The Cincinnati Reds have a solid young core that revolves around phenom shortstop Elly De La Cruz and a largely homegrown rotation. De La Cruz has some of the highest potential in the league, and if he can continue to develop, the Reds will be in a good spot to contend. Meanwhile, Hunter Greene has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, and Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez and Brady Singer round out a starting five that's been largely great this season.
The names above give Cincinnati a solid foundation upon which to build. But while the team's lineup still struggles to get out of second gear, it's been an unsung hero that has kept the Reds around the .500 mark and within striking distance of a playoff spot. This past offseason, Cincy quietly upgraded their bullpen to be one of the better units in baseball, and they did so in a few different ways.
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The Reds quietly upgraded their bullpen in multiple ways
Cincinnati's bullpen enters play on Monday with a 3.40 ERA that ranks ninth in baseball. And it isn't excelling by accident: The front office has slowly and meticulously built this unit from the ground up, and there are plenty of reinforcements coming in case of injuries or struggles.
Brent Suter was acquired last offseason. He had a quiet year in 2024, but has been excellent this season, allowing just five earned runs, two home runs and only four walks across 24.2 innings pitched. He occasionally makes a spot start for the Reds during bullpen games and has been excellent no matter what role is asked of him.
Emilio Pagán has blossed as the team's closer in lieu of Alexis Diaz, and he's been excellent this season. Pagán has 12 saves in 14 attempts, including three consecutive saves against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend. His ERA is a bit inflated from one performance in which he was asked to go over a single inning; overall, he's been everything the Reds could've asked of him.
Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Luis Mey are three of the better stories for the Reds this year. Ashcraft struggled as a starter and was transitioned to the bullpen this season; he's been great in that role. Santillan and Mey have had their ups and downs in the Minors over the last few years, but they've come up big for Cincy this season. Mey has an electric arsenal with a fastball that routinely hits triple digits on the radar gun.
All in all, this Reds bullpen has been solid. It should continue to be so throughout the year, and it will only get better if the Reds use prospects like Connor Phillips and Zach Maxwell dowen the stretch. They could also use the trade market to build it even stronger as well.