Cincinnati Reds

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,590
80,226
113
He's already stated that he wants to go to LA or another big market team. He's not in love with the Reds.
I hope the Braves make a play for him. He’s the kind of guy they like to lockup for 7-8 years on a relatively team friendly deal.
 
Jan 25, 2015
10,559
16,764
113
Not getting Schwarber is gonna hurt for a long time. He was the one FA they actually made a play for and he was even impressed he said, but in the end they didn’t offer quite enough. Those cheap *** owners need to pay back the long suffering fanbase while they have a young talented roster with some actual winning moves.
I never got my hopes up for Schwarber coming to Cincinnati. As great as it would have been to bring the hometown guy back, Bob Nightengale reported that the Reds offered him more money, and it was Kyle who said it wasn’t necessary. He had his mind made up and wanted to play for a winning franchise in the end. Both Suárez and Schwarber put up massive power numbers but will strike out a lot as well. For $15 million, this was a bargain for the Reds considering similar offensive production.

 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,590
80,226
113
You can easily Google it. It's been talked about on Redszone, too. Why do you think he rejected a long contract?
He rejected it because he wants to hit FA in his prime and I can’t blame him. Get 2-3 massive teams like the Mets/Giants/Dodgers in a bidding war and he’s gonna end up signing a 300M dollar deal over 8-9 years.
 
Last edited:

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,590
80,226
113
Elly De La Cruz needs to show a hell of a lot more before this franchise gets weighed down by another long-term extension or another teams signs him to a massive contract. He’s still making way too many errors at SS. After 3 years, it’s time to take a serious step forward. Needs to improve his plate discipline (29% strikeout rate). Clean those up before you even dream of a Bobby Witt Jr.-level contract. I get it, he played through a quad injury in the 2nd half, but in 2026, it’s time to **** or get off the pot. If the Reds are still scraping for the third Wild Card spot or worse while he’s in arbitration, spending all that money on one player will not be justifiable while watching other players slip away. Just like the Votto/Homer Bailey years after Dusty was fired.
Some other team will move him to left field or DH or something. A team who has an established defensive infield already. They won’t care about the errors too much but if he cleaned up his strike out rate he would really get paid.
 
Last edited:

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,590
80,226
113
With a $16 million option for 2027. Cincinnati is not handing out lifetime contracts like Soto or Ohtani received. Whatever they need to do to improve the team for 2026 within their budget, knowing they have a deep farm system full of infield prospects. Collier will be ready for his MLB debut and take over 3B soon enough. $15 million for a guy who hit 49 home runs, drove in 118 runs, and made the All-Star team? I will take that all day. The alternative was dealing with Ke’Bryan Hayes again. As good as his glove is at third base, he is just as bad at the plate. No thanks.
That’s a steal in this market, I’m shocked no other team offered him a bigger two year deal.
 

Catsfan3382

Junior
Jul 4, 2025
93
237
33
With a $16 million option for 2027. Cincinnati is not handing out lifetime contracts like Soto or Ohtani received. Whatever they need to do to improve the team for 2026 within their budget, knowing they have a deep farm system full of infield prospects. Collier will be ready for his MLB debut and take over 3B soon enough. $15 million for a guy who hit 49 home runs, drove in 118 runs, and made the All-Star team? I will take that all day. The alternative was dealing with Ke’Bryan Hayes again. As good as his glove is at third base, he is just as bad at the plate. No thanks.
KeBryan is going to play 3rd everyday. Suarez full time DH. Put Sal at 1st and Steer back in Lf
 

Henogee1975

All-American
Jan 31, 2017
4,309
8,325
87
I never got my hopes up for Schwarber coming to Cincinnati. As great as it would have been to bring the hometown guy back, Bob Nightengale reported that the Reds offered him more money, and it was Kyle who said it wasn’t necessary. He had his mind made up and wanted to play for a winning franchise in the end. Both Suárez and Schwarber put up massive power numbers but will strike out a lot as well. For $15 million, this was a bargain for the Reds considering similar offensive production.

Yeah, the Reds are cheap, but KS just wait play for a better franchise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*
Jan 25, 2015
10,559
16,764
113
KeBryan is going to play 3rd everyday. Suarez full time DH. Put Sal at 1st and Steer back in Lf
There are too many IF options for Hayes to be entrenched at 3B long term, especially with prospects like Cam Collier coming up soon in the pipeline. It will not shock me if Collier debuts by the end of the season the way Sal Stewart did last year. Suarez, by being able to decline his option, limits his market in free agency if he becomes a full-time DH, another reason why he still takes the field whether its 1st or 3B. Steer struggles in LF. He needs to stay at 1B and DH, especially with his chronic shoulder tendonitis limiting his throwing strength.
 
