3 Emilio Pagán replacements the Reds should prefer to Devin Williams

While Emilio Pagán might want to return to the Cincinnati Reds, it's clear that the Reds would rather play the field before committing to a reunion. With that, the club has begun sniffing around an old nemesis in Devin Williams.

Long a tormentor of Cincinnati, Williams wilted under the bright lights of Broadway, posting a 4.79 ERA in the New York Yankees' pressure cooker. While that dramatic fall from grace might have you believe he'd hit free agency with a soft market, that doesn't seem to be the case.

The general sentiment around the league is that he's due for a bounce-back, with at least 12 teams already expressing interest in the early going. The Reds are one known team, but the other two, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, that we know to be involved, aren't going to help keep the price tag low.

At that point, one has to wonder, can the Reds really get into a bidding war for a player who may or may not return to form?

3 Emilio Pagan replacements Reds should prefer to Devin Williams

Kenley Jansen, right-handed pitcher

One of the goals in replacing Pagán is getting a more consistent presence in the fold to handle ninth-inning duty. Of the available options that won't break the bank, perhaps there's none better than Kenley Jansen.

During his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jansen was arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball. Those days are long gone, but in their wake, the big righty has been a steady force.

Coming off a 2.59 ERA in 2025 with the Los Angeles Angels, Jansen will enter 2026 with 476 career saves, just two shy of Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third on the all-time list. He'll also be seeking to become just the third member of the 500 saves club, with a real chance for that to come next season.

Jansen has stood the test of many big moments through his long career. At 38 years old, he's looking at a one-year deal likely around the $10 million figure he signed for last offseason.

Luke Weaver, right-handed pitcher

Luke Weaver, starting pitcher, didn't work out so well for the Reds, but after he landed with the Yankees, the bullpen seemed to suit him. Weaver wrestled the closer role away from Clay Holmes in New York in 2024, and again swiped the ninth-inning job from Devin Williams before he himself was replaced by David Bednar at the trade deadline.

Weaver was dominant at the start of 2025, posting a 1.05 ERA in 25⅔ innings and going eight for nine in save opportunities before being sidelined with a left hamstring strain. That was the good. The bad was from his return on June 20 through the end of the season, he recorded a 5.31 ERA.

There's a chance the injury was still affecting him, and perhaps with the offseason to get healthy, he'll return to form in 2026. There isn't nearly the same amount of buzz around him in the early going of free agency, so if the Reds are going to bet on a Yankees reclamation project, Weaver is the much cheaper alternative.

Pete Fairbanks, right-handed pitcher

If Cincinnati wants to kick the tires on a premium option, then taking a look at Pete Fairbanks isn't a bad idea. The fiery closer has all the tools you want to see in a relief ace, including a high-octane fastball that sits in the upper 90s, a wipeout slider, and the kind of mean streak that can strike fear in the hearts of opponents.

It was something of a surprise that the Tampa Bay Rays declined his option. Contract projections are all over the map for him in the early going. Spotrac pegs his market value at three years, $41.3 million, while MLB Trade Rumors predicts a two-year, $18 million deal for him.

Williams is commonly projected to receive an offer in the three-year, $45 million range, and at this point, it's arguable that, for the same money, Fairbanks is the better bet. If he comes even cheaper, that's even better.