The Cincinnati Reds’ 2026 season ended with plenty of frustration, and after the first month they never really climbed back into the postseason picture. Even with a core that includes Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and Chase Burns, the farm system still has some names worth tracking closely as the offseason opens up.
At the top of that list is 18-year-old infielder Angel Salio. He looks like the kind of player who can quietly force his way into the conversation later on.
Salio brings a real feel for contact, and he’s got enough pop to leave the yard on any swing. Over two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .328/.417/.491 with an OPS above .900.
The plate discipline has been just as encouraging. Salio has 51 walks against 52 strikeouts, and he’s added 37 stolen bases as well.
That kind of production points to a player who could grow into a five-tool threat. He’s still just 170 pounds at 6-foot-2, so there’s more strength to come, but if he fills out the frame, the Reds could have something very useful once he gets to baseball in the United States.
Another lower-level arm to watch is Stharlin Torres. The 20-year-old is coming off a down year, but there’s still enough in the profile to keep him on the radar. Torres has shown six different pitches, and while none of them grade as elite weapons, he does a solid job working the zone for his age.
The velocity is the piece that still needs to catch up. Right now, he doesn’t throw hard enough to make a major impact in the minors, but that’s the sort of trait that can improve as a pitcher matures. Torres has to make a significant leap this offseason, but the foundation is there.
Then there’s Angel Nuñez, who might be the most fascinating name in the system. At 17, he already has the raw athleticism that made him one of the top international free agents in this year’s class, and the early offensive returns have been loud.
Nuñez hit .292/.431/.474 in his first season of affiliated baseball. In 15 games, he posted five home runs, two triples, and 12 doubles, while also stealing 24 bases and walking more than he struck out. Even with that kind of damage at the plate, he’s still viewed primarily as a defense-first prospect and carries one of the best gloves in the entire international free agency class.
In Other News...
Reds Face One Fascinating Choice In Their Pitching Coach Search
The Reds have spent the last stretch of the season sorting through options for their pitching coach vacancy, and the process has already included interviews with internal candidates. It is the kind of search that can shape a staff for years, especially for a club that has spent plenty of energy trying to stabilize and develop its pitching pipeline.
One name that naturally stands out is Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, whose contract situation remains unresolved even as New York reportedly intends to keep him after the season. Nothing has been made official yet, which leaves Cincinnati with at least a sliver of possibility if it wants to pursue a bigger swing for the job. For now, the Reds are waiting on a market that could get a lot clearer, or a lot more complicated, before long. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Just Pushed His Breakout Into A Bigger Debate
Elly De La Cruzs rise kept stretching beyond the usual breakout conversation, and now it has landed him on Baseball Americas first-team All-Star Team for the 2026 MLB season. Even with a three-week injury absence, the Reds shortstop put together career-best production across the board, pairing a .283 batting average with 30 home runs and an .880 OPS while giving Cincinnati the kind of middle-of-the-order threat that changes how opponents have to game-plan.
What makes the recognition even more interesting is how the growth showed up beneath the surface, too. De La Cruz improved against left-handed pitching and posted career-best advanced marks in bat speed and exit velocity, which is the kind of profile that tends to fuel a bigger debate about just how high his ceiling really is. For the Reds, the question now is less about whether he broke out and more about where this version of him fits among the games elite. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Bullpen Hope Faces One Big Test In Arizona Fall League
The Reds are leaning on young pitching depth this offseason, and Victor Diaz has become one of the more intriguing names to watch in the Arizona Fall League. MLB.coms prospect analysts labeled him Cincinnatis biggest sleeper in the desert, a nod to a fastball-slider combination that can miss bats and give him a chance to stand out in a setting built for evaluation.
The questions around Diaz are the ones that usually decide whether a bullpen arm can really climb the ladder. He has shown the kind of strikeout ability that gets attention, but his walk issues last season were just as noticeable, and the next step is tightening the command while fleshing out a deeper mix. For a Reds club hoping young arms can make a difference, what Diaz does next matters well beyond the AFL. [Read more 🡒]