseball life that stretched from the field to the dugout. Before he ever managed in Cincinnati, Boone built his reputation as a catcher over a 19-year playing career, one that earned him four All-Star nods and six Gold Glove awards, and he later moved into managing with the Kansas City Royals before arriving in Cincinnati.
For the Reds, Boone represented a direct link to a different chapter of the franchise, one shaped by a baseball man who understood the game from behind the plate and from the managers seat. His time in Cincinnati came in the early 2000s, and his passing adds another name to the list of former Reds figures whose impact is remembered not just for what happened in the standings, but for the steadier imprint they left on the organization. [Read more 🡒]