Heading into 2026, Cincinnati thought pitching would be the strength. Instead, the Reds spent the season dealing with injuries, inconsistency and a few painful detours.
Hunter Greene’s year was interrupted by injuries before he eventually underwent Tommy John surgery. Nick Lodolo battled blister problems and only later changed the grip on his breaking ball.
Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott faded late. Rhett Lowder didn’t make the leap many had expected.
The one clear win was rookie Chase Burns, who earned a National League All-Star nod. And as things stand, Singer is the only one of those starters not under contract for 2027.
If you’re looking ahead to Cincinnati’s 2027 rotation, Burns feels like the easy place to start.
The right-hander was as good as the Reds could have hoped, and then some. Burns went 15-3 with a 2.86 ERA over 154 1/3 innings, and his slider was a nightmare for hitters, who managed just .145 against it. After topping 150 innings, he should enter 2027 ready to work as the ace with no innings cap hanging over him.
Lodolo remains one of the more volatile arms in the group, but the ceiling is still obvious. When he’s healthy and locked in, he can pitch with some of the best starters in the National League.
When he isn’t, things can unravel fast. In 2026, he had blisters twice before changing the grip on his breaking ball, and the results were mixed.
A full offseason to sort out the new grip could set him up for a stronger 2027.
There is also a business side to Lodolo’s situation. He’ll be a free agent after the 2027 season, which means the Reds could eventually explore a trade. But after the rough 2026 he just had, his value likely isn’t where it once was, so holding him until at least the trade deadline makes plenty of sense.
Abbott is another name Cincinnati will be counting on to rebound. He posted the worst season of his professional career in 2026, going 6-11 with a 4.61 ERA.
His fastball was a particular issue. In 2025, opponents hit .232 and slugged .365 against it.
In 2026, those numbers jumped to .261 and .465.
Nick Krall didn’t sugarcoat the message when he met with reporters Thursday, saying Abbott "needs to get himself into better shape going into next year."
Even so, Abbott has been one of the club’s steadiest starters since arriving, which is why a bounce-back season would not be a shock.
Lowder still looks like a work in progress. After not throwing a pitch in the majors in 2025, the 24-year-old returned in 2026 and went 7-12 with a 5.74 ERA in 29 games.
The bigger issue is that he still doesn’t have a true swing-and-miss pitch. Opponents hit .263 against his sinker, .295 against his slider, .271 against his four-seam fastball, .255 against his changeup and .429 against his curveball.
Those numbers leave plenty of room for growth, and the Reds will need him to take a significant step forward in 2027.
And then there’s Singer, who may be back in the mix after all.
Cincinnati didn’t trade him at the deadline, and there was at least some discussion about the Reds giving him the Qualifying Offer. C.
Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, appearing on First Word with James Rapien, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Singer return. It’s not hard to see why the conversation is there: Singer led the league with 102 earned runs allowed in 2026 and was plainly rough, especially late in the year.
Still, the most likely path may not be the $23 million QO. A cheaper return deal feels more realistic, and if that happens, Singer could battle for the fifth starter job with pitchers like Brandon Williamson.
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