Reds' Gold Glove exclusion gives their defensive focus a new goal for 2027

The 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove award nominees were revealed on Wednesday afternoon, and there was not a single member of the Cincinnati Reds among them. This is certainly a precarious spot to be in, especially considering Terry Francona's emphasis on playing sound defense.

Since Francona's arrival in 2025, he's stressed playing "clean baseball." The Reds' 89 errors were the 12th most in the majors this past season, and were two more than the team committed in 2025. Fielding percentage is seen an archaic stat in the minds of some fans and pundits, but 20 teams finished ahead of the Reds (.985 FLD%) in that category.

If you prefer the advanced metrics, Cincinnati ranked 16th in outs above average with just 2 OAA and placed 27th in defensive runs saved with -31 DRS. The Reds added 1 OAA following last year's 16th-place finish, but dropped 33 points in defensive runs saved after registering 2 DRS in 2025.

Ke'Bryan Hayes missed more than a month due to injury, and was so bad in the batter's box, that he became little more than a late-inning defensive replacement during the second half of the season. Despite these obstacles, Hayes still recorded 8 DRS and 5 OAA while committing five errors.

Interestingly enough, however, Cincinnati's second-best defender was arguably TJ Friedl, whom the club designated for assignment before the end of the season. Friedl was worth 4 DRS and 5 OAA, and didn't commit a single error all season. But like Hayes, Friedl's lack of offensive production resulted in a reduced role during the second-half, and eventually ended in his removal from the 40-man roster.

Spencer Steer had a solid, though unspectacular defensive performance in 2026 (1 DRS and 1 OAA). But a wrist injury at the end of July, and an insistence to play him all over the diamond, eliminated any chance of Steer being named a Gold Glove finalist for the second year in a row.

How will the Reds improve their defense in 2027?

In short, the Reds were a bad defensive team in 2026. And, if you've been paying attention during this year's playoffs, you know how important an above-average defense can be. The top-5 teams in terms of DRS all made the postseason this year, and six of the top-10 teams — with respect to OAA —punched their ticket to the playoffs.

The Reds are retaining the majority of their coaching staff, meaning that Francona will still be relying on Freddie Benavides, Collin Cowgill, Mike Napoli, and Bill Haselman to offer instruction to the roster next season.

The Reds roster is not devoid of Gold Glove-caliber players. Hayes and Steer were finalist last season, and the trio of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, and Carlos Jorge can provide above-average defense. But as fans saw in 2026, you've got to be able to make a difference in the batter's box if you hope to make a difference with your glove. That won't be a problem for De La Cruz or Steer, but McLain, Hayes, and Jorge have the makings of part-time players.

Reds' president Nick Krall and GM Brad Meador not only need to find capable bats during the offseason, but any player they sign or trade for needs to provide the club with more than a mediocre glove as well.

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