This is my 13th season covering the Cincinnati Reds for Cincinnati Magazine, and I want to tell you something from the beginning: In that span, I don’t remember being this excited about a season. I say that knowing full well what it sounds like. I’ve written some variation of “This could be the year” more times than I’d care to admit, and my long-suffering readers will be forgiven if you have learned to hold my March optimism at arm’s length. Fair enough.
But hear me out. Last October, for the first time in a decade, the Reds played postseason baseball. It lasted only about 48 hours, but it actually happened! The Dodgers, quite possibly the best team assembled in recent memory, swept the ol’ Redlegs in two games, and Cincinnati fans turned their attention to football with the familiar hollow feeling of a season ending before anyone was ready. No fun. (Not that the Bengals were any more fun.)
But here’s what manager Tito Francona told his players afterward: Remember how it felt to pop that champagne when we made the playoffs. And remember how it felt four days later when you were sent home before you wanted to go.
That combination just may be the engine driving the 2026 Reds. These guys got the taste of something good, and you’d like to hope they’re now hungry for more. No, I can’t quantify it with stats on a spreadsheet, but it’s a big reason why, for the first time in a while, this team just feels like it has a legitimate shot at making some real October noise.
One reason I’m particularly optimistic: Rece Hinds and JJ Bleday couldn’t make the Opening Day roster. Over the last decade, both of those guys might’ve been penciled into the starting lineup before pitchers and catchers even reported. This year, there simply weren’t enough at-bats to go around. Terry Francona’s exact words about Hinds: “He couldn’t have done more.” That’s a problem you want to have.
So who’s taking all those at-bats? Let’s start with Eugenio Suárez, who is back in Cincinnati where he belongs after hitting 49 home runs last year and leading Venezuela to a World Baseball Classic championship just last week. Geno is one of the most popular players of my lifetime, and the decision to bring him back was one of the few times this ownership group has done something that genuinely thrilled the fan base. (Enjoy that feeling. These moments are rare.) This team sorely lacked a power bat last year. Suarez helps in that regard, but he isn’t alone.
The other major offensive development is Sal Stewart, who had brief but promising stretches with the club last year and now gets a full season. The kid hits the ball hard, plays the game with infectious energy, and already appears to be one of the most popular players in the clubhouse. His ceiling feels extremely high.
Then there’s Matt McLain, who had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, suffering through a prolonged slump that left us wondering if something had broken. (It had, actually. Shoulder surgery rarely allows a hitter to rediscover his power in just one year.) This spring, McLain has led all of baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. I rarely pay any attention to Spring Training stats, and I probably shouldn’t here, but the adjustments McLain has made are encouraging: better pitch selection, taking the ball the other way. He’ll hit second for the Reds on Opening Day. If he’s healthy and the progress sticks, he’s one of the most impactful players in this lineup.
And then there’s Noelvi Marte. I’ve been cautiously optimistic about him for a couple of years now, and his 2025 had more than a few frustrating passages. But he’s just 24 years old, plays right field now, and has shown what a fully-engaged version of him looks like. Can we expect roughly a 25-homer pace with the athleticism to cover the outfield? I think so. Again, I don’t want to look too deeply into spring performances, but it seemed like Marte finally turned a corner in recent weeks. He may be the most intriguing player on the team.
Oh yeah, and there’s this other guy named Elly De La Cruz. I’ve already predicted he’ll finish in the top three in National League MVP voting this year. He’s the straw that stirs Cincinnati’s drink.
Now, let’s look at the rotation. The Reds’ pitching staff remains the team’s greatest strength, despite losing ace Hunter Greene to bone spur surgery (he’s expected back in July). And then there’s the fact that Nick Lodolo opens on the injured list with a blister issue that has plagued him throughout his career. That’s exasperating, yes, but he should be back soon and, if he can stay healthy, he’s one of the better left-handers in the league.
There’s a strong crew behind those two, however. Andrew Abbott, an All-Star last year, starts today on Opening Day. Brady Singer and the returning Brandon Williamson, healthy for the first time since 2023 and throwing harder than he ever has, are among a credible group backing him up. The real excitement, though, is Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder—two young power arms with massive upside.
If one or both of them takes a step forward in 2026, this rotation will be as formidable as any in the National League. Burns struck out the first five hitters he faced in his big-league debut last June and has electric stuff. Lowder had a 1.17 ERA in his six starts in 2024 before injuries swallowed his 2025. If you’re looking for a reason to believe in this team’s ceiling, start there.
Now, about that ceiling. I’d be letting you down, Devoted Reader, if I didn’t mention the outfield situation, which management once again declined to address in any significant way over the winter. The lineup has real power from Suárez and Stewart, but the outfield still carries question marks. I love TJ Friedl, but the lineup is heavy on right-handed contact and fairly light on pure on-base threats in the outfield. In a league where the Dodgers spend $300-plus million on payroll, it’s a fair question whether this front office has truly committed to competing or is simply hoping youth and Tito do the work.
Speaking of the manager: I know, I know. He made some maddening decisions last year. The Lodolo usage in the playoffs. Hanging with Santiago Espinal at second for a month. I have my own list of head-scratchers. But Francona also took a deeply flawed roster, one that looked dead in the water three separate times in September, and steered it into October. His track record of doing more with less is not an accident. This is Year 2 with a manager who seems to have the full trust of his players and who’s getting better at understanding this specific group. I want to believe that matters.
Today is Opening Day, and Andrew Abbott is pitching. Yes, I’m optimistic. Not because I’m gullible—I’ve watched too much Cincinnati sports to qualify as gullible. I’m optimistic because the ingredients are there: pitching, depth, a real manager, and finally a lineup that might be hungry enough to do something no one on this roster has ever done in their lifetimes as Reds.
Chad Dotson helms Reds coverage at Cincinnati Magazine and is co-author of “The Big 50: The Men and Moments That Made the Cincinnati Reds.” His newsletter about Cincinnati sports can be found at chaddotson.com.
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