Reds could learn a valuable lesson from the Cardinals' quick turnaround

Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini reportedly asked team president Nick Krall during a meeting earlier this season, "Why aren't we the Brewers?" According to the report, Krall proceeded to pull out a laundry list of vetoed trades, suggesting that Castellini hasn't allowed the Reds front office to operate independent of the team's ownership.

With the Milwaukee Brewers having reached the World Series this year, Castellini's question is certainly worth asking — even if the response isn't what he wanted to hear. But it's the same question every small market owner across the sport is going to ask their GM this offseason, especially now that the Tampa Bay Rays have joined Milwaukee in the Fall Classic.

Building a competitive team requires resources from the ownership, but it ultimately comes down to the decision makers in the front office. While most Reds fans doubt (and justifiably so) Krall's ability to construct a winning roster, Cincinnati's ownership has no plans to move on from him at this time.

In other words, Reds fans will have to learn how to make do with the best of a bad situation, and the bad situation might have to get worse before it get better. Why? Because in order for the Reds to compete with the best teams in their division, it's going to require the franchise to undergo yet another rebuild; something the St. Louis Cardinals began in 2025.

The Brewers have usurped the Cardinals as the class of the National League Central division. Over the last 10 seasons, the Brewers have won six division titles to the Cardinals two. Milwaukee has been to the postseason eight times in the last nine years, while St. Louis has missed out October baseball the past four seasons. The last time the Cardinals advanced in the playoffs was in 2019.

The Cardinals saw the writing on the wall last winter and began to tear things down. It started small. After 2024, St. Louis simply allowed some of their veteran free agents to leave. Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde left, and the Cards declined the team-options for Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. St. Louis used the 2025 season as a year of internal evaluation.

But this past winter, newly installed president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom began the makeover. The Cardinals traded former Reds' starter Sonny Gray, four-time All-Star Willson Contreras, multi-time Gold Glove award-winner Nolan Arenado, and jack-of-all-trades Brendan Donovan. Bloom also flipped JoJo Romero, Lars Nootbar, and Dustin May at this year's trade deadline.

But now, the Cardinals are well positioned to make some key signings and/ or trades this offseason, and may be able to at least compete for a Wild Card spot in 2027.

The Reds need a new strategy if they hope to compete in the NL Central

This is the model the Reds should use this coming offseason. Cincinnati can simply allow their free agents to-be (Tyler Stephenson, Brady Singer, Eugenio Suárez, and Brock Burke) to find a new team this winter, sign some low-cost arms to supplement the rotation and the bullpen, and allow the young players in the organization like Héctor Rodríguez, Rhett Lowder, and Carlos Jorge, to prove themselves.

If teams come calling for Elly De La Cruz, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Spencer Steer, and others during the offseason or at the trade dealine, the Reds would be wise to at listen. But the more prudent approach would be to fully evalaute every player who's under team control beyond 2028, and make the necessary trades and roster moves next winter. (The Reds might even have a new GM after 2027.)

Fans don't like the word rebuild. But the Reds have missed their window to compete with the likes of De La Cruz, Lodolo, and Hunter Greene. Now, the team needs to focus on how to make the most of their next window with Chase Burns, Sal Stewart, Alfredo Duno, and others leading the way.

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