The Reds keep circling the same question: how do you get from stuck to serious? It’s the kind of thing owner Bob Castellini reportedly put directly to team president Nick Krall earlier this season when he asked, "Why aren't we the Brewers?" According to the report, Krall answered by laying out a long list of vetoed trades, a reminder that Cincinnati’s front office has not exactly been free to operate on its own.
That question lands harder now that Milwaukee has reached the World Series. It also lands in the broader context of a sport where every small-market owner is likely asking a version of the same thing this offseason, especially with the Tampa Bay Rays also in the Fall Classic. The truth is uncomfortable but plain: building a contender takes resources from ownership, but it still comes down to the people making the calls in the front office.
For the Reds, though, there’s no clean reset button. Castellini has no plans to move on from Krall right now, which leaves Cincinnati trying to squeeze value out of a messy situation.
And if the Reds are going to catch up in the NL Central, the path may not be a quick fix. It may need to look a lot more like a teardown.
The Cardinals already went down that road. St.
Louis saw where things were headed and started moving pieces out. After 2024, the organization let veteran free agents walk, with Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde leaving and the club declining the team-options for Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
The 2025 season became a runway for internal evaluation.
Then came the bigger moves. Newly installed president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom spent the winter reshaping the roster, dealing former Reds starter Sonny Gray, four-time All-Star Willson Contreras, multi-time Gold Glove award-winner Nolan Arenado, and jack-of-all-trades Brendan Donovan. At this year’s trade deadline, he also moved JoJo Romero, Lars Nootbar, and Dustin May.
The result is a Cardinals team that is now better positioned to make signings and/or trades this offseason, with a chance to at least push for a Wild Card spot in 2027.
That’s the blueprint Cincinnati should be studying. The Reds could take a similar route this winter by letting Tyler Stephenson, Brady Singer, Eugenio Suárez, and Brock Burke reach free agency, adding inexpensive arms to the rotation and bullpen, and giving young players such as Héctor Rodríguez, Rhett Lowder, and Carlos Jorge room to prove themselves.
And if other clubs start asking about Elly De La Cruz, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Spencer Steer, and the rest, the Reds should at least listen. But the more sensible move might be to fully evaluate everyone under team control beyond 2028, then make the necessary trades and roster decisions next winter. The source even notes the Reds might have a new GM after 2027.
Nobody likes the word rebuild. But Cincinnati has already run out of room with De La Cruz, Lodolo, and Hunter Greene as the core of a contender. The next window may have to be built around a different group, with Chase Burns, Sal Stewart, Alfredo Duno, and others taking over the spotlight.
In Other News...
Reds Prospect Alfredo Duno Is Giving Fans Another Reason To Be Excited
Alfredo Duno is keeping the buzz going in winter ball, and the Reds top catching prospect has given Cincinnati fans another reminder of why he is such an intriguing name to watch. The 20-year-old has played in seven of eight games for Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League, handling the catching duties while continuing to show the kind of offensive promise that made him one of the organizations most talked-about young players.
Duno, signed by Cincinnati in January 2023, has had injuries slow some of his defensive development, but the bat has kept pushing him into the conversation. His latest stretch at the plate only adds to that momentum, giving the Reds another reason to be optimistic about a player whose long-term value could hinge on how much progress he keeps making behind the plate. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have An Elly De La Cruz Trade Debate
Elly De La Cruzs next contract conversation already has the attention of Reds fans, and now it has drifted into an unexpected corner of the baseball world. The Cincinnati shortstop and two-time All-Star recently declined a contract extension and is heading into his first offseason of arbitration eligibility, which naturally has people around the game wondering what comes next for one of the sports most electric young players.
Joey Votto added another layer to that chatter by floating the idea of a possible trade involving Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula, a name that has plenty of evaluators intrigued because of his bat. De Paula has only just broken through in the majors and carries the look of a future regular, though questions remain about his defense, which is exactly why the whole discussion feels more like speculation than a real blueprint for Cincinnati. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Just Got A Clear Lesson In How To Build A Contender
The Reds and Royals arrived at the same disappointing destination in 2026, both buried at the bottom of their divisions and battling the same familiar problems with scoring and pitching. But Kansas City managed to separate itself in one important area, and it was not by luck or a quick fix. The Royals turned a weak season into a clearer blueprint by leaning on defense, with a roster built through scouting and player development that gave them a sturdier foundation than the standings suggested.
For Cincinnati, that is the part worth studying. If the Reds want to move from trying to patch holes to actually building something durable, the lesson goes beyond adding another bat or chasing short-term help. It starts with developing more complete players, especially in the infield, and creating the kind of defensive reliability that can hold up even when the offense and pitching are uneven. [Read more 🡒]