Last edited:

m4CatKY

Senior
Apr 10, 2025
450
783
93
There are too many IF options for Hayes to be entrenched at 3B long term, especially with prospects like Cam Collier coming up soon in the pipeline. It will not shock me if Collier debuts by the end of the season the way Sal Stewart did last year. Suarez, by being able to decline his option, limits his market in free agency if he becomes a full-time DH, another reason why he still takes the field whether its 1st or 3B. Steer struggles in LF. He needs to stay at 1B and DH, especially with his chronic shoulder tendonitis limiting his throwing strength.
Hayes is signed through 2030, but I doubt he will see the end of that contract in a Reds uniform. Just like they did with Suarez on the extension Cincinnati signed him to, yet traded 5 years ago. Already moved once by Pittsburgh. Suarez was traded twice after the Reds moved him and Cincinnati was paying him this entire time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*

m4CatKY

Senior
Apr 10, 2025
450
783
93
Some other team will move him to left field or DH or something who has a certified infield already. They won’t care about the errors too much but if he cleaned up his strike out rate he would really get paid.
A move to the outfield would be interesting. I thought so even while he was coming up because of his elite speed, arm strength, and the logjam of infield prospects Cincinnati traded for in that last big fire sale, then continued to select infielders with their top picks in the following MLB drafts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*

John_Locke_

Freshman
Jul 4, 2025
42
71
18
It’s dumb as hell, allowing them to keep signing every massive FA on these deferred deals is crazy. Yeah they have to set the money aside in an account today but it should be a massive blow to their competitive payroll. Even the massive luxury tax isn’t even deterring them. I hated seeing the Blue Jays blow the World Series with 3 inning to go. The Dodgers deserve to lose for 30 straight years now.
I will laugh when the Dodgers go into purgatory after they start paying down all those deferred contracts. That ownership group will sell the team to get out from underneath the deals, look like a hero to Dodgers fans during this run, and the next owners will be left holding the bag. They will get the blunt end of the deal, worse than the Mets ownership groups inheriting the Bobby Bonilla contract over the years and Carl Lindner after trading for Griffey. It is apparent the Mets never learned anything from that Bonilla deal. The Castellinis did not pay that deal off Griffey until 2024. Hope it’s worth it to them now! You are absolutely right! The luxury tax does not phase these big-market teams one bit. MLB needs a hard salary cap. Everyone hated the Yankees for decades spending big to sign everyone under George Steinbrenner. What teams like the Dodgers and Mets are doing now, deferring the vast majority of historically large contracts, is a disgrace.
 
Last edited:

warrior-cat

Hall of Famer
Oct 22, 2004
191,616
156,134
113
I love Reds fans. They are kinda like IU basketball fans in that it's been so long since they won a title but they are eternal optimists.

As someone else said, baseball is a joke with the Dodgers getting all thr best players anyways.
Being a fan means you will support, hope, and think (in my best Timmy Lupus voice) "Just wait til next year!"
 
  • Like
Reactions: BleedBlue63

warrior-cat

Hall of Famer
Oct 22, 2004
191,616
156,134
113
Elly De La Cruz needs to show a hell of a lot more before this franchise gets weighed down by another long-term extension or another teams signs him to a massive contract. He’s still making way too many errors at SS. After 3 years, it’s time to take a serious step forward. Needs to improve his plate discipline (29% strikeout rate). Clean those up before you even dream of a Bobby Witt Jr.-level contract. I get it, he played through a quad injury in the 2nd half, but in 2026, it’s time to **** or get off the pot. If the Reds are still scraping for the third Wild Card spot or worse while he’s in arbitration, spending all that money on one player will not be justifiable while watching other players slip away. Just like the Votto/Homer Bailey years after Dusty was fired.
TRUE. Unfortunately, De Le Cruz puts butts in the seats and that seems to be enough for Reds ownership. They have been doing this kind of thing for years now. As long as they are making money, who cares right? Remember a couple of two or three years back when the CEO was ask about how attendance could/was falling because of their poor performance the last few years? His response, "Where are they going to go?"
 
