Andrew Abbott revealed the one thing that could define the Reds’ success in 2026

Left-handed starter Andrew Abbott appeared on the Reds Hot Stove League show this week and shared some of his thoughts on the team's success this past season. The program's host Jim Day asked Abbott what it would take for the Cincinnati Reds to make the jump from an 83-win ball club to 90-plus wins and an NL Central Division crown in 2026. His answer will undoubtedly have Reds fans nodding in agreement.

"You know, in my opinion, I think we've just got to handle the teams that are below us or teams that are beatable by, you know, standards in the leagues. You know, in the American and National," Abbott said. "I think last year, we beat the teams we were honestly either underdogs with or about 50-50 with, and it felt like we didn't beat anybody that was beneath us."

And all of Reds Country said, amen! The Reds looked like juggernauts against several teams that had much better rosters, but when it came to beating the teams that were hovering at or below .500, Cincinnati struggled to secure victories.

Andrew Abbott revealed the Reds’ key to success in 2026

When you look at the Reds' win-loss record against some of the best teams in baseball last season, Cincinnati was able to go toe-to-toe with most of them. The Reds were 8-5 against the Chicago Cubs, 4-2 against the New York Mets, and 4-2 against the San Diego Padres. Cincinnati's combined win-loss record against all other National League playoff teams was 21-26. The Reds' 1-5 record against the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly subtracts from the rest of their success against winning teams.

But it was the Reds' struggles against beatable teams that was their Achilles heel in 2025. Cincinnati went 2-5 against an injury-riddled Atlanta Braves club, 3-4 against a rebuilding Miami Marlins' squad, 6-7 against a St. Louis Cardinals team that gave on the season before it even began, and 2-4 against the last-place Washington Nationals. That's a combined 13-20 against teams with losing records, and doesn't even include the slim Reds' 7-6 edge over the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates.

Abbott is correct. If the Reds truly want to compete for a division title next season and host a home playoff series at Great American Ball Park, they're going to have to defeat the teams who are beneath them talent-wise. The Reds played up to the superior opponents in 2025, but played down to the inferior ones. That can't happen in 2026 if Cincinnati hopes to make it back to the postseason.