CINCINNATI -- No, the Reds didn't sign Kyle Schwarber during the Winter Meetings. Nor have they added a big bat to upgrade their offense -- yet -- this offseason. They're still looking, but with Spring Training near, there's a chance they won't.
With rare exception, the makeup of Reds position players is largely the same from a 2025 club that won 83 games and nabbed the final National League Wild Card spot.
Will that be enough to improve upon last season's results?
Those on the Reds say, just watch them.
“I don’t see why we can’t go win the division,” closer Emilio Pagán said during Redsfest. “Obviously, we’re going to have to be more consistent throughout the entire season. But talent-wise -- top to bottom -- we match up with everybody in our division.
“Yes I was, along with the rest of Cincinnati, really excited about the potential of landing Kyle Schwarber. But now we get to play against him and that’s a lot of fun, too. I’m excited about our team and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish and build off of last year.”
In 2025, the Reds' rotation and bullpen were the strength of the team. The offense? It posted a combined 90 OPS+, which was 26th in Major League Baseball. The club's .706 OPS was tied for 19th overall. Cincinnati was 21st with 167 home runs, led by shortstop Elly De La Cruz's 22 homers.
“We believe in ourselves. We’re going to do what we’re supposed to be doing. If they did not get [a hitter], it doesn’t change anything for us," De La Cruz said.
So far, the biggest offensive addition has been outfielder JJ Bleday, a lefty hitter who was signed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract on Dec. 27 as he seeks a bounceback season following a down year with the A's. On the same day, Cincinnati traded for another outfielder in Dane Myers from the Marlins.
Otherwise, it's the young core -- led by De La Cruz, second baseman Matt McLain, right fielder Noelvi Marte, Sal Stewart (ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club's top prospect) and super-utility player Spencer Steer -- that are among those expected to deliver.
“I think we all feel -- and I’m at the top of the list -- that McLain is way better than what he showed when he was a year removed from his surgery," manager Terry Francona said. "Marte, knowing what’s expected and he doesn’t have to play third, I think that’s legitimate. That’s not a platoon bat. Steer is healthy. Same guys, but if we get the Steer after April, you take that.
“Not that you’re going to give a spot to Sal Stewart, but you don’t want him blocked either. We want him to have a chance. We think he’s going to be pretty good.”
Instead of opening the season on the injured list, Steer was the designated hitter the first month while dealing with a sore right shoulder until he got past it and began playing first base. McLain, who missed all of 2024 recovering from left shoulder surgery, struggled throughout 2025.
“We’re all looking to get better, we know that, and we want to. I think as an offense last year, there were a lot of really good things and stuff we could work on,” McLain said. “Just coming off a year of not playing, how hard the first half was going to be. You’ve got to learn from it.”
After the Reds reached the postseason on the final day of the regular season, they were swept in two games by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NL Wild Card Series.
But as fans celebrated the 2026 Reds throughout the weekend and longed for the upcoming season during Redsfest, there was no shortage of enthusiasm at the Cincinnati Convention Center.
Players felt it, while feeling bullish about their chances.
“One, we learned that you’ve got to earn it,” 2025 All-Star pitcher Andrew Abbott said. “You have to put your head down, you’ve got to work and basically grind your teeth and do whatever you can to get in there. We learned that every game is so important. The more we can stack wins, the more we can quit losing streaks, the more we can bounce back. Those are the important games that ultimately get you into the playoffs without having to wait until the last game of the season.”
On Thursday, Francona was at Great American Ball Park and ran into a handful of players inside the clubhouse having fun and talking. It was a good way to catch up just ahead of camp next month.
“I like our guys. I don’t have to fake that,” Francona said. “They’re good guys to be around and I love them. I just want to see how good we can get.”