Last edited:
  • Sad
Reactions: NociHTTP

preston-lemasterpiece

All-Conference
Apr 15, 2025
1,179
2,126
111
I’ll take Suarez over Hays
Looking forward to seeing how Marte has improved next year, big season for him.

Also…what do we all think about Will Benson? He polarizes the fanbase but he definitely has his supporters
 
Nov 29, 2025
249
385
63

From my understanding, fans who already had the Reds games in your TV package on Fan Duel Sports Network, TV providers are going to fill that channel with the MLB broadcast of Reds games. The only changes would be for those who subscribed directly to Fan Duel's package, they will have to purchase the Reds DTC package on MLB TV. If you are out of market, you still need to subscribe to MLB TV as you always have.
 

Catsfan3382

Junior
Jul 4, 2025
93
237
33
I’ll take Suarez over Hays
Looking forward to seeing how Marte has improved next year, big season for him.

Also…what do we all think about Will Benson? He polarizes the fanbase but he definitely has his supporters
I’m pulling for Benson to have his “breakout“ year but at the same time I’m definitely not holding my breath. Benson can wow you with unbelievable athletic ability for two or three games - then strike out 7 straight at bats. His “Eric Davis” setup at the plate seemed to help him get to a lot of pitches he’d struggled with in past seasons, but he just (1) couldn’t get enough consistent at bats to get /stay in a rhythm and (2) couldn’t get enough at bats to get/stay in a rhythm 🤣. He’s just the typical lefty that manages simply will not give an at bat to against left handed pitching. Yeah, he struggles, but does giving Garrett frickin Hampson, or someone similar, his at bat actually give you a better chance?
 
Jul 4, 2025
42
65
18
Will Benson is a versatile outfielder capable of playing all 3 OF positions, and he possesses all the tools necessary to become a Major League star. I’d love to see him secure the starting left field job this year and never look back. To do so, however, he must cut down his strikeout rate and find more consistency at the plate. With his raw power, elite athleticism, and impressive bat speed, Benson has the potential to wreak havoc on the basepaths. He offers more upside than recent acquisitions JJ Bleday & Dane Myers, and you won’t find many better outfielders coming off the bench across the league. His phenomenal home run binge last May, which earned him NL Player of the Week honors, proved just how explosive he can be.
 
Jan 25, 2015
10,559
16,764
113
I would like to see Andujar come back to Cincinnati in a similar role to last season. He has some decent power, mashes lefties, and can fill in at the corner infield and outfield spots, plus DH. That would give Cincinnati a solid offense paired with a deep starting rotation. Lowder will be back as well, and they added veteran relievers to the bullpen.

Adding an All-Star slugger like Suárez for 15 million is a good move and far better than pocketing the cash. It is less than what Candelario and Moustakas were making each year. McLain has to step it up. They cannot afford to give him another full season to figure it out while barely batting above .200. Slide Stewart over to second base if needed, where he has experience at the minor league level, and you still have Steer as a 20 HR bat at first base and DH.
Went to the Padres.
 
Last edited:

nssdigitalchumps

All-Conference
Jul 29, 2008
7,239
4,914
113
You must not know too many Reds fans because the majority of us are anything but eternal optimists. We are a frustrated fan base that is sick of mediocrity and the cheap skate Castellini ownership.
Could be worse. Could be Mets fans.
 

John_Locke_

Freshman
Jul 4, 2025
42
71
18
TRUE. Unfortunately, De Le Cruz puts butts in the seats and that seems to be enough for Reds ownership. They have been doing this kind of thing for years now. As long as they are making money, who cares right? Remember a couple of two or three years back when the CEO was ask about how attendance could/was falling because of their poor performance the last few years? His response, "Where are they going to go?"
EDLC does not put that many asses in seats at GABP. The Reds ranked 20th in attendance. This is a franchise used to looking at a ballpark so empty it looks like a bomb threat just went through. Pick your own section or have the entire upper deck to yourself on most weeknights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: warrior-cat

rick64

Heisman
Jan 25, 2007
24,601
33,729
113
I live in Louisville so is that considered part of the Reds viewing area? Sorry but I'm not paying to watch them.
 
