The Cincinnati Reds don’t need a scouting report on the World Series as much as they need a blueprint.
In 2026, the Reds finished last in the National League Central and wound up twelve games under .500. That kind of season leaves a club a long way from October - and even farther from the championship level currently being staged by the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Those two teams offer a pretty clear lesson in how rosters get built. Most of each World Series club came through trades, with the Brewers landing 15 players that way and the Rays bringing in 17.
Tampa Bay was especially active in 2026, making five of those 15 trades that year, including the deadline additions of Tyler Wells, Liam Hicks, and Freddy Peralta. Milwaukee also made a major deadline move, getting pitchers Dustin May and Jojo Romero from the Cardinals.
The common thread is hard to miss: both teams were willing to push chips in and make deals that improved them.
Milwaukee’s bullpen is one of the best examples of that approach. Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, and Jojo Romero are all key bullpen pieces who arrived via trade, and they’re joined by Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, and DL Hall. That kind of depth matters in October, and it’s exactly the sort of area the Reds need to get right if they want to make a real run in 2027.
The Reds did show some pop in 2026, finishing fourth in MLB with 213 home runs. But that number didn’t translate into a reliable offense.
In fact, the team still ranked among the worst offenses in baseball. The World Series teams show why that matters.
Milwaukee finished 29th in home runs with 154, while Tampa Bay was 22nd with 169. Even so, the Brewers led MLB in batting average and the Rays were second, while Cincinnati was the worst team in the league in that category.
That’s the real lesson here: offense is about more than launching balls over the fence. The Brewers and Rays proved they could put the ball in play, and that made all the difference. If the Reds want to become competitive, they need more hitters who can do that too - the kind who hit for average and don’t strike out as much.
The examples are right there on the field in the World Series. Now it’s on the Reds front office to pay attention.
In Other News...
Reds Prospect Alfredo Duno Is Giving Fans Another Reason To Be Excited
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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.
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Reds May Need A More Painful Reset Than Fans Expected
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That makes the coming offseason feel more consequential than a routine tune-up. The Reds may have to weigh a more deliberate rebuild, the sort of course correction the Cardinals have leaned into before, while also deciding how aggressively to keep pushing with a younger core and which veterans fit into that picture. Even beyond the winter, there is a sense that more of the organizational structure could be reviewed in the years ahead, with the possibility of a different general manager after 2027 hanging over the franchise. [Read more 🡒]