The Cincinnati Reds are bringing back Oswaldo Cabrera on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. The move keeps another familiar face in the organization, but it does little to address the biggest concern with this roster.
There is still an entire offseason ahead, and the Reds have plenty of time to add the offense they need. But this is the type of move that makes fans say, "Here we go again."
By all accounts, Cabrera is a great teammate. He brings energy, is willing to play wherever he is needed, and seems like someone any organization would enjoy having in the clubhouse.
He also has not established himself as a consistent hitter at the big-league level. The 27-year-old owns a career .233 batting average and an OPS of .638. Those numbers do not offer much reason to believe he will help fix Cincinnati’s offensive problems.
In that sense, he feels like a perfect fit for Terry Francona, Chris Valaika, Nick Krall, and the Reds.
That is the frustrating part.
The Reds Keep Betting on the Same Type of Player
There is nothing wrong with wanting good people in your clubhouse. Every team wants players who contribute to a good culture.
But at some point, those players have to hit.
The Reds continue to give opportunities to players whose value is explained through everything other than what they do at the plate. They play the game the right way. They are good teammates. They are "baseball guys."
Those things matter. They just cannot keep being the explanation for accepting poor offensive production.
TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, and Ke’Bryan Hayes all received plenty of opportunities in 2026 despite their struggles offensively. Meanwhile, players like Noelvi Marte, Will Benson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Rece Hinds, all of whom have more offensive upside, received much shorter leashes. Does that mean they would have succeeded with more playing time? No. But they were not given the same opportunities or patience to work through their struggles.
The continued patience with struggling hitters is part of what makes another move like this frustrating.
How long can the Reds keep waiting for the offense to improve while continuing to put their faith in the same types of players?
Cabrera might help the bench. His versatility gives the Reds options. But being able to put a player at several positions does not solve the problem if the lineup still struggles to score.
Bringing Cabrera back does not define the Reds’ offseason, but with this many holes on the roster, they still have a lot of work to do. That work needs to start with a change in philosophy and a greater emphasis on players who can hit.
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