Reds lack of lefty arms should push this free agent straight to the top of their list

While the biggest question facing the Cincinnati Reds is whether the team will sufficiently upgrade the offensive firepower, Nick Krall and Co. shouldn't overlook an under-the-radar need. When thinking about the bullpen, Emilio Pagan's future with the club might be the first thing that comes to mind, but even more important is the need for a functional southpaw to get outs in the mid and late innings.

Currently, the Reds' only left-handed option in the pen is 33-year-old Sam Moll, whose disastrous 18.1 innings produced a 6.38 ERA and earned him a demotion to Louisville at the onset of September. His horror show in 2025 guarantees he'll be on the receiving end of a DFA this offseason.

That's a bad place to be, and while you'd love to have two competent lefties out there, one is an absolute necessity. That's why the Reds should take a long, hard look at Gregory Soto this winter.

Gregory Soto could be the solution to a pressing Reds need

A two-time All-Star, Soto isn't your typical soft-tossing lefty. His average fastball velocity for his career is 98.3 mph, which allows him to rack up strikeouts, posting a 10.44 K/9 in 2025 split between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets.

Soto's bread-and-butter, though, is a heavy sinker that yields solid ground ball rates and, most importantly, keeps the ball in the yard. Over the last two seasons, the 30-year-old has posted HR/9 of 0.68 in 2024 and 0.60 in 2025. That's always an important skill for a reliever, but even more so when he's pitching his home games in Great American Ball Park.

Soto would give Cincinnati a reliable presence against left-handed hitters, as he's held them to a .211 average over his career. He's not necessarily a lights-out setup man with a career 4.26 ERA, but as a seventh-inning guy who can also come in in different situations to handle a lefty slugger, you could do a lot worse.

As with everything, whether or not he fits the Reds' budget will be the ultimate question. MLB Trade Rumors predicts he'll receive a two-year $16 million contract this winter, which might be a tad rich, while Spotrac pegs his market value at two years and $14 million. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but every penny counts.

Ultimately, the Reds will have to spend to fill this glaring hole, and with a weak bullpen market overall, Soto might be the best option both from a talent and financial standpoint.