The Cincinnati Reds are watching the postseason from home while a handful of small-market clubs keep blowing up the old script about spending your way to October. And in Tampa Bay, the Rays have a player the Reds let slip away last season: Ryan Vilade.
Vilade barely got a look in Cincinnati. He played just two innings for the Reds and never came to the plate. That makes his breakout with the Rays sting all the more, because he looks like the exact sort of versatile piece the Reds could have used this year.
Cincinnati first grabbed Vilade off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-June of 2025, but he never really found a path to the majors with the Reds.
He was stuck at Triple-A, with Matt McLain at second and Noelvi Marte in right field blocking the way. Then in November, the Reds sent him to Tampa Bay for cash considerations.
Once he landed with the Rays, Vilade started doing a little bit of everything. He handled first, second, third and the corner outfield, and he adjusted his swing to do more damage in the air with a stroke that fit the Trop - or Great American Ball Park. He even delivered a big moment in the ALDS sweep of the Yankees, launching a go-ahead homer in Tampa Bay’s eventual Game 3 win.
For the Rays, Vilade turned into a useful bench bat who appeared in 96 games and posted -0.1 WAA in 2026. That matters because Cincinnati’s position players were badly short of production last season. Outside of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart, the Reds’ non-pitcher group finished at -10 wins above average, third-worst in baseball.
Vilade also fits the kind of profile the Reds have been trying to build through the farm system. He can move around the diamond, he’ll take the extra base, and he brings good speed for his size. He’s a little Spencer Steer-esque in what he can do, but with Rece Hinds’ build.
With Marte’s surprising decline this year, that kind of player would have come in mighty handy. And the kicker for Cincinnati is that Vilade still isn’t arbitration eligible yet.
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