Reds General Discussion 2026, Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KH4zEtNvRtE

Will Benson takes Trevor Bauer deep.

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Originally Posted by TRF

on the Reds website it has a preview of tonight's game. It will be telling if Benson is not in the lineup. If he's not, then the Reds are done with him IMO.

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Ah, but he is in the lineup. The twists and turns of an MLB season.

Nick Lodolo update:

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Status: Threw 31 pitches in two simulated innings in batting practice on April 17. Slated to bump up to three innings on April 21. (Last updated: April 17)

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Sal Stewart, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns are the Reds' new next wave
By Charlie Goldsmith Apr 15, 2026

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Sal Stewart, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns look like three of this team’s best players. As the Reds look to take the next step after sneaking into the playoffs last season, having these three young guys for full seasons looks like the biggest difference on this roster.

“I got to see that 2023 wave of Matt, Elly and all of those guys come up,” TJ Friedl said. “Now, it’s another wave three years later. If you turn that over every three years, it’s pretty phenomenal. It speaks volumes to our organization and what our expectations are from top-to-bottom.”

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https://charlieschalkboard.substack....wder-and-chase

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Originally Posted by Kc61

Biggest issue with Hayes is Reds haven’t surrounded him with enough good hitters. They knew when they traded for Hayes that he was challenged offensively but an excellent fielder. They could afford that if he was ninth hitter in a good lineup.

If the idea was that Hayes will hit, that was a terrible bet. He’ll improve from where he is, but the answer lies with the rest of the lineup, not so much with Hayes himself.

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How do you surround a guy with good hitters who normally hits at the bottom of the order any way?

Here’s how I grade Kralls offseason

I give him a A for the bullpen and a D for the offense. It’s not an F only because of Geno

No grade for starting pitching because it’s guys we already had, though I would have traded Lodolo in the offseason for a proven outfielder


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by LiferJim

Here’s how I grade Kralls offseason

I give him a A for the bullpen and a D for the offense. It’s not an F only because of Geno

No grade for starting pitching because it’s guys we already had, though I would have traded Lodolo in the offseason for a proven outfielder


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Once the Reds acquired Suarez, which was widely applauded, I don’t recall anyone saying the offense would stink nevertheless.

I recall nobody saying that Friedl, Marte, McLain, Stephenson, were all questionable hitters.

I’ve raised the lack of LHH, but I certainly didn’t expect Reds offense to start this poorly with or without the lefty bats.

So I can’t give Krall an F, not at all. But in any event that “grading period” is over. Now the question is to how to supplement the good middle of the order with some more bats, adding OBP to go along with the increased power.

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Originally Posted by Kc61

Once the Reds acquired Suarez, which was widely applauded, I don’t recall anyone saying the offense would stink nevertheless.

I recall nobody saying that Friedl, Marte, McLain, Stephenson, were all questionable hitters.

I’ve raised the lack of LHH, but I certainly didn’t expect Reds offense to start this poorly with or without the lefty bats.

So I can’t give Krall an F, not at all. But in any event that “grading period” is over. Now the question is to how to supplement the good middle of the order with some more bats, adding OBP to go along with the increased power.

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I thought, and still think, that Steer and Stephenson would be better than they are. I thought McLain would be a little better, but probably still below average. Marte had a lot of red flags, but I thought he'd get a better chance to do what he does well. Friedl is the big surprise for me. I still thought the line-up had too many automatic outs in it.

I also don't think anyone thought that Stewart would be a 1.000+ OPS guy, so that offsets some of the disappointment in the others.

I'm still hoping it's only because it's April, 19 games, and the offense wil heat up as the weather does.

Sal, Elly and Geno have hit 16 of the teams 21 HR and driven in 39 of the 58 RBI. So in 488 PA by Reds hitters not named Sal, Elly, or Eugenio they have hit 5 HR with 19 RBI and scored 30 runs. You would get better production batting 6 pitchers.

The Cincinnati Reds are now 10-0 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer

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Originally Posted by Ron Madden

The Cincinnati Reds are now 10-0 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer

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And they're on pace to win 100 games.

A great picture from today.

Attachment 23728

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Originally Posted by Ron Madden View Post
The Cincinnati Reds are now 10-0 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer

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Originally Posted by RiverfrontRed

And they're on pace to win 100 games.

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Last season, the Reds were 35-79 in games decided by two runs or less

Would you rather win games 2-1, 5-4 or 8-7 and 11-9?

I'll take the former, it's less chaos and more finesse, which is more sustainable in a long set of data. Additionally you can always find lower cost offense than pitching in the middle of the season