Nov 29, 2025
249
385
63
I live in Louisville so is that considered part of the Reds viewing area? Sorry but I'm not paying to watch them.
Yes, Louisville is Reds country. Reds country goes as far south as Nashville. I've lived in both Louisville and Nashville markets since 2019, got every game. If the Fan Duel, Fox Sports, Bally Sports Network channels were in your cable package all these years, you don't pay anything extra. Watch them as you always have. If you don't have cable/streaming services that carry the network, and don't subscribe to one of the MLB TV packages, you won't be watching the games. This isn't designed to make it harder for people to watch games, but give people more flexibility in how they watch their local teams.
 

rick64

Heisman
Jan 25, 2007
24,601
33,729
113
Yes, Louisville is Reds country. Reds country goes as far south as Nashville. I've lived in both Louisville and Nashville markets since 2019, got every game. If the Fan Duel, Fox Sports, Bally Sports Network channels were in your cable package all these years, you don't pay anything extra. Watch them as you always have. If you don't have cable/streaming services that carry the network, and don't subscribe to one of the MLB TV packages, you won't be watching the games. This isn't designed to make it harder for people to watch games, but give people more flexibility in how they watch their local teams.
When the Reds went to fan Duel it wasn't part of my Spectrum package. Fox Sports Ohio and Bally Sports was. I do get MLB Network.
 

Henogee1975

All-American
Jan 31, 2017
4,309
8,325
87
Will Benson is a versatile outfielder capable of playing all 3 OF positions, and he possesses all the tools necessary to become a Major League star. I’d love to see him secure the starting left field job this year and never look back. To do so, however, he must cut down his strikeout rate and find more consistency at the plate. With his raw power, elite athleticism, and impressive bat speed, Benson has the potential to wreak havoc on the basepaths. He offers more upside than recent acquisitions JJ Bleday & Dane Myers, and you won’t find many better outfielders coming off the bench across the league. His phenomenal home run binge last May, which earned him NL Player of the Week honors, proved just how explosive he can be.
I just don’t see him ever making a difference in Cincinnati
 

Henogee1975

All-American
Jan 31, 2017
4,309
8,325
87
EDLC does not put that many asses in seats at GABP. The Reds ranked 20th in attendance. This is a franchise used to looking at a ballpark so empty it looks like a bomb threat just went through. Pick your own section or have the entire upper deck to yourself on most weeknights.
Reds are 20th right behind St Louis at 19th. Cardinals have been a much more successful franchise in the last 30 years. My point 20th is good for putting out so many terrible teams for so long.
 

warrior-cat

Hall of Famer
Oct 22, 2004
191,616
156,134
113
EDLC does not put that many asses in seats at GABP. The Reds ranked 20th in attendance. This is a franchise used to looking at a ballpark so empty it looks like a bomb threat just went through. Pick your own section or have the entire upper deck to yourself on most weeknights.
True, but imagine what it would be like without hyped players that people fawn over.
 
Jul 4, 2025
42
65
18
Reds are 20th right behind St Louis at 19th. Cardinals have been a much more successful franchise in the last 30 years. My point 20th is good for putting out so many terrible teams for so long.
Saying 20th is 'good' because the team has been terrible actually proves the opposite point. While the Cardinals' fans are actively revolting and staying away to demand better management, Reds fans are being called 'loyal' for accepting 20th place while the front office puts out a 'terrible team' for decades. You're essentially praising the fans for subsidizing mediocrity while other fanbases are holding their teams accountable. The only reason the Reds are 'right behind' the Cardinals is because St. Louis just had its worst attendance season in 30 years. Being 20th isn't an achievement when you're only keeping pace with a franchise in total freefall. Historically, the Cardinals were consistently Top 3 in MLB; the fact that they fell to 19th is an anomaly, not a standard for the Reds to be proud of.
 
Jul 4, 2025
42
65
18
When the Reds went to fan Duel it wasn't part of my Spectrum package. Fox Sports Ohio and Bally Sports was. I do get MLB Network.
I believe, but don't quote me on it, Spectrum may be adding the MLB channel for their customers in Cincinnati. If you are in the Louisville market where Cincinnati is the regional team, they should be doing the same.
 
Jul 4, 2025
42
65
18
There are too many IF options for Hayes to be entrenched at 3B long term, especially with prospects like Cam Collier coming up soon in the pipeline. It will not shock me if Collier debuts by the end of the season the way Sal Stewart did last year. Suarez, by being able to decline his option, limits his market in free agency if he becomes a full-time DH, another reason why he still takes the field whether its 1st or 3B. Steer struggles in LF. He needs to stay at 1B and DH, especially with his chronic shoulder tendonitis limiting his throwing strength.
Hayes' starting spot is locked in at 3B. But he is injury-plagued, so there will starts for Suarez at the hot corner at times this year.