Reds' 2025 bullpen could look very familiar, and that's not necessarily a bad thing

Some of the excitement of the offseason involves daydreaming about which new players will don your team’s colors when Opening Day arrives next year. Who’s going to be the big acquisition that helps write the team’s destiny? The Cincinati Reds, though, could hit the “replay” button where their bullpen is concerned, which could be to the team’s benefit.

Cincinnati has already locked in native son Brent Suter to a team-friendly deal. The lanky lefty provided solid late-game relief despite missing some of July and all of August with a partial muscle tear in his shoulder. Suter’s return from that injury provides hope for a fruitful 2025: he posted a 1.26 ERA over nine appearances in September and went at least three innings three times.

The Reds’ bullpen may look pretty familiar next year, which could be good news

Suter has the distinction of being a true multi-inning reliever. In appearances when he completed two innings or more in 2024, he had a 1.57 ERA. He had an ERA of 4.99 in appearances of less than two innings. His flexibility and willingness to appear as an opener or in long-relief roles will help the Reds manage the innings of some of their young arms.

Emilio Pagán will also be back next season after he picked up his player option this past week. Like Suter, he missed significant time due to injury, but unlike Suter, he struggled to find his footing when healthy. 

Despite his 4.50 ERA in 2024, Pagán could fulfill some of the Reds’ expectations in 2025. He’s a control artist with high chase and whiff rates, and he walked just 11 of the 158 batters he faced. If he can figure out how to limit hard contact — his hard-hit rate has now exceeded 50% — he may be able to contribute productively to the Reds’ bullpen.

One piece that has yet to fall into place, but would greatly improve the ‘pen, is Buck Farmer. He enjoyed a career year with the Reds in 2024, posting a 3.04 ERA and 1.7 bWAR. He also proved to be a stopper, leaving 81.5% of runners on base. Farmer may be a bit difficult for the Reds to re-sign, though, given his market value is estimated to be $6.4 million. He was on a $2.25 million deal in 2024. Instead, the Reds could explore other free-agent relief options.

The bullpen was a strong point in the Reds’ 2024 season. The group finished in the top 10 in the majors in fWAR, K/9, and BB/9. The return of key pieces such as Suter, Pagán, and perhaps even Farmer could set Cincinnati up for another strong year of relief.

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