Reds can't afford to lose this bullpen weapon nobody saw coming

The expectations for Cincinnati Reds reliever Brock Burke coming into 2026 can best be explained by the other players included in the strange three-team trade that landed him in the Queen City. Gavin Lux had proven that he no longer possessed the potential that once made him a top prospect, while Josh Lowe was a tools-over-production dart throw.

Therefore, it was reasonable to expect Burke to be a non-descript middle reliever. In some ways, that's a generous assessment, as the lefty had flamed out as a starter, struggled with injuries, and then failed to live up to expectations with the Texas Rangers — breaking his hand in frustration in 2024 — before being cut loose and then gobbled up by the talent-devoid Los Angeles Angels.

Brock had shown flashes of potential with the Angels. After arriving in Los Angeles, he posted a 3.54 ERA over 20⅓ innings down the stretch of the 2024 season. He followed that up with a 2025 performance that featured a 3.36 ERA over 61⅔ innings.

Now as a member of the Reds bullpen, Burke seems to have leveled up again. The hard-throwing southpaw became Terry Francona's go-to guy out of the pen with a 2.73 ERA in 56 frames, and was spared at the trade deadline. Moreover, he's transformed from a middle-innings arm to a high-leverage demon, allowing just a .032 batting average against in high-leverage situations this season.

Brock Burke's superb 2026 performance makes retaining him a key Reds' offseason priority

Perhaps the biggest culprit for Cincinnati's struggles in 2026 has been the performance of the bullpen. The unit ranks 25th in the majors with a 4.42 ERA and has subtracted 0.3 fWAR from the Reds' cause.

Rebuilding the relief corps should be a top priority this winter if the Reds truly want to contend in 2027. There are some building blocks that will likely be around. Tejay Antone has been spectacular with a 2.25 ERA and should be garnering more NL Comeback Player of the Year buzz than he is currently.

After a rough start to 2026, Emilio Pagan has been incredible with a 1.59 ERA since returning from the IL. His early-season struggles might convince him that he's better off picking up his $10 million player option for 2027 over testing the market again.

If those pieces are in place, then bringing Burke back into the fold completes the back-end trio necessary to secure wins. Having both a left-handed and right-handed setup option for an above-average closer in Pagan would be a solid foundation on which to build a bullpen, and that's what Burke and Antone can be.

From there, the job gets significantly easier. Cincy would just need to find a couple of solid arms to handle the middle innings, and this unit could go from being an Achilles' heel to becoming a true strength. That starts with the Reds doing what's necessary to bring Burke back into the fold, and then surveying the market once the high-leverage innings are taken care of.

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