The Cincinnati Reds are heading into an offseason that feels bigger than a routine roster shuffle. After a year that was supposed to build on a postseason trip, they slid back to 75 wins in 2026, and that kind of step backward forces hard decisions.
Phil Castellini met with the media after the season, but the fan base needs more than an explanation of what went wrong. It needs a real plan for how this front office intends to clean it up.
The offense was a problem from too many angles, and simply bringing back the same group won’t cut it. Matt McLain and Ke'Bryan Hayes are both under contract for 2027, but that doesn’t guarantee they should be the Opening Day answers at second and third base. The Reds have to decide what actually gives them the best lineup, not just what’s already on the books.
There are a few players who fit in specific roles, but not every role has to stay the same. Dane Myers had a fantastic season, yet he’s at his best against left-handed pitching and in a bench weapon type of role, when he can come in late and pinch-hit.
JJ Bleday had a solid year overall, but his second half tailed off badly, as he hit just .190. Noelvi Marte finished the season in Triple-A, and Nick Krall was direct about that situation in his media availability.
“Noelvi Marte was bad,” Krall told Charlie Goldsmith. “We should have sent him down earlier than we did.
Friedl didn’t work out. He lost some athleticism and struggled to do what he did in 2025.
We’ve got to improve the roster first and foremost.”
Behind the plate, the Reds have another decision looming. If Tyler Stephenson is not re-signed, they’ll need to choose between bringing in another catcher or handing the job to Jose Trevino.
The pitching staff has its own questions, and they’re not small ones. Hunter Greene will be out for all of next season, Brady Singer is headed for free agency, and the bullpen could lose Pierce Johnson and Brock Burke as well. That’s a lot of turnover waiting to happen in a year where the Reds can’t afford to stand still.
This isn’t a one-fix offseason. The roster needs work in several places, and addressing only a spot or two won’t move the needle enough. If the Reds want to be better in 2027, the front office has to attack multiple needs and do it decisively.
Ownership has already made its call on the people in charge, keeping Krall and general manager Brad Meador in place after the season. That means the excuses are gone. Elly De La Cruz is under team control through 2029, and the Reds can’t keep burning through years of his prime while waiting for the roster to catch up.
The franchise’s postseason drought only sharpens the pressure. The Reds haven’t won a postseason game since 2012 and haven’t won a postseason series since 1995.
Around the league, the Rays, Brewers, Guardians, and White Sox have all won a postseason series. The Reds are still waiting for theirs.
That’s why this winter matters so much. The front office needs to build a team that wins, and it has to start now.
If 2027 doesn’t show meaningful progress, ownership may have to look in a different direction. Reds fans have waited long enough.
In Other News...
Reds Face One Big Question In Potential Steven Kwan Pursuit
Steven Kwan has again given Cleveland exactly the kind of steady, line-drive production a contender can lean on, and that is part of why his name is surfacing as a possible fit for the Reds. Cincinnati has spent years talking about contact, quality at-bats and a roster that better matches that approach, so a player with Kwans profile naturally draws attention when the front office starts weighing ways to tighten up the lineup.
The question is whether the Guardians would ever actually move him. Cleveland has shown a willingness to deal players before they reach free agency, which keeps the door open on a trade discussion, but nothing is close to certain right now. For the Reds, the appeal is obvious, yet the cost and timing of any pursuit could make this more of a winter debate than an immediate solution. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Offensive Overhaul Could Force A Tough Tyler Stephenson Call
The Reds are heading into an offseason built around fixing an offense that finished near the bottom of the league in several key categories, and general manager Nick Krall has already signaled a clear shift toward a hit-over-power approach. It is the kind of reset that can reshape a roster from top to bottom, especially for a club that needs more reliable production without losing sight of the pitching foundation that carried much of the season.
Tyler Stephenson sits right in the middle of that conversation because his value has never been just about the bat. He has struggled offensively in recent seasons, but Cincinnati still knows what it gets behind the plate, and the organization is weighing how much that matters as it looks at the catcher position and tries to develop younger options like Alfredo Duno. The result is a familiar winter dilemma for the Reds: hold onto a known fit for the staff or use the overhaul as a chance to move on and accelerate the next wave. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face A Tough Eugenio Surez Decision After Late Surge
Eugenio Surez gave the Reds enough late in 2026 to make the offseason conversation a real one. After a first year back in Cincinnati that settled into league-average production overall, his second-half power and improved ability to get on base reminded the club why his bat still carries value, even if most of that value remains tied to home runs rather than a broader offensive package.
Now the question is how the front office weighs that against the price tag. Surez and the Reds both have a say in what comes next for 2027, and the expectation around the league is that he will likely push his side forward while Cincinnati looks closely at whether the performance justifies the cost. It is the sort of decision that can look straightforward on paper and a lot trickier when a familiar slugger has just given the team a reason to keep talking. [Read more 🡒]