Keegan Thompson’s comments explain why the Reds moved so quickly to sign him

Surprisingly, the first Major League free agent signing of the 2025-26 offseason belongs to the Cincinnati Reds. Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Reds after spending all of last season in the minor leagues.

It's unknown exactly how the Reds are planning to use Thompson in 2026. “I don’t know if they want me to be a leverage guy, a long reliever, a one-inning guy or a multiple inning role guy,” Thompson told Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith. “If I’m a multiple inning guy, that (approach) will help me out a lot. (Pitching multiple innings) has been one of the better things I’ve had success at in my career, throwing multiple innings."

Thompson's comments reveal exactly why Cincinnati was so quick to scoop the former Cubs' hurler. Thompson has been asked to juggle a lot throughout his professional career, and with so many talented arms slated to leave the Reds' organization and enter free agency this offseason, Cincinnati might need Thompson to take on a jack-of-all-trades role in 2026.

The Reds signed Keegan Thompson to eat innings in 2026

Starter Nick Martinez and Zack Littell are both expected to be pitching elsewhere next season. The Reds inked Martinez to a one-year, $21 million deal last offseason, and he filled in as both a starter and reliever in 2026. Littell came over from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, and helped solidify the Reds' rotation over the second-half of the season.

Furthermore, Cincinnati is expected to lose Emilio Pagán — though some fans are holding out hope for a possible return — and both Scott Barlow and Brent Suter could exit too. If you compile the number of frames all five hurlers tossed in 2025, it comes out to more than 420 innings. That's not something that's easily replaced, and getting a versatile arm like Thompson into the fold quickly shows a level of urgency on the part of Nick Krall and the Reds front office.

While Cincinnati hopes to see increased production from the likes of Chase Burns, Connor Phillips, Luis Mey, and Zach Maxwell, none of those players are known commodities at this stage of their careers. The Reds will also be relying on the healthy returns of Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar, Carson Spiers, and Rhett Lowder next season.

Thompson provides depth for a Reds pitching staff that certainly needs it heading into next season, and Krall will need to swing more of these types deals in the coming days and weeks. This signing isn't going to break the internet, but it's the type of move Cincinnati must execute in order to make up for their impending losses this winter.