Across baseball, front offices are already sketching out plans for whenever the 2027 MLB season gets underway, and the Cincinnati Reds have been part of that shuffle. This past weekend, the Reds let Eugenio Suarez and Pierce Johnson head to free agency, while closer Emilio Pagan turned down his $10 million player option.
Then came another move that could matter for Cincinnati’s roster picture: the Baltimore Orioles decided to move on from former top prospect Ryan Mountcastle. He has been dealing with injuries for the last two seasons and appeared in just 97 games combined between 2025 and 2026, but the appeal is obvious if you’re looking at what he was at his best.
Mountcastle was a 2.4 bWAR player for Baltimore as recently as 2024, when he posted a 110 OPS+ and drove 30 doubles. His home run production has dipped over time.
He hit 55 homers across his first two full big-league seasons, then managed 38 from 2023 through 2026. The question now is whether a move to Great American Ball Park could help bring that power back.
He bats right-handed and has spent most of his time as a designated hitter, though he has also logged time at first base. He has played left field in the majors, but not since 2021. That brings the Reds to the kind of line that sounds like a joke until it doesn’t: "Well, he did play in the outfield at one point, so he can do it again."
Jokes aside, a left-field platoon role with JJ Bleday could be a clean fit if Cincinnati wants to take a swing on a bat with upside. The Reds have used that kind of setup before, squeezing value out of players and then moving them when the season starts to go sideways. If Mountcastle bounces back and the Reds stay in the mix, he could become the kind of midseason trade chip a contender wants.
That’s the gamble here. Cincinnati has shown a willingness to take chances on players who land on minor league deals with invitations to big-league camp in spring training, and Mountcastle fits that mold. The only real question is whether, if other teams join the chase, the Reds can offer him something the rest of the market cannot.
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Sal Stewart Just Gave Reds Fans A Rookie Of The Year Debate
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The race is not a one-note argument, though, and that is what makes it interesting for Cincinnati. Stewarts bat gives him a clear edge in the counting stats, but the broader evaluation includes defensive value and overall WAR, where he sits behind the other finalists. MLB Network will carry the announcement, and for Reds fans, it figures to be one of those nights where production at the plate meets the tougher all-around debate. [Read more 🡒]
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His arrival also closes the book on Derek Johnsons tenure, which ended midway through the season before the sides officially parted ways after the 2026 campaign. For a Reds club that has spent plenty of time trying to sharpen its pitching identity, the hire is the kind that will invite instant debate, especially since the organization looked beyond its own walls to make it. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Let A Surprising Prospect Decision Slip Under The Radar
The Reds offseason churn did not stop at the major league level, where six players hit free agency, including Tyler Stephenson and Emilio Pagan. Buried a little deeper in the roster business was a quieter wave of departures from the farm system, as 21 minor league players were also granted free agency after the season.
Among that group were players with some big-league time and others who had built enough value in the minors to merit attention, making the list more notable than a routine paperwork item. Cincinnati had the option to protect any of those players by moving them onto the 40-man roster, but instead let the market decide their next stop, leaving another layer of the roster picture for the Reds to sort through this winter. [Read more 🡒]