Offseason Outlook: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds plummeted down the standings after a strong April. They lost one of their top two starters to Tommy John surgery that’ll likely cost him all of 2027. Most of the rotation underperformed and the back half of the lineup was as bad as any in the league. There’s still elite high-end talent, but this year was a major disappointment for a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series in three decades.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Chase Burns, RHP: $103MM through 2033
- Hunter Greene, RHP: $33MM through 2028 (including buyout of ’29 club option)
- Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B: $29MM through 2029 (including buyout of ’30 club option)
- Emilio Pagán, RHP: $10MM player option for 2027
- Jose Trevino, C: $6.25MM through 2027 (including buyout of ’28 club option)
Option Decisions
- RHP Emilio Pagán holds $10MM player option
- Team, DH/3B Eugenio Suárez hold $16MM mutual option
- Team, RHP Pierce Johnson hold $8MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)
Additional Commitments
- Owe $3MM buyout to released Jeimer Candelario
2027 financial commitments: $43.75MM
Total future commitments: $185.25MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries to be added later)
- Tejay Antone: (5.145)
- Nick Lodolo (5.000)
- Graham Ashcraft (4.130)
- Tony Santillan (4.099)
- Spencer Steer (4.035)
- JJ Bleday (4.013)
- Matt McLain (3.140)
- Brandon Williamson (3.139)
- Andrew Abbott (3.119)
- Elly De La Cruz (3.118)
- Oswaldo Cabrera (3.072)
- Dane Myers (3.037)
Non-tender candidates: Ashcraft, Santillan, McLain, Cabrera
Free Agents
- Brady Singer, Eugenio Suárez, Tyler Stephenson, Brock Burke, TJ Friedl (eligible for minor league free agency), Pierce Johnson, Will Benson (eligible for minor league free agency)
The Reds hoped that an 83-79 showing and a playoff berth in 2025 would be a stepping stone to more consistent success. That didn’t happen this year, as a few standout performances were spoiled by an underwhelming supporting cast. There are issues in all facets — offense, defense, starting pitching, bullpen — that’ll be hard to fix in one offseason.
The onus will remain on president of baseball operations Nick Krall, general manager Brad Meador, and their front office. Krall told Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer last week that he’s had conversations with ownership and doesn’t anticipate any significant leadership changes. Owner Bob Castellini confirmed that plan when speaking with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic this week. Future Hall of Fame skipper Terry Francona is also expected back for a third season, the final guaranteed year of his contract. The Reds hold an option on Francona for 2028; Krall’s contract length was unreported.
Cincinnati is limping to a last place finish in the NL Central. Only the Athletics and Rockies have a worse run differential this year. This is probably a bottom three team in the National League. Krall nevertheless said around the All-Star Break that he didn’t feel the organization needed a full rebuild. The focus would be on a return to contention in 2027.
Those comments came two weeks before they lost one of their top arms for potentially the entire ’27 season. Hunter Greene underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career in the middle of August. That only makes a short-term return to competitiveness more difficult, but there’s nothing to suggest that’s not still the plan.
Cincinnati didn’t do anything notable at the deadline, shipping out impending free agent role players Nathaniel Lowe and Caleb Ferguson for minimal returns. (They also acquired former well-regarded second base prospect Juan Brito out of DFA limbo from the Guardians.) The Reds held impending free agents Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson and Brock Burke — as well as every player who was under club control beyond this season.
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Spencer Steer To Undergo Wrist Surgery
Reds utilityman Spencer Steer will undergo surgery next week to repair the torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, the team informed reporters (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Reliever Tony Santillan will also indeed require hip labrum surgery, as manager Terry Francona suggested was likely last night. Steer is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training; Santillan’s recovery timeline will be determined after the procedure.
Steer suffered the injury on a swing in late July. He spent a few months trying to rehab without surgery and progressed to swinging the bat a couple weeks ago. Francona said he felt some discomfort when he ramped up the swing intensity over the weekend, leading them to opt for surgery. The Reds didn’t want to wait any longer and run the risk of requiring surgery at a later date that would threaten his availability for the beginning of the year.
The 28-year-old Steer had a decent season before the injury, hitting 16 homers with a .238/.319/.421 slash line across 384 plate appearances. It’s league average production in aggregate, but he got there in a lopsided way. The right-handed Steer obliterated lefty pitching (.342/.442/.620) while struggling to reach base versus righties (.207/.278/.360). Righty bats were at a premium this deadline season, so there’s a chance the Reds would’ve been overwhelmed by a trade offer had Steer stayed healthy.
The injury and surgery could cloud Steer’s future enough to dissuade teams from meeting Cincinnati’s asking price on an offseason trade. It’s likelier he’ll be back in Reds’ camp next spring. Steer could compete for a starting outfield job or platoon with JJ Bleday in left field depending on which acquisitions Cincinnati makes over the winter. Steer will be owed a raise on his $4MM salary and has two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility.
Shane McClanahan Not Available For Division Series
The Rays have ruled out Shane McClanahan for the Division Series, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. He could return later in the postseason if Tampa Bay advances. The Rays haven’t ruled out the possibility of relievers Tyler Wells and Garrett Cleavinger being ready for the ALDS.
McClanahan has missed most of September with forearm tightness. He’s had a couple injured list stints but had a successful showing in his return from two lost seasons. McClanahan finished the regular season with a 3.36 earned run average despite a career-low 21.8% strikeout rate across 118 innings.
Tampa Bay still has a strong top three for the playoff rotation. Drew Rasmussen will surely go in Game 1. Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta are likely to go in Games 2 and 3, respectively. Assuming there’s no sweep, they could either bring Rasmussen back on short rest or (more likely) run one of Griffin Jax or Ian Seymour in Game 4. Jax has been the better of those two, but the Rays could have both pitchers available out of the bullpen earlier in the series and make their Game 4 decision based on usage in the first three games.
That’ll also be impacted by whether either or both of Wells and Cleavinger are available. Wells went on the shelf last week with forearm tightness. Cleavinger, also dealing with forearm tightness, has been out since September 5. Manuel Rodríguez (back strain) is also on the 15-day IL and could be activated before the end of the regular season.
Wells and Cleavinger are key setup arms in front of All-Star closer Bryan Baker. If they’re not available for the start of the playoffs, Kevin Kelly and Cam Booser would respectively be their top setup arms from the right and left side. Ty Johnson, Cole Sulser, Casey Legumina and top prospect Brody Hopkins are among those vying for the final couple bullpen spots on the playoff roster.
Tampa Bay officially wrapped up the AL East and clinched home field until the World Series with last night’s win in the Bronx. They’ll face the winner of the Yankees vs. Red Sox first round series, which is all but officially locked in as the 4-5 matchup. Game 1 will be at Tropicana Field on October 3.
Padres Designate Alek Jacob For Assignment
The Padres announced they’ve designated reliever Alek Jacob for assignment. That’s the 40-man roster move to open a spot for Jason Adam, who has returned from the 60-day injured list.
Jacob is a depth reliever who has been in Triple-A since the beginning of July. The 28-year-old righty has been up and down for the last three-plus seasons. He’s only pitched three times at the MLB level this year after tossing a career-high 33 1/3 frames last season. Jacob has posted a 4.18 earned run average with roughly league average strikeout and walk marks over 56 career innings.
It has been a tougher year for Jacob in Triple-A, where he’s been tagged for a 5.58 ERA over 61 1/3 innings. He’s a sidewinder who relies on deception to offset below-average stuff. Jacob’s fastball averages just 84 mph. Unlike most pitchers who throw from such a low arm slot, Jacob uses a changeup far more often than a breaking ball.
Jacob will land on waivers in the next few days. This is the third and final option year for the Gonzaga product. Another team would be able to stash him in the minors for the rest of this season but would need to carry him on the MLB roster next year. If he clears waivers, the Padres could outright him to Triple-A and keep him in the organization.
Astros Select Josh Hendrickson, Place Cristian Javier On Injured List
7:31pm: It’s a Grade 2 strain for Javier, manager Joe Espada tells reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
7:10pm: The Astros announced they’ve selected lefty Josh Hendrickson onto the major league roster. Starter Cristian Javier lands on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain. Houston recalled outfielder Jake Meyers from Triple-A and placed him on the 60-day injured list to open the necessary 40-man roster spot. Meyers suffered a broken left kneecap on a foul ball in the minors last week.
Those are the only moves Houston has announced so far, but it seems there are a couple more coming. Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle observed that Lucas Spence is listed as tonight’s starting center fielder against Seattle’s George Kirby. The Astros don’t have Brice Matthews listed on the lineup card, suggesting he’s headed for the injured list after making an early exit from Tuesday’s game. Spence will be recalled from Triple-A.
Javier made an early exit from yesterday’s start. He completed two innings but was lifted for Miguel Ullola in the third. Javier will miss the rest of the regular season and at least the first two rounds of the postseason if the Astros qualify.
It’s the second injured list stint of the season for Javier, who missed most of the first half with a shoulder strain. He initially returned as a reliever but replaced Tatsuya Imai in the rotation at the end of July. Javier has pitched to a 4.10 ERA over 41 2/3 innings since drawing back into the starting five. Houston is down to a four-man rotation of Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert, Hayden Wesneski and rookie Ethan Pecko as they try to hang onto the AL West lead. The Astros are tied with the Rangers but hold the tiebreaker, giving them a slight edge on Texas with five games remaining.
Hendrickson gets his first major league call a few days after his 29th birthday. The Australian-born southpaw signed out of independent ball in mid-April, his first work in affiliated ball in three years. Hendrickson worked as a starter with Triple-A Sugar Land, turning in a 4.75 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate against a sub-6% walk percentage. He’s a solid strike-thrower with fringy stuff, averaging 91 mph on his fastball in Triple-A.
The Astros figure to use Hendrickson in a long relief role for the final few days of the regular season. Pecko and Lambert will get the final two games of the Seattle series. Houston hasn’t listed any starters for the weekend set in West Sacramento against the Athletics. Wesneski and Brown would be on schedule for the first two games, and Houston could use the entire bullpen if Sunday’s contest turns out to be a must-win.
Houston is also dealing with a couple injuries on the position player side. Daulton Varsho will miss his third consecutive game with a wrist issue. Matthews was already a fill-in, leaving Spence to handle the job for at least one game during his first MLB action in two months. Jeremy Peña is also out of the lineup today after he was hit on the wrist by a Carlos Vargas pitch last night. Nick Allen gets the start at shortstop on Wednesday.
Padres To Activate Jason Adam
The Padres are activating Jason Adam from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s game in Los Angeles, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Griffin Canning is being optioned to open a spot on the pitching staff. San Diego designated Alek Jacob for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
Adam returns after a near three month absence. He’s been out since the end of June with a shoulder strain. Adam also opened the season on the injured list to complete his rehab from last year’s quad surgery. He’s worked 32 1/3 innings of 2.51 ERA ball with 17 holds this season, but the stuff hasn’t been as sharp as in previous seasons. Adam has a career-low 16.4% strikeout rate with a 93.4 mph average fastball, a tick below where it sat last season.
The Padres have a few days to determine where Adam fits into the bullpen for their playoff roster (assuming they hold off the Diamondbacks to secure a Wild Card berth). Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez anchor the back end. Yuki Matsui and Randy Vásquez and David Morgan are also in the mix for occasional leverage work, though Vásquez is more of a multi-inning option.
Canning has more than five years of service time, meaning he can decline any minor league assignment in favor of free agency. It appears he consented to be optioned, though, a sensible decision since he’ll return to the open market after the season either way. Barring an injury to another pitcher, Canning’s regular season is over. He’s a long shot to make the playoff roster after struggling to a 5.57 ERA over 85 2/3 innings.
Dylan Cease Placed On IL With Shoulder Inflammation
September 23: Cease is now on the IL due to that shoulder inflammation, per the team. It seems the Jays were waiting to be officially eliminated, which happened when they lost the first game of today’s doubleheader. The Jays also optioned righty José Rodríguez. Righties Chase Lee and CJ Van Eyk were recalled as the corresponding moves.
September 21: Dylan Cease will not pitch for the Blue Jays during this week’s series at Camden Yards. The likely AL Cy Young finalist tells reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet) that he’s been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation coming out of Friday’s start in Texas.
Cease had his worst outing of the season last week. He walked six batters and surrendered three hits among 17 batters faced. Cease allowed four runs (one earned) while tossing a season-low 2 2/3 innings. His fastball averaged 93.6 mph, more than three ticks below his season average. Cease not coincidentally only recorded three strikeouts, his lowest tally this year.
The first-time All-Star stressed that there’s nothing off structurally that’d impact his availability for the 2027 season. It does seem likely to end his ’26 campaign a week early, though the Jays are holding off on placing him on the injured list. Toronto takes a 77-79 record into tonight’s series opener in Baltimore. They’re off on Thursday and will host the Reds to end the regular season.
Toronto is still alive but probably needs a 6-0 finish to have any chance at snagging the American League’s final playoff spot. They’re three games back of the White Sox, who also have the tiebreaker by virtue of going 5-1 against the Jays this season. The Jays do have the tiebreaker against the AL Central-leading Guardians, whose 81-75 record has them a game ahead of Chicago.
In either case, they essentially need to erase a 3.5-game deficit this week. Consecutive sweeps would put some pressure on the AL Central clubs, who’d need a 3-3 finish to stay ahead of Toronto in that event. The White Sox have an easy final week with series against the Royals and Rockies. Cleveland will finish with road sets in Boston and Kansas City.
Trey Yesavage returned from the injured list tonight and tossed two innings in an abbreviated appearance. Max Scherzer will go tomorrow opposite Chris Bassitt. Neither the Jays nor O’s have announced a starter for Wednesday, which would’ve been Cease’s scheduled outing. Toronto’s pitching plans for the final weekend are to be determined; Cincinnati has already listed Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson to close the year.
Cease is going to finish among the top five in Cy Young balloting for the third time in his career. He has a decent chance at his second runner-up, though Cam Schlittler’s sub-2.00 ERA season might make him the unanimous winner. Cease has worked to a sterling 2.40 earned run average in his own right, tossing 169 innings across 29 starts. Only Jacob Misiorowski and Gavin Williams have recorded more strikeouts than Cease’s career-high 239 — the fourth highest single-season total in franchise history. It’s as good a performance as the Toronto front office could’ve wanted to kick off his seven-year, $210MM free agent deal.
Astros Outright Jorge Barrosa
The Astros announced Tuesday that they’ve sent Jorge Barrosa outright to Triple-A Sugar Land. The 5’6″ outfielder cleared waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend.
It’s the first career outright assignment for Barrosa. That technically means he needs to accept the minor league assignment, though it’s essentially a moot point. Sugar Land’s season is over. Barrosa has played parts of seven years in the minors and will therefore qualify for minor league free agency once the MLB season ends if he’s not on the 40-man roster.
Houston claimed him off waivers in September, so he would not have been eligible for postseason play in either case. Unless the Astros need to call him back up in the final five days of the regular season, he’ll become a free agent. Brice Matthews is working as the backup center fielder but has drawn into the lineup for consecutive games while Daulton Varsho nurses left wrist soreness (via Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
Barrosa made four appearances in a Houston uniform, going 1-7 with a couple walks. The Venezuela native had otherwise spent his entire career in the Diamondbacks system. Barrosa has minimal power and carries a .179/.244/.301 slash line across parts of three big league seasons. This was his first season with an extended look at the MLB level. He’s out of options and the D-Backs kept him on their bench into September rather than expose him to waivers.
The 25-year-old Barrosa is a plus runner who can play good defense anywhere in the outfield, though his fringe arm is stretched in right field. He has traditionally made a lot of contact, leading to a .277/.368/.421 batting line over seven minor league seasons. He’ll likely be looking at a minor league deal this offseason.
Phillies To Decide On Mattingly’s Managerial Future After Season
Tuesday was a surprisingly big day on the managerial front. Andy Green and Chad Tracy had their respective interim tags removed by the Mets and Red Sox, with both signing three-year contracts. The only remaining interim manager, Philadelphia’s Don Mattingly, won’t know his long-term fate until season’s end.
“[We] have felt it is better to wait until our season is complete,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer when asked about the manager role beyond 2026. He added “there has not been” any additional discussion about Mattingly’s future in light of the other extensions.
That’s not a huge surprise, as the Phillies announced in April that Mattingly was only locked into the job through the end of the season. He’s on a two-year contract with the organization that he signed over the winter to serve as Rob Thomson’s bench coach. Thomson was fired after they limped to a 9-19 start.
Mattingly, whose son Preston is Philadelphia’s general manager, has overseen a turnaround that’ll very likely result in another trip to October. The Phillies have gone 78-51 since Don Mattingly was hired, bringing them to 87-70 on the year. They’re currently the #6 seed in the National League but could claim any of the Wild Card spots. Philadelphia is 4.5 games up on the Diamondbacks and have a magic number of two to clinch their fifth straight playoff appearance.
The Phillies couldn’t have expected much more from Mattingly’s club in the regular season, but their focus is on October. They’re in as much of a win-now mindset as any team in the league, running a competitive balance tax payroll north of $322MM with one of the game’s oldest rosters.
They’ve been one of the best regular season teams five years running, but their playoff performances have gone in the wrong direction. Philadelphia went from a National League pennant in 2022 to an NLCS loss in ’23 and losses in the Division Series in each of the last two years. They’ll need to play a three-game Wild Card Series this year. While the Phillies will make their permanent managerial decision on more than the results of a three- or five-game series, it’s fair to assume Mattingly’s chance of keeping the job rises if they make a deep run.
That coincides with questions about Alex Cora’s future. Dombrowski has already acknowledged he was prepared to offer the job to Cora after the longtime Red Sox’ skipper was fired. Cora, whose contract with Boston reportedly pays him $7.25MM annually through 2027, declined the offer to spend the ’26 season with his family. The Phillies will presumably reach back out to Cora this offseason to gauge his interest in returning to the dugout. Mattingly said around the All-Star Break that he’d be happy to stay in the role for 2027 if Dombrowski wants to keep him around (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com).
Rangers Place Joc Pederson On Injured List, Rule Out Cal Quantrill For Season
The Rangers made a handful of moves before the start of a crucial series against the Mets. Designated hitter Joc Pederson lands on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 19, with a fracture in his left hand. Texas activated Michael Helman from the 60-day injured list and reliever Peyton Gray from the 15-day IL, optioning Adam Macko to open a spot on the pitching staff.
To open a 40-man roster spot for Helman, the Rangers transferred Cal Quantrill to the 60-day injured list. Quantrill, who went on the shelf over the weekend with a lat strain, is done for the season. Pederson will miss the rest of the regular season but would be eligible to return for the start of the Wild Card Series if Texas hangs onto the AL West lead.
Pederson suffered a small fracture when he was hit by a pitch from Brandon Pfaadt on September 12. The power-hitting DH said he hoped to play through the injury but needed to wait for the swelling to subside. That hasn’t improved as quickly as hoped, leading Texas to shut him down for the last week of the regular season.
Today marked something of an unofficial deadline for the Rangers to make the IL call. Injured list stints can only be backdated by a maximum of three days. The Wild Card Series begins a week from now. If Texas had waited any longer to put Pederson on the shelf, they wouldn’t have been able to reinstate him for the first round.
Of course, that only matters if Texas makes it to next week. Eleven of the 12 teams currently in playoff position have either already clinched or enter the regular season’s final week with a three-game cushion. The 78-78 Rangers are the lone exception, as they’re holding a one-game advantage on the Astros. Houston won the season series and holds the tiebreaker, so the Rangers need to preserve their lead. They’re technically still alive in the Wild Card picture as a fallback. That’d require a collapse from either the Guardians or White Sox for Texas to end up behind Houston while making up multiple games in the Wild Card race.
Pederson has been the team’s best power bat against right-handed pitching. Texas hasn’t had a full-time DH since his injury. Corey Seager has gotten some work there with Ezequiel Duran taking over at shortstop. Seager is playing the field tonight with Duran in center field and Elias Díaz drawing in as a designated hitter against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea.
Texas hosts the Mets for three and will finish the season with a three-game series in Minnesota. The Astros are on the road for their final six, playing three apiece in Seattle and West Sacramento against a depleted A’s team.
Helman is back as a right-handed bat and potential pinch-runner. He has made 15 MLB appearances this year, batting .167 with one home run. He has missed three months after breaking multiple bones on his right hand on a hit-by-pitch. Texas opted to stick with Diaz against the lefty tonight rather than plugging Helman into center field, suggesting he’s a pure bench piece for the final week.
It was already known that Quantrill’s regular season was over when he landed on the 15-day injured list. He’ll return to free agency coming off his best season in four years. Quantrill turned in a 2.86 earned run average despite a modest 18% strikeout rate across 110 innings. He began the season in low-leverage relief and moved seamlessly into the rotation in the middle of June.
