The Reds didn’t add Oswaldo Cabrera just to fill a spot, and that’s exactly why his arrival matters.
Cincinnati brought in the former Yankees utility man on a one-year deal shortly after the 2026 season ended, and after New York designated him for assignment in September, the Reds moved quickly to get him on the roster. He barely had time to make an impact in Cincinnati last season, appearing in only four games, but the appeal is obvious: Cabrera has spent his career bouncing around the diamond, and that kind of flexibility is exactly what the Reds are chasing as they look toward 2027.
That’s where the Spencer Steer conversation starts to get interesting.
Cabrera and Steer do not bring the same kind of offense to the table. Cabrera has hit just 20 home runs over five seasons, while Steer has cleared the 20-homer mark in three of his first four big league seasons. A wrist injury that wiped out the second half of Steer’s season likely kept him from making it four straight years.
But defensively, the overlap is hard to ignore. Both players can move all over the field, shifting from the infield to the outfield and giving a club lineup flexibility without forcing a roster shuffle every night. Cabrera may be the cleaner defender, especially in the outfield, but Steer still brings plenty of value there, too, and he was a Gold Glove finalist at first base in 2025.
That kind of versatility is part of why Steer came up as a possible trade chip earlier this summer. If not for the injury, the Reds may have dealt him before the August 3 deadline. He’s strong against left-handed pitching, and with two years of control left, he would have drawn interest from plenty of teams.
The wrist issue changes the equation. It also makes it hard to believe Cincinnati would get the same kind of return now that it might have before the deadline. Whatever the Reds were offered earlier this year, matching it this winter would be a tough ask.
So while a Steer trade doesn’t sound likely to be a major winter storyline, the Reds’ growing collection of multi-position players does make it easier to picture. Along with Cabrera, Cincinnati already has Edwin Arroyo, Juan Brito, Matt McLain, and Sal Stewart on the 40-man roster, and each one played multiple positions last season. The Reds could also keep shopping for that same type of player in free agency this winter.
In Other News...
Reds Infield Overhaul Could Hinge On One Surprising Market
The Reds infield picture is suddenly looking a lot less settled than it did a few weeks ago, with the club weighing how to replace KeBryan Hayes at third base while also sorting out what comes next at first. One option on the table is shifting Sal Stewart across the diamond, but the bigger ripple effect may come from how Cincinnati handles second base and Matt McLain, whose uneven play has made the position part of the broader offseason conversation.
That is where the market gets interesting for a team trying to stretch its budget without leaving holes elsewhere. If the Reds decide to add at second base, it could free them to solve more than one problem at once, and the pool of available options gives them a few different ways to do it. The question now is whether Cincinnati treats that spot as a priority or uses it as the key that unlocks the rest of the infield plan. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Face A Costly Closer Decision This Offseason
Emilio Pagn gave the Reds a steady finish in the back half of the 2026 season, and that late surge has now turned into an offseason dilemma. His work down the stretch made him one of the more interesting bullpen arms on Cincinnatis market, and it also put the club in position to decide whether it wants to keep leaning on a veteran closer or shift the late-inning job elsewhere.
Cincinnati now has to weigh the cost of bringing Pagn back against the possibility that another team will push the bidding higher on the open market. If the Reds choose not to go that route, the conversation quickly turns to the internal options already in house, with the bullpen hierarchy potentially changing in a hurry before next season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Trade Talk Just Put Pressure On The Reds
The trade-deadline chatter around Elly De La Cruz has only intensified since former MLB general manager Jim Bowden said the Red Sox put together a strong offer for the Reds at the August 3 deadline, only to be turned away. For Cincinnati, that kind of interest underscores just how valuable De La Cruz has become, even as the club continues to build around one of the most electric young talents in the game.
Bowden also suggested the Reds are likely to at least weigh trade possibilities again this offseason, which puts an uncomfortable spotlight on where the organization goes from here. Any serious conversation would surely start with a massive return, and the Dodgers have already been floated in speculative scenarios, but for now the bigger story is the pressure Cincinnati faces when a player this dynamic starts drawing that level of attention. [Read more 🡒]