CINCINNATI REDS
2025 finish: 83-79 (3rd in NL Central, lost in NL Wild Card Series)
Manager: Terry Francona (83-79, 2nd season)
Leading the front office: Nick Krall, president of baseball operations (3rd season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: 3B Eugenio Suarez ($15 million)
Top returning players: SS Elly De La Cruz (4.3 fWAR), OF TJ Freidl (2.9), 2B Matt McLain (1.4)
Top returning starting pitchers: LHP Andrew Abbott (3.9), RHP Hunter Greene (2.9), RHP Brady Singer (2.9)
Top returning relievers: RHP Graham Ashcraft (1.6), RHP Tony Santilan (1.1), RHP Emilio Pagan (1.0)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: 3B Eugenio Suarez (free agent), OF JJ Bleday (free agent), LHP Brock Burke (trade), RHP Pierce Johnson (free agent), LHP Caleb Ferguson (free agent), 1B Nathanial Lowe (minors), 1B Michael Toglia (minors), 2B Garrett Hampson (minors), RHP Josh Staumont (minors)
Key losses: 2B Gavin Lux (trade), RHP Nick Martinez (free agent), RHP Zack Littell (free agent), OF Austin Hays (free agent), OF/3B Miguel Andujar (free agent), RHP Scott Barlow (free agent), LHP Brent Suter (free agent), LHP Wade Miley (free agent), 1B Jeimer Candelario (free agent), UT Santiago Espinal (free agent)
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): 3B/1B Sal Stewart (23), C Alfredo Duno (77), RHP Rhett Lowder (79)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona talks during spring training baseball in Goodyear, Ariz., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
KEEP AN EYE ON
3B Eugenio Suarez first topped 40 homers as a Red in 2019. He’s since played for the Mariners and Diamondbacks but is back in Cincinnati for his Age 34 season after hitting 49 homers for the second time in 2025 (.824 OPS) He’ll start most days at DH but work in at third base with Ke-Bryan Hayes (.595 OPS).
In Terry Francona’s first year in Cincinnati, the Reds returned to the postseason for the first time since 2020. The Reds, however, have not won a playoff game since losing in five games in the NLDS in 2012. To take the next step, they are building an offense around SS Elly De La Cruz (.777 OPS, 22 HRs, 37 SBs) and hoping a young rotation takes another step forward.
That rotation is led by four arms under 29 years old: RHPs Brady Singer (4.03 ERA) and Hunter Greene (2.76 ERA) and LHPs Andrew Abbott (2.87 ERA) and Nick Lodolo (3.33 ERA). Prospect RHP Rhett Lowder will compete for the fifth spot after injuries limited him to five minor league starts in 2025.
Fangraphs projection: 78.6 wins