There’s a presumption that the Cincinnati Reds are intent upon improving their offensive performance heading into the 2026 season. After all, they made a very public pursuit of Kyle Schwarber before the Ohio native signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, and it’s kind of difficult to backtrack from acknowledging how much of an impact he’d have made only to, y’know, not add anyone in his stead.
They’ve been linked (at least somewhat) to the likes of Ketel Marte and Brandon Lowe on the trade market,
both of whom have their perks. That said, there’s been a build of momentum on both the free agent and trade markets for hitters who would, in theory, be reasonable fits for this Cincinnati roster, and it’s worth tracking those a) to see if the Reds were at all involved and b) to see just how their pool of choices is dwindling as they wait.
Schwarber signed with Philly, and Pete Alonso followed him a day later by leaving the Mets to sign with the Baltimore Orioles (who now seem primed to deal from their offensive depth).
Earlier on in the offseason, the Texas Rangers and New York Mets made a financial blockbuster by swapping Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien, as the Mets decision to totally overhaul their underperforming roster of stars got going. They’ve moved on from Nimmo, Alonso, and recently Edwin Diaz (who signed with the Dodgers) while adding Semien and Jorge Polanco, who inked this week for a pair of years and $40 million total.
Polanco, in particular, is an interesting pickup for the Mets. There’s talk he’ll get some time at 1B after Alonso moved on to Baltimore, even though Polanco has never played an inning at 1B in his big league career. There’s even the potential he gets the bulk of his time at DH while Jeff McNeil gets run at 1B, moves that (when paired with the addition of Semien) seemingly upgrade the heck out of the team’s overall infield defense going forward.
The Mets don’t seen like they are done, either. They’ve got more money than god and just moved on from a lot of otherwise expensive players, and they’re one of several teams who are in on Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert on the trade front, per Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. Joining them are the likes of the San Diego Padres (who are always in the big-trade waters) and Pittsburgh Pirates (who are not, but are theoretically trying to build around Paul Skenes whilst they can). Roberts oozes talent and finished well in 2025, but several down (and injured) years before that have thrust him into quite the conundrum of a market, even though it’s one the Cincinnati Reds should be involved in regardless.
The Seattle Mariners, now sans Polanco, are interested in St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, as are the San Francisco Giants (who seemingly haven’t had a 2B who could hit since now Hall of Famer Jeff