The easiest answer for the Reds’ catching situation is still the one sitting right in front of them: bring back Tyler Stephenson. If the price is reasonable, that’s the cleanest fix. But there’s no guarantee Cincinnati sees it that way.
And with this roster needing help everywhere - starting pitching, multiple bullpen arms, high-leverage relievers to replace Emilio Pagan, an infielder, and possibly a platoon outfield partner for Hector Rodriguez - the Reds may decide the best move is not the flashiest one. They already have Jose Trevino under contract, and while he comes with limitations, he also brings real value. He’s a defensive anchor, and he’s also a better fastball hitter than most of the lineup has been against four-seamers.
That opens the door to a different kind of catching setup, one built less around a single everyday bat and more around fit. If Cincinnati wants to save money for other needs, there are several platoon-style options who could pair with Trevino and still give the Reds a workable tandem behind the plate.
Gary Sanchez is one possibility, and in this case the pairing would be more about offense versus defense than the usual righty-lefty split. Sanchez isn’t the feared bat he was with the New York Yankees, when he looked like a future superstar, but there’s still pop there.
He just turned in his best offensive season in a while, hitting .209/.349/.422 with 12 home runs in 87 games. He made $1.75 million in 2026, and Spotrac projects him for a one-year, $4.4 million deal.
If Cincinnati could land him for less, even better.
Austin Hedges would be the opposite kind of move: a heavy lean into glove-first catching. The 34-year-old has stuck around because of what he does behind the plate, not because of his bat.
But 2026 was a strange exception. He hit .247/.325/.377 with a wRC+ of exactly 100, a massive jump from his career mark of 54.
The underlying numbers don’t exactly scream sustainable breakout, but he does draw a lot of chases and squares balls up more often than you’d expect, even if the contact isn’t loud.
Jonah Heim brings a different wrinkle. In 2023, he was 28, coming off a career-best season, and looked like he was climbing fast after becoming a World Series hero.
Instead, things went the other way from there. Since 2024, he has produced exactly -1.0 fWAR.
Still, there’s a path to making him work with Trevino. Heim is a switch-hitter, but he’s much better from the right side than the left.
His career OPS against lefties sits at .763, and he posted an .855 line against them in 2026. Trevino is basically the same hitter regardless of pitcher handedness, so the Reds could let Heim handle lefties and use Trevino for the rest.
Christian Vazquez would be another defense-first play. He used to be a solid all-around starting catcher, with average, some power, and strong defense.
Those offensive days are mostly gone now, so this would be about what he can do for the staff. That matters, especially for younger pitchers like Rhett Lowder, who could be in one of the back-end rotation spots.
The Houston Astros’ pitching staff was a mess in 2026, but their arms were better when throwing to Vazquez, who has a reputation for strong game-calling. The idea here is the same: make the whole better than the sum of its parts.
Victor Caratini is the one name on the list who would require a trade, not a free-agent signing. He’d have to come from the Minnesota Twins, but that shouldn’t be an impossible ask for Cincinnati.
Caratini is coming off a .220/.312/.315 season, making him a clear buy-low target. There’s also a chance the Twins extend the qualifying offer to Ryan Jeffers, and if Jeffers accepts, Minnesota could try to move Caratini’s salary.
He’s a switch-hitter like Heim, but he’s been better against righties than lefties over his career, which makes him a more conventional platoon fit with Trevino. From 2023 through 2025, he hit .262/.328/.400, so there’s a track record there.
Even so, with the money he’s owed, the $3.5 million buyout for his 2028 option, and the cost of making a trade, it’s fair to wonder whether re-signing Stephenson is simply the better bet. Still, the Reds could decide a one-year bridge to Alfredo Duno matters more than a two-year commitment.
In Other News...
Sal Stewart Just Put The Reds In A Tough Rookie Debate
Sal Stewarts first full season in Cincinnati gave the Reds exactly the kind of middle-of-the-order production they have been chasing, and now it has him in the final three for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The first baseman played all 162 games, hit .263 with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs, and put himself in some rare company in the process, adding his name to a short list of Reds rookies with 30 or more homers.
The award race is where the conversation gets interesting for Cincinnati. Stewarts year was strong enough to set a franchise rookie RBI record, but he is up against Wetherholt and Benge, who also turned in notable rookie seasons of their own. For the Reds, it is a good problem to have, even if the final vote may come down to how much weight the panel puts on durability, power and the kind of season Stewart just finished. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Face A Closer Decision They Can't Miss
The Reds are heading into the offseason with one of their most important bullpen questions suddenly back on the table. Emilio Pagns departure leaves a real void at the back end, and it comes at a time when Cincinnati already knows how fragile the relief mix can look without him. During Pagns injury absence in 2026, the bullpen struggled to hold up, and the unit still sits near the bottom of the league in ERA, which makes the need for stability in the ninth inning hard to ignore.
So the front office has a decision to make, and it is not a small one. Cincinnati can try to solve the role from within, shop the free-agent market for a proven closer, or even circle back on Pagn if the price and fit make sense. However it plays out, the Reds cannot afford to treat this like a secondary move, because the bullpen has already shown what happens when the late innings are left unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Trade Buzz Just Raised A Huge Prospect Question
Bostons offseason roster cleanup has already sent Nate Eaton, Tsung-Che Cheng and Eduardo Rivera elsewhere, and now the Red Sox are being tied to a far bigger kind of conversation. The latest buzz around their search for fit and flexibility has them at least exploring the market for impact talent, with Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz among the names floating through speculative trade chatter.
For the Reds, that kind of rumor always lands in a different register because De La Cruz is the sort of player who changes the ceiling of a roster, not just the depth chart. Any real pursuit would come with a steep cost and a long list of moving parts, which is why the question hanging over this story is less about Bostons interest than about what kind of return would even be enough to get Cincinnati to listen. [Read more 🡒]