What had the potential to be an intriguing Cincinnati Reds season instead ends with them missing the playoffs for the 11th time in 13 years. For anyone under the age of 35, this year more or less saw Terry Francona’s team maintaining the franchise’s status quo.
Francona has publicly said he wants to manage the Reds in 2027, and there is no sense that a fire sale is coming this winter. But changes are coming, and numerous veterans appear unlikely to return.
For this list, we’re obviously trying to keep things realistic. Whether the Reds should part ways Elly De La Cruz is a separate conversation, and it might generate legitimate debate among analysts this offseason. But for now, we’re focusing on those who could either hit free agency or make sense as potential trade targets.
3B/DH Eugenio Suárez
Suárez has a $15 million mutual option looming, and we’d be shocked if he’s back on that salary. The Reds wisely structured the contract so there’s no buyout, and they’re not an organization especially known for their spending.
We love a reunion, and the good news is that Suárez offered 25 homers with an above-average .731 OPS. But his 33.7 percent strikeout rate is easily the worst of his career, and it is only the third time in 13 seasons that he’s exceeded 30 percent.
Those are a lot of numbers, so here’s the bottom line: Suárez isn’t a bad buy-low DH option for rebuilding teams, but he doesn’t fit what the Reds need moving forward.
C Jose Trevino
Trevino’s 2022 season, when he gave the Yankees 2.3 bWAR and 11 home runs in 353 plate appearances, is clearly an aberration. He’s cleared only 90 games once in the last four years, and he turns 34 in November.
The good news: Trevino is only due $5.25 million next year, and his 2028 club option carries a $1 million buyout. Could the Yankees reunite with him to once again play behind Austin Wells? Probably not, but someone should call Cincinnati about the veteran backstop’s services.
INF Matt McLain
Is this an overreaction on our part? On the one hand, McLain is hitting .205 with a .630 OPS since the start of 2025, and he’s been worth -0.3 bWAR in that time. But then, you remember that he is a 27-year-old with another three seasons of team control remaining.
So if you’re the Reds, do you hold out hope that he’ll regain his 2023 form, or are you open to accepting that what he’s provided over nearly 300 games warrants a trade? We imagine he'd draw interest from those still in the rebuilding process.
Well, you know which option we’d pick. Maybe the Reds could package him in a deal for an outfielder?
RHP Pierce Johnson
Johnson has an $8 million mutual option for 2027, though it comes with a $1 million buyout. If you’re unsure what the next step is, then revisit exactly what we just said about Suárez.
Assuming that the Reds move on from Johnson, keep your eyes on the Braves as a landing spot. He had a 2.91 ERA over 139 innings for Atlanta from 2023-25, and contenders always need extra bullpen arms. Don’t look so surprised when Johnson has a 2.75 ERA and helps Walt Weiss’ club to yet another NL East crown.
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