Bleacher Report just asked the question every Reds fan wants answered this offseason

It's way-too-early prediction season, as we await the flurry of action the hot stove is sure to provide, and Cincinnati Reds fans won't be happy with one outlet's forecast for the 2026 season.

Bleacher Report's prediction for the 2026 National League Central standings look like a disappointment, with the Reds finishing in third place at 85-77 and missing out on the playoffs. In that, they raise an important question: Will Cincinnati bring in a legitimate bat to build off of 2025's progress?

The Reds will have to address the lineup somehow, but the quality of the bat they bring in will greatly determine if their real 2026 outlook is as Bleacher Report predicts, more or less stagnant, or if this young team is ready to take the next step forward.

The Reds will need to answer the question of how much punch they're going to add to the lineup this winter

Adding a bat is not really in question. While the Reds only have two pending free agents on the offensive side of the ball, Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar, the club will need to backfill both of those contributors while adding to an offense that finished 21st in home runs (167) and slugging (.391).

The question will be how much of an upgrade they bring in. One could conceivably see them falling into the trap of believing that all they must do is supplement the budding core, hoping that increased consistency from Elly De La Cruz, a leap from Noelvi Marte, and a full season of Sal Stewart will be enough to propel the group forward with only a small boost from the outside.

That would certainly fit the budget, but ultimately would fall short. As far as positional fit, Cincinnati finds itself in a bit of a bind. The outfield will have an open spot in either left field or center, depending on where it determines the best place to deploy TJ Friedl to be, while the infield already seems crowded with five players vying for playing time at four positions.

But positional fit should be secondary to offensive impact. Just because the Reds have players playing certain positions currently, that doesn't mean they can't be upgraded. Case in point is Ke'Bryan Hayes, whose defense is stellar, but his bat is a disaster. He's a luxury on a team with surplus firepower, but on the Reds, he already feels like a tragic mistake.

At the same time, the Reds won't be shopping at the top of the market. Kyle Schwarber, for example, is a pipe dream. Therefore, it makes sense to look at some options that fit the Reds' budget, both in free agency and on the trade market, whether or not they play immediate positions of need.

A pair of Los Angeles Angels outfielders, Taylor Ward and Joe Adell, would make a ton of sense, though they bring different value propositions. Despite his .228 average and 36 homers in 2025, Ward, 31, is the more balanced hitter. In his final year of team control, he'd be more of a rental.

Adell has long been a Statcast darling, but it wasn't until this year that the former No. 3 prospect in all of baseball put together those tools into power production. His 37 dingers and a .249 ISO would look real nice in the middle of the Reds' lineup, but with that comes a lot of whiffs (26.4% K-rate) and not a lot of walks (5.8% BB-rate). At just 26, and with two years of team control, he could be a piece that could grow alongside the core.

Other potential fits would be free agents Josh Naylor, former Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, and Trent Grisham. The first two would require some shuffling, while Grisham could slide nicely into Cincinnati's outfield. On the trade market, another name to watch is Luis Robert Jr., who has the potential to be the best of the bunch, but has struggled with injuries and performance, while his contract poses a significant hurdle.

At the end of the day, if the Reds find themselves dipping into the bargain bin, then Bleacher Report's prediction will likely come true. But if they are bold enough to shop at the upper end of the second-tier free agents and/or swing a big trade, they could get the transformative bat that will make 2025 look like a stepping stone rather than just an odd blip on the radar.