The Cincinnati Reds have a lot on their plate this offseason, and Emilio Pagan probably shouldn’t be near the top of the list.
Pagan gave the Reds real value over the last two seasons, especially after coming back from injury in 2026. But he’s now a free agent after turning down his $10 million player option, and keeping him would likely mean going beyond that number on a multi-year deal. For a team with bigger roster issues, that’s a tough sell.
Milwaukee just offered a pretty clear blueprint. As RedsInFour pointed out on X, the Brewers won the World Series with a bullpen built mostly from within.
Their best relievers were either inexpensive or still under team control, and they didn’t have to chase expensive veteran arms to build one of baseball’s best relief groups. That’s the part Cincinnati should be paying attention to.
The Brewers’ run wasn’t just about payroll efficiency, either. It showed that a team can develop a dominant bullpen by trusting its own arms and giving them a chance to grow into bigger roles. That’s the model the Reds should be trying to follow.
None of that changes what Pagan meant to Cincinnati. He was excellent over the last two seasons, and after coming off the injured list in July, he was even better.
His ERA was under two, which is about as good as it gets. But there’s a difference between appreciating a reliever’s work and committing serious money to a 36-year-old arm on a long deal.
That’s where the Reds have to be disciplined. They still need offense.
They still have to decide whether Tyler Stephenson comes back or they look for a catcher in free agency. And they need starting pitching help, especially with Hunter Greene set to miss the 2027 season and several starters taking a step back in 2026.
With that many holes, it’s hard to justify tying up a big chunk of payroll in an aging closer.
Pagan should get paid, and he probably will. It just doesn’t have to be by the Reds.
If Cincinnati wants to take a real step forward, the better move may be building its bullpen the way Milwaukee did: from the inside out. Joe Torres is in as the new pitching coach, and that gives the Reds a fresh chance to improve how they develop arms.
There are pitchers in the organization who need to make that leap, including Zach Maxwell, Luis Mey, and Connor Phillips. Each has elite stuff. Each has also been held back by command problems.
The Reds don’t need to copy the Brewers exactly. But they should absolutely be trying to build their pitching staff in that kind of mold.
Pagan was a strong piece for Cincinnati. If he wants multiple years and a bigger payday, though, the Reds should shake his hand and let him go.
In Other News...
Jonathan Stewart Just Delivered A Reds Rookie Season Fans Wont Forget
Jonathan Stewarts first full season in Cincinnati ended with the kind of recognition that usually follows a breakout year, not just a promising one. The Baseball Writers Association of America named him National League Rookie of the Year after a campaign in which he played all 162 games, hit .263 and powered the Reds lineup with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs.
For a club that spent the season leaning on his bat, Stewarts production stood out not only across the league but in franchise history, where he reset the rookie standard for power and run production. He led NL rookies in several offensive categories and gave the Reds a middle-of-the-order presence they could count on every day, even as the bigger question now is what comes next after a season like this. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Need An Unusual Offseason Move To Fix Their Pitching
The Reds are heading into an offseason where the pitching staff could look different, and that kind of uncertainty tends to push a front office toward less familiar avenues. One possibility that has surfaced is Japan, where Cincinnati could consider adding a starter with a track record of durability and enough versatility to help stabilize a rotation that may need reinforcements.
The fit is not straightforward, though. Cincinnati does not have the kind of long-standing ties to Nippon Professional Baseball that make these moves feel routine, so any pursuit would require real conviction and a willingness to step outside the usual market. For a club trying to protect itself against possible departures on the mound, the appeal is obvious, even if the path to getting there is still unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Have Every Reason To Push Back On This Award Race
Sal Stewart gave the Reds plenty to feel good about in his rookie season, and the bat alone made him one of the most productive first-year players in the National League. He finished third in the league in RBIs and added 32 home runs, the kind of power output that can carry a lineup and shape an award race all by itself.
Still, Rookie of the Year is rarely decided on offense alone, and this one has a few layers for anyone looking beyond the counting stats. The finalists include Stewart, Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt and Mets right fielder Carson Benge, and the broader numbers paint a different picture, with Wetherholt and Benge bringing more complete value across the board. For Reds fans, the case for Stewart is obvious, but so is the argument that the race may be tighter than his home run total suggests. [Read more 🡒]