GOODYEAR, ARIZ. — Eugenio Suárez is the first guy on the field every morning on the backfields of the Cincinnati Reds’ Spring Training complex. He’s out there at 7:30 a.m. working on his defense with Reds coaches. It’s the first way that the team’s new highest-paid player is setting a tone and raising the bar.
Suárez has some unfinished business in Cincinnati. He never won a playoff game with the club, being part of teams in 2020 and 2021 that were good but came up short. “I came here to help the team win games and be the best version of the Cincinnati Reds,” Suárez says. “I want to be one of the guys who helps the young kids be better on and off the field. It’s not just physical. It’s more about mentally. You have to be strong up here, and that helps you be your best version on the field.”
The approach sums up why the team went over the budget that ownership had initially set for 2026 to bring back Suárez on a $15 million contract. Signing him was the cherry on top of a relatively aggressive offseason for the Reds, and the move sent a message to the clubhouse. “They’re pushing their chips to the middle,” says Spencer Steer. “They believe in this team and what we have here. That’s exciting when you feel like they believe in you as well. I know this locker room has always had that, and they’ve always had that. To see them go and get Geno was pretty awesome.”
Terry Francona reiterated that message during his kickoff speech to the team. He hammered home the point that “It’s time.” The Reds may be younger and may have a lower payroll than the best teams in the National League, but Francona believes the Reds have the talent to win big this year. They’re in this position because of the successful offseason that the front office put together.
It started in early December when the Reds re-signed closer Emilio Pagán. He had a strong free agent market but really wanted to return to a team that had brought out the best version of himself. The Reds’ bullpen entering the season was dangerously thin and very inexperienced. The front office felt like they needed Pagán back, and Pagán wanted to be back just as much.
Like Francona, he thinks highly of this group. “Seeing how much guys play for the guys next to them here, that’s how I fell in love with this game at a young age,” says Pagán. “Do we have our superstars? For sure. Elly, Hunter, those guys are always going to be our best players. Seeing how they care for the guy next to them and want the best for the guy next to them, that means a lot. Playing with them is a lot of fun, and hopefully I can stay here for a while.”
The Reds spent the next month of the offseason solidifying their middle relief core. Last year, when the Reds were playing their worst baseball, their lack of depth in the bullpen was a glaring weakness. Rookies were being thrown into the fire with mixed results. Cincinnati invested more heavily than the team had in six years as they brought in proven pieces in Pierce Johnson, Brock Burke and Caleb Ferguson.
They’re the types of relievers who make Francona’s job easier. Having two lefties, Burke and Ferguson, allows the manager to play the matchups in a way he couldn’t last season. Johnson, one of the more dependable middle relievers in all of baseball, can get outs in just about any situation and will keep the Reds in a lot of games.
Francona says these guys will help the Reds win games because “the more reliable guys you have, the better. That way you don’t overwork guys or underwork guys. You give yourself a chance to win when you’re down one or two. When you have a select group of guys, you pay the price when you chase and don’t win.”
While the moves that the Reds made next didn’t make many headlines, they gave the team far and away the best depth it’s had in years. A group of players who have shown that they can be solid big leaguers with upside—Dane Myers, JJ Bleday, Michael Toglia, and Nathaniel Lowe—are competing for roster spots.
This year, the Reds have the most competitive battle for the final spots on the roster that they’ve had in years. “They’re good names,” says Francona. “They’re legit. Sometimes you bring guys in to fill out the roster in spring training. There are names there of guys who can help us. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.”
The offseason centerpiece was Suárez, who fills the glaring lack of power the Reds were missing in the middle of their lineup. He hit 49 homers last year and immediately becomes the best slugger on the roster. He should also take a lot of pressure off of Elly De La Cruz, who isn’t the only All-Star hitter in the lineup any more.
Suárez also immediately steps in as a leader on a team that’s pushing for more. “When I think of him, I think of all of the good things I’ve heard about him as a person,” says Steer. “His ability to mesh well with the clubhouse, that’s what you hear about a guy like that. I’m excited to get to know the guy and have him around on a daily basis. The things you can learn from him and the questions you can ask him, those are the things that I think of. Then, obviously, you have a guy who can hit 50 homers.”
The end result of the offseason is a Reds team with good depth, reliable veterans, and enough star power to contend for the NL Central title. Now let’s see how the pieces come together here during Spring Training.
Charlie Goldsmith has covered the Reds and Bengals since 2020, and his newsletter on the teams can be found at charlieschalkboard.substack.com.
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