This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CINCINNATI -- June is here, and that means it's just over two months until the Trade Deadline.
After a 10-17 record in May that saw the Reds drop from the top of the National League Central division to the bottom, the club's approach to the Aug. 3 Deadline still hasn't been defined.
“We’re trying to keep our heads above water right now,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “We’ve had some pitching injuries. Obviously, it’s trying to get some of those guys back. But at the same time, you have a lot of good teams in this league.
“If we can keep our heads above water, we have a shot to hang in there. You’re going to have to take some more time before we can figure out exactly who we are and what we can do.”
Hence, Krall can't indicate whether Cincinnati (30-29) would be buyers or sellers.
“It’s way too early to say at this point,” he said. “You’d like to be in position to buy, no matter who you are. That’s your goal.”
One thing is crystal clear. The Reds can't wait for the Trade Deadline to address their bullpen situation, and their baseball operations department is focused on finding capable relievers.
Closer Emilio Pagán (left hamstring strain), set-up men Graham Ashcraft (right UCL sprain) and Pierce Johnson (right elbow inflammation) are all on the injured list. Connor Phillips struggled to throw strikes and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.
Of the eight relievers on Cincinnati's Opening Day roster, only three are currently active in Tony Santillan, Sam Moll and Brock Burke. While Moll and Burke have largely been dependable, Santillan went from having a 1.98 ERA in 14 March/April appearances to an 11.00 ERA in 11 appearances in May while giving up six home runs.
Overall, the Reds bullpen's 5.00 ERA is ranked 27th in the Major Leagues. The group also leads the Majors with 142 walks. As of April 28, it was the best in baseball with a 2.83 ERA.
“As of right now, we haven’t found anybody we can get,” Krall said. “We’d love to figure out a stabilized bullpen."
Where are other areas the Reds could look to improve?
Offense/leadoff spot
Cincinnati's .180 average from the leadoff spot this season is ranked 30th out of 30 clubs, and its .273 on-base percentage from the top of the order is 28th.
This was a spot that was figured to be set with TJ Friedl heading into the season. But Friedl's production has plummeted him way out of the lineup altogether. Manager Terry Francona has also used Matt McLain, Dane Myers, Will Benson, JJ Bleday and, most recently, Blake Dunn to bat first, but he hasn't found a consistent catalyst.
McLain has also struggled most of the season and, after batting second for much of the first month, has been dropped to the bottom portion of the order.
Starting pitching
The 2026 Reds are the eleventy billionth example of why clubs can never have too many rotation options. Figured to be among the deepest groups in baseball heading into Spring Training, injuries to Hunter Greene (right elbow surgery to remove bone chips), Nick Lodolo (left index finger blister), Rhett Lowder (right shoulder pain) and Brandon Williamson (left shoulder fatigue) have tested their depth.
Five starts into his return, Lodolo has seemed to recapture a groove in his past two outings for wins. Lowder is slated to begin a rehab assignment for Louisville on Tuesday and Greene remains on target to return sometime in July.
“It’d be nice to have our full pitching staff together," Krall said.
Even if everybody is back healthy before Aug. 3, it wouldn't hurt to add more starting pitching depth, especially if Chase Burns and Lowder run into an innings limit, as both are pitching in only their second professional seasons.
As they do every year, the Reds keep the lines of communication open with the other 29 teams.
“We’ve checked in with a lot of clubs. Not much movement before this time,” Krall said. “We’re trying to keep tabs on everybody and see what’s what.”
An issue that has developed in recent years with expanded playoff brackets that now include three Wild Card berths in the National and American Leagues, fewer teams are Deadline sellers.
“Right now, you have only four teams in the National League with a losing record,” Krall said. “I think it’s going to be dependent on how everybody plays and what everybody’s looking to do. There’s a lot of teams in this.”