Reds spring training warning sign should have fans paying attention

Cincinnati Reds fans breathed a sigh of relief when the team brought back Emilio Pagán this winter. The closer had crowed about the quality of Cincinnati’s bullpen for much of the 2025 season, and his return seemed to indicate that the crew would run it back in 2026. This spring, though, the bullpen has been more of a liability than a strength.

Pagán has struggled significantly. In his first three spring outings, he has given up the same number of home runs as innings pitched (3). Fireballer Luis Mey has allowed more runs than recorded outs. Graham Ashcraft has allowed eight runs on six hits, and Connor Phillips, once again, can’t find the strike zone.

Tejay Antone, coming off his third Tommy John surgery, was hitting the mid-90s with his fastball and having a solid camp until his latest outing. He allowed two runs on three hits having thrown 28 pitches over two-thirds of an inning on Monday. While it’s not quite time to push the panic button yet, it’s clear that the bullpen isn’t quite right.

Reds bullpen struggles may indicate surprising weakness

The Reds have already taken a step to address this concern. The team added Kyle Nicolas after spring training got underway. The righty, currently competing with Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, has yet to hit arbitration and could be a proven bullpen piece that the Reds lean on as prospects develop. Nicolas joins fellow former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Caleb Ferguson, one of the few bullpen options that hasn’t struggled in camp so far.

If the Reds want to add another insurance arm, there aren’t too many left on the open market. Danny Coulombe is still out there, as is Tommy Kahnle. Familiar names like Justin Wilson, Ian Gibaut, Buck Farmer, and Anthony DeSclafani are still looking for a job and could be enticed to reunite with the Reds. None of those feel like better options than the unproven, but promising, young arms already in the Cincinnati fold.

It's just spring training, and pitchers are oftentimes still working out the kinks at this stage of the game, but fans are hoping this isn't a sign of things to come. The loss of Hunter Greene will undoubtedly put more strain on the Reds bullpen; an area of the club that many expect to be improved heading into the upcoming season.