The Reds are choosing patience over panic and fans should be grateful for it

The Cincinnati Reds haven't made a splash of any sort this offseason. Though they re-signed Emilio Pagán, inked Columbus native Caleb Ferguson to a one-year deal, and recently acquired outfielders JJ Bleday and Dane Myers, none of those transactions have really moved the needle. Fans are wondering what Nick Krall and the Reds front office are waiting for.

According to The Athletic (subscription required), the Reds are scouring the trade market in search of help, but have dismissed the idea of trading one of their starters for a prospect-laden package. If the Reds decided to trade from their plethora of starting pitchers, they'd then have to supplement the rotation through free agency or another trade; which is something they'd prefer not to do.

In other words, it appears that most teams who inquiring about the availablilty of one of the Reds' starters are looking to offload prospects, not major leaguers. But the Reds — who are hoping to compete for a playoff spot in 2026 and are looking for big leaguers who can help them win next season — are not interested in adding prospects who might be contributors at the major-league level by the year 2029.

The Reds are focused on winning in 2026 and that's making it difficult to pull off a trade

Krall and Co. are trying to thread a very thin needle this winter. The front office has a budget — one that's the exact same as 2025 despite posting a winning record and going to the playoffs for the first time since 2013 — and trying to improve the roster without adding any money to the payroll is a difficult task.

Current estimates put the Reds' 2026 payroll at approximately $111 million, meaning they have less than $10 million in order to reshape the roster. The Reds could desperately use a cleanup hitter with the potential to hit 30-plus home runs, but those type of bats don't come cheap. Cincinnati also needs to find a way to makeup for the losses of Nick Martinez, Scott Barlow, and Brent Suter. That trio of reliever accounted for over 300 innings pitches last season.

Brady Singer is expected to be the Reds' highest-paid player in 2026 and trading him could free up nearly $12 million. But the Reds would then have a gaping hole in the middle of their rotation, and Singer was their most durable starter last season. Hunter Greene's name has been tossed about all season. While doing so would save them $8.3 million in salary, they'd also be losing their ace.

So while many Reds fans have bemoaned the team's approach to the offseason thus far, at least Cincinnati's front office isn't trading away talent just to save money and bolster the farm system. The Reds have been linked to a number of players this offseason, and the Cincinnati faithful are hopeful that at least one of these offseason rumors will turn into an actual trade.