The Cincinnati Reds are staring at a busy offseason, and the front office has plenty to sort through before the 2027 roster comes into focus. There are coaching openings to fill, holes to patch on the roster, and free-agent decisions hanging over the club. If the Reds are going to get this thing moving in the right direction, the order of operations matters.
At the top of that list is the pitching department. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Director of Pitching and Major League pitching coach Derek Johnson will not be back for the 2027 season.
Matt Tracy stepped in for Johnson after he took a leave of absence on June 5th, 2026, and the Reds have already spoken with internal candidates for the job. It will be interesting to see whether they also look outside the organization.
That search carries real weight because the major league staff looked lost in the second half of the 2026 season. Several starters regressed this year, and all of them will be trying to rebound in 2027. Whoever takes over the staff will be charged with steadying a group that badly needs direction.
Defense comes next, and for good reason. The Reds have often needed to win with run prevention because the lineup has usually been one of the weakest in baseball. That means clean defense behind the pitchers is not optional for this club; it is part of the formula.
In 2025, that formula actually worked. Cincinnati finished at +2 in Defensive Runs Saved, which landed in the middle of the pack in MLB and marked one of the team’s better defensive seasons in a while.
In 2026, though, everything slipped. The Reds finished last in MLB at -48 DRS, while the Cubs and Brewers stood out as two of the league’s best defensive clubs at +110 and +50.
The offense needs help, too, but not in the way many teams would. Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart were the bright spots, while the rest of the lineup mostly struggled.
De La Cruz put together the first 30/30 season of his career, and Stewart became a favorite for the National League’s Rookie of the Year after hitting 32 homers with 112 RBIs. Even with those performances, Cincinnati still finished with one of the poorest offenses in the majors.
The numbers tell the story plainly. The Reds ranked last in the big leagues in batting average at .229 and on-base percentage at .305, and they struck out more than anyone else in the National League with 1,544.
Last offseason, they added power bats JJ Bleday and Eugenio Suarez, but more home run hitters are not what this roster needs now. The next step is finding players who put the ball in play more often and hit for a better average.
There are more items on the winter checklist, but the priority order is clear enough for now. Find the next pitching coach, tighten up the defense, and add offense that fits the roster better.
In Other News...
Reds Face A Costly Tyler Stephenson Decision This Offseason
Tyler Stephensons future is shaping up as one of the Reds more complicated offseason questions, and it could force the club to look beyond its own depth chart for help behind the plate. If Cincinnati cant retain him, the catching market gets thin quickly, which is why any potential solution is likely to come from a move that carries some real risk rather than a clean, obvious fit.
One possible lane runs through Cleveland, where the Reds have at least two catchers worth monitoring as trade candidates, even if neither comes with much certainty attached. One is a veteran whose appeal is rooted in experience more than production, while the other is a younger option with upside but far less of a major-league track record, leaving Cincinnati with a difficult balancing act as it weighs short-term stability against long-term upside. [Read more 🡒]
Eugenio Surez Gives Reds One More Reason To Consider A Reunion
The Reds are approaching another decision point on Eugenio Surez, with a $16 million mutual option for the 2027 season looming and the veterans desire to return hanging in the background. It is the kind of call that will sit at the intersection of performance, payroll and organizational philosophy, especially for a club that has tried to balance present-day production with a longer view of roster building.
Surez has already given Cincinnati a reason to think twice beyond the box score. Along with his on-field value, he served as a steady veteran presence for rookie Hctor Rodrguez during the season, offering mentorship that mattered in a clubhouse still learning how to handle the daily grind of a young season. For a Reds team that has leaned into developing its own talent, that kind of presence can be part of the conversation even before the front office decides what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face An Offseason Debate That Could Define This Core
The Reds head into the offseason with a familiar problem for a young roster: the talent is there, but the fit is still unsettled. Third base, second base and center field all loom as spots Cincinnati needs to address most urgently, and the front office has several ways to attack the issue. Ke'Bryan Hayes has not given the club the kind of certainty it wanted at the hot corner, while Matt McLain's uneven production has added another layer of pressure to an infield that needs more stability.
There are internal and external paths forward, and each comes with its own ripple effect on the core the Reds are trying to build. Sal Stewart could be moved around to help solve a need, while free agency and the trade market offer possibilities such as Xavier Edwards if Cincinnati wants a cleaner long-term answer. Center field is part of the conversation too, with TJ Friedl's departure opening another hole, so the offseason is shaping up as less of a tweak than a real test of how aggressively the Reds want to reshape the roster. [Read more 🡒]