The Cincinnati Reds may have a star in Elly De La Cruz, but if the question is who should anchor the next real competitive roster, the answer points somewhere else: Sal Stewart.
That’s not a knock on De La Cruz. He was one of the standout performers for the Reds in 2026, alongside Chase Burns and Stewart.
It’s more a reflection of where the roster stands right now. The Reds are still dealing with the fallout from a long rebuild, and the pieces around De La Cruz are not in place to make a true run while he’s in his prime.
The organization already tore things down in 2022, moving Sonny Gray, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, and Tyler Naquin. The next wave looked promising when Andrew Abbott, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all emerged in 2023. For a while, that group seemed like the foundation.
But that vision has changed. Only Abbott, De La Cruz, and McLain are regulars for the Reds in 2026.
De La Cruz keeps getting better, but Abbott and McLain have gone through long stretches of struggle. Marte is in Triple-A, and CES is in Baltimore.
That’s not the kind of depth chart that screams immediate contention.
And that’s the real issue: the Reds do not have enough upper-level minor league help to build a competitive team around De La Cruz right now. The pitching side has more to work with, especially with Burns already extended and a group that includes Abbott, Lodolo, Lowder, and Greene. But even that comes with a big asterisk if the group doesn’t pitch to its usual standard.
Stewart’s case is different. He just finished his first full MLB season, and he isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2032 season unless an extension gets done. That longer window matters for a Reds organization that is thin in the upper minors, has a lack of production at the big-league level, and still has much of its better prospect talent in High-A and Low-A.
There’s also the reality of the current roster, with Ke’Bryan Hayes’ contract and the lack of production weighing things down. Even if the ideal scenario is building around De La Cruz after his huge 2026 season, the Reds simply do not have the supporting cast ready.
So for 2027 and beyond, the player who should be at the center of the next Reds contender is Sal Stewart.
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For Cincinnati, the appeal is obvious. Nick Krall has already talked about the need for complementary players, and a right-handed hitter who can balance a left-handed-heavy lineup fits the description almost too neatly. Grichuks age and recent production could make him an affordable option when the market opens, which is why he looks like the sort of move the Reds could pounce on if they want help without chasing the top of the market. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face A Tough Offseason Decision On One Valuable Trade Chip
After a 2026 season that ended with the Reds back in last place in the National League Central and short of the postseason again, the front office now has a different kind of roster question to answer. Cincinnati largely stood pat at the trade deadline, a choice that drew plenty of second-guessing, and it leaves the club headed into the winter with fewer obvious paths to upgrade than it would have liked.
One of the most interesting pieces in that conversation is JJ Bleday, the outfielder acquired in December 2025 who brought both production and volatility in his first full year with the club. He had his moments, including a cycle and a career-high 24 home runs, and he is still under team control for two more seasons, which gives Cincinnati a real asset to weigh if it decides to reshape the roster rather than simply tweak it. [Read more 🡒]