CINCINNATI -- Needing to turn around a pitching staff that took steps backwards in 2026, the Reds hired former Guardians assistant pitching coach Joe Torres as their new pitching coach on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Torres was the Guardians' assistant pitching coach for the past five seasons, including 2022-23 under current Reds manager Terry Francona.
Torres is replacing Derek Johnson, who was informed last month that he would not be retained following a personal leave of absence from June through the rest of the season. Assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy filled in for Johnson while he was away.
Tracy and bullpen coach Oscar Marin -- who both interviewed for the vacancy -- are expected to remain in their current roles on the coaching staff.
A first-round selection of the Angels in the 2000 MLB Draft, Torres was a left-hander who pitched professionally for 13 seasons but did not reach the big leagues.
Torres moved into professional baseball coaching in 2017 with Cleveland, starting with a stint as pitching coach at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, followed by Single-A Lake County (2018) and High-A Lynchburg (2019). He became the Minor League pitching coordinator in 2020 for two seasons until his promotion to Francona's staff and working under respected pitching coach Carl Willis.
In 2026, Cincinnati's pitching staff was ranked 28th in MLB with a 4.83 ERA while leading the league in walks (668) and ranking fourth in hit-by-pitches (87). The staff was tied for 11th with a 3.86 ERA in 2025.
Cleveland's pitchers ranked eighth in MLB last season with a 3.77 ERA and third in strikeouts (1,530). The Guardians finished in the top 10 in ERA over each of the last five seasons, which have included four American League Central division titles.
The Reds' starting rotation is led by All-Star Chase Burns, who had a breakout second professional season after going 15-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 185 strikeouts over 29 starts and 154 1/3 innings. Left-hander and 2025 All-Star Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson are also part of the group that will likely need at least one more starter added in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the bullpen could be in line for an overhaul after the free-agent departures of closer Emilio Pagán and relievers Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson. Setup man Tony Santillan will be coming off of left hip surgery and another setup reliever, Graham Ashcraft, missed significant time with a UCL sprain in his right elbow and also dealt with inconsistency.
Although Johnson's duties also included the title as the organization's director of pitching, the club still must decide what the coaching structure for the system's pitching side will look like now that Torres has been hired.