3 Reds trade targets who could fix the bullpen before it ruins everything

The Cincinnati Reds' bullpen has gone from the league's best to the league's worst in a span of about three weeks. The Reds' relief corps was a surprising strength of the the club at the beginning of the 2026 campaign, but has quickly become the most unreliable unit in all of Major League Baseball.

Emilio Pagán in on the injured list, Tony Santillan's velocity is down, Connor Phillips can't find the strike zone, and the Reds' best reliever is a player who's coming off his third Tommy John surgery. No disrespect to Tejay Antone, but in a year in which the Reds are hoping to make a run at the NL Central division title, he can't be the team's best arm coming out of the bullpen.

Something's got to give, and Reds' President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall should be on the horn right now trying to find a couple of capable relievers to help bolster the club's bullpen heading into the summer. Are there any viable relievers teams might be willing to part with at this stage of the season?

Reds should target ground ball specialists Bryan King and Anthony Bender

The Houston Astros, much like the Reds, have fallen woefully short of expectations through the first several weeks of the season. While Houston may not be ready to throw in the towel on the 2026 campaign, perhaps they could be persuaded to part ways with left-handed reliever Bryan King.

King's fastball doesn't have much zip — 91.7 mph average velocity — but he induces a lot of weak contact. The Reds' coaching staff has gravitated toward pitchers like that in recent years, and the Astros' left-hander could help bring a different look to the normal high-velocity set of hurlers Cincinnati sends out.

Miami Marlins' reliever Anthony Bender should also be on Krall's short list. Both Bender and King are ground ball pitchers, but the Marlins' righty brings more heat than the Astros' southpaw. Bender has been striking out over 25% of the batters he's faced this season and owns a respectable 3.57 ERA.

Nats' reliever Brad Lord could help fix Reds' biggest problem

The Reds relief corps is walking batters at a ridiculous 14.9% clip. That's the worst in the major leagues by a mile, and Cincinnati needs to add a reliever or two who knows how to command the strike zone. Washington Nationals' right-hander Brad Lord could be the answer to one of the Reds' biggest problems, and could be available if the price is right.

Lord, 26, has a five-pitch mix, but relies primary on a fastball-sinker-slider trio. Much like the aforementioned Bryan King and Anthony Bender, the Nats' righty does a tremendous job of keeping the ball on the ground. Moreover, Lord has a 4.8% walk rate this season, something that would bring a welcome change to the erratic nature of the Reds' bullpen.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow