Reds' 13-year run of mediocrity makes decision to retain Nick Krall look even worse

Still trying to wrap your head around the Cincinnati Reds' decision to keep Nick Krall in the fold after a disastrous 2026 season? You're not alone. While there's some hope that a change in direction — either due to fan outrage or simply because ownership has yet to confirm Krall's assertion — the growing buzz doesn't make that feel likely.

There's only one flimsy reason to justify keeping Krall around. The looming lockout will condense the offseason to essentially the month of November, and with much to do for the Reds to legitimately contend in 2027, bringing in an entirely new regime on that compressed timeline will be difficult.

However, zoom out from just this year's disappointment, and it becomes clear that even though it would be a difficult needle to thread, Cincinnati should really embrace change at the top immediately.

Krall has been in a key decision-making role for the Reds for much of his 24 years with the organization. Over the last 13 years, the club has failed to break the 83-win threshold, and it's been 14 years since the club finished better than third place in the NL Central. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Well, break out the straightjackets because it seems that the Castellini family is prepared to do just that.

Even if we give Krall a pass for the years under Dick Williams, he has been the unquestioned top decision maker since the 2020-2021 offseason. Here's his record since then.

• 2021 - 83-79 (no playoffs)
• 2022 - 62-100 (no playoffs)
• 2023 - 82-80 (no playoffs)
• 2024 - 77-85 - (no playoffs)
• 2025 - 83-79 (swept in NLWCS)
• 2026 - 71-82 (eliminated from playoff contention; nine games remaining)
• Grand Total - 458-504 (.476 winning percentage, promptly swept in sole playoff appearance)

Even if a move now is less than ideal, the Reds cannot afford to allow Nick Krall to continue running baseball operations

There's a narrative going around being pushed by beat writers like C. Trent Rosencrans as well as national insiders like Ken Rosenthal
that the real problem isn't Krall, but ownership. Now, of course we'd like ownership to spend more, but keep in mind that for guys like these relationships are a key part of their job. Who do you think feeds them their intel?

Yes, Krall doesn't have the endless budget that executives like Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers or Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees have to work with, but he is responsible for the moves that he has made.

He chose to use the funds available to sign Mike Moustakas, for example. No one put a gun to his head to give Jeimer Candelario that doomed contract. The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't hold his family for ransom in order to get him to trade for Ke'Bryan Hayes. Krall made these decisions (and many more poor ones) of his own volition.

Just take a look at how poorly his decisions have botched this year's roster. Cincinnati has spent just $2,366,500 on the trio of Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and Chase Burns. The club's payroll is $133 million. De La Cruz, despite missing 17 games, has the third-highest fWAR in MLB and is playing like an MVP candidate. Stewart is the front-runner to win the NL Rookie of the Year. Burns is a fringe Cy Young contender. All of that, and the team is 24 games out of first place.

It's almost as if Krall could have gotten similar results by taking the remaining $130 million from this year's budget and lighting it on fire.

With these three cornerstones, the Reds should be the envy of the league. Name a team with three players under 25 who are collectively better? I'll wait. Yup, no one has this embarrassment of riches. Yet, continuing with Krall as the franchise's steward means more of the same.

At best, the Reds will be mediocre. They might squeak into the postseason. They might not. But they won't do damage, at least not until a change is made. Burns is locked up (thankfully), but De La Cruz's arbitration clock starts ticking in 2027, and he won't sign an extension. Stewart might, but he's getting more expensive by the day.

This is a window that is on the verge of closing, and for a small-market team, opportunities like this can't be squandered. That's exactly what the Reds are doing by keeping Krall around.

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