The Cincinnati Reds have an important offseason coming up. There are many decisions to be made about the 2027 roster. There are holes in the roster construction that need to be filled. There are decisions that need to be made about free agents. Also, there are decisions to be made about the coaching vacancies. Here is how the Reds should prioritize their offseason.
3. Finding a Pitching Coach/ Director of Pitching
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Director of Pitching and Major League pitching coach Derek Johnson will not be coming back for the 2027 season.The Reds had coach Matt Tracy fill in for Johnson when he took a leave of absence on June 5th, 2026. The Reds have already interviewed internal candidates for the job and it will be interesting if they end up interviewing outside candidates.
Finding the next pitching coach and director of pitching should be a priority because the pitching at the major league level looked lost during the second half of the 2026 season. Many starters took steps back in 2026 and will be looking to bounce back next year. So finding the leader for the staff is very important going into 2027.
2. Shoring up the Defense
The Cincinnati Reds need to be a team that plays solid defense. The Reds usually have one of the weakest offenses in all of Major League Baseball, so they need to pitch well and play clean defense behind their pitchers.
In 2025, the philosophy of run prevention was working. The Cincinnati Reds were +2 in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), which put them in the middle of the pack in MLB, but it was one of the best defensive seasons in a while. It has not been that way in 2026.
In 2026, they were the worst in MLB with -48 DRS. By contrast, the Cubs and Brewers are some of the best defensive teams this year, with +110 and +50, respectively. So if the Reds want to be competitive in 2027, they will need to shore up their defense.
1. Adding Offense to the Roster (Not Home Runs)
The Reds' lineup, outside of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart, largely struggled at the plate. De La Cruz delivered his first 30/30 season of his career, while Stewart is a favorite for the National League's Rookie of the Year after hitting 32 homers with 112 RBIs. And yet the Reds offense was one of the worst in Major League Baseball.
The Reds were last in the majors in batting average (.229) and on-base percentage (.305) and had the most strikeouts in the National League (1,544). The Reds added sluggers JJ Bleday and Eugenio Suarez last offseason, but they don't need more home run hitters. The Reds need to find players who will strike out less and hit for a better average.
These are just some of the Reds offseason priorities, but to be honest, the list could be way longer. For now, finding a pitching coach, shoring up their defense and adding offense to the roster should be top priorities.
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