The 2026 Cincinnati Reds: A Franchise Stuck in Neutral, A Fan Base Stuck in Limbo
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By Rob Olds
The North Texas Sports Blog
April 13, 2026
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There’s a hard truth Reds fans have lived with for a long time, and it’s time to say it plainly:
The Cincinnati Reds have become, for the most part, an irrelevant organization in Major League Baseball.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s not bitterness. That’s the math.
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Since sweeping the Oakland A’s in the 1990 World Series—the last postseason series the Reds have won—Cincinnati has made the playoffs just six times in 35 seasons. In 22 of those 35 years, they finished with a losing record. And since Dusty Baker’s 90‑win club in 2013 (a team ownership rewarded by firing its manager after a Wild Card loss), the Reds have endured five 90‑loss seasons, including a brutal stretch from 2015–2018 where they dropped 94+ games four years in a row.
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Three of those seasons were overseen by Bryan Price, the worst manager in club history, who was mercifully fired in 2018 after a 3–15 start. Since Baker’s exit, the Reds have finished above .500 only four times, and never by more than four games.
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This is not a competitive franchise. It is a franchise that occasionally flirts with competence.
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Ownership: The Ceiling That Never Moves
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The Reds’ irrelevance is not a mystery. It’s not bad luck. It’s not market size. It’s ownership. Bob Castellini’s tenure has been defined by low payrolls, rebuilding cycles, and a business model that prioritizes revenue stability over competitive ambition. Even during their “competitive windows” (2010–2014 and 2019–2020), the Reds only nudged spending upward before plunging back into the bottom half of MLB payrolls—often 40% below league average.
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After the COVID‑19 pandemic, the bottom fell out completely. Payroll collapsed. More than $20 million was slashed in 2022. Spending stayed low in 2023. And now Phil Castellini—Bob’s son—is the principal owner, president, and CEO.
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If you’re a Reds fan, you know what that means.
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Nothing is changing.
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Not because the money isn’t there. Because the will isn’t there.
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This is a franchise that treats “flexibility” as a victory and “trying” as a luxury.
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Why I Watch Baseball… Just Not the Reds
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I subscribe to MLB.TV every year because I love baseball. I love watching teams that try. I love watching front offices that improve their rosters, chase free agents, and push for October.
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A lot of fans complain about the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox spending so much. I don’t. They’re trying to win. They’re doing what big‑league organizations are supposed to do.
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Even if the Reds doubled their payroll, they wouldn’t catch those clubs. But that’s not the point. The point is effort. Intent. Direction.
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And for the past handful of years, I’ve adopted a simple stance:
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If the Reds aren’t going to try, why should I care enough to watch them get their heads beaten in every night?
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I say it out of frustration, but also out of clarity. I’d rather watch exciting baseball than watch a franchise that refuses to invest in itself.
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The 2026 Reds: A Familiar Story Wearing a New Date
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Now we arrive at the 2026 Cincinnati Reds. And, as always, there’s good news and bad news.
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The Good News: A Respectable Start and a Competent Pitching Staff
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Through 16 games, the Reds sit at 9–7, just a half‑game behind the Pirates in the NL Central. They opened the season with surprisingly strong pitching, and even after cooling off, the staff still ranks:
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9th in ERA (4.03)
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Tied for the NL lead in shutouts (3)
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8th in hits allowed (100)
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9th in strikeouts (129)
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8.0 K/9
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For a team that has spent years searching for reliable arms, this is legitimately encouraging.
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The Bad News: The Offense Is Unwatchable
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The Reds’ lineup is so lifeless that their starters practically need to throw shutouts just to tie.
Offensively, Cincinnati ranks:
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2nd in the NL in strikeouts (145)
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11th in home runs (15)
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13th in runs (54)
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13th in OBP (.298)
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Dead last in batting average (.205)
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Dead last in slugging (.325)
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Dead last in hits (109)
This isn’t a slump. This is a structural failure.
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A Bright Spot: Sal Stewart Arrives
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If there’s one reason to tune in, it’s Sal Stewart.
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The 6’1”, 224‑pound first baseman—drafted 32nd overall in 2022—made his debut last September and has carried that momentum into 2026. After hitting .255 with 5 homers and 8 RBI in limited action last year, Stewart has opened this season hitting .309 with 4 homers and 10 RBI.
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He’s one of the few Reds hitters who looks like he belongs in a major‑league lineup.
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Where This Leaves Us
The biggest frustration for Reds fans is knowing that Elly De La Cruz — one of the most electrifying talents in baseball — almost certainly won’t re‑sign when his current contract expires. Cincinnati has a 6'6", 200‑pound, switch‑hitting, 5‑tool unicorn on its roster, and instead of surrounding him with legitimate hitters, ownership continues operating like a small‑market thrift store. Elly has already launched 65 home runs in just over three seasons with nobody protecting him in the lineup. Give him a real bat behind him — even a league‑average threat — and his production would spike immediately. The Reds should be building an offense around him; instead, they’re wasting the rarest kind of player a franchise can ever hope to develop.
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Defensively, Elly’s range at shortstop is elite, and his throws across the diamond routinely clock in the mid‑90s. Offensively, he hits jaw‑dropping home runs from both sides of the plate and steals bases with ease. His flaw is the one everyone sees: strikeouts. He has fanned 563 times in his young career, including an NL‑leading 218 in 2024, and his walk rate — one walk for every 3.14 strikeouts — remains a problem. Even if the Reds refuse to add real hitters around him, Elly can still elevate the offense by improving his plate discipline. More walks mean more stolen bases, more pressure on opposing pitchers, and more scoring opportunities for a team that desperately needs them.
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The Reds are 9–7. They have a promising young first baseman. Their pitching staff is competent. They have Elly. And yet the franchise remains stuck in the same place it has been for decades:
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irrelevant, underfunded, and directionless.
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This is what happens when ownership treats winning as optional.
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This is what happens when a once‑proud franchise becomes content with mediocrity.
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And this is why, for fans like me, the Reds have become a team we follow out of habit, history, and nostalgia—not because they give us any reason to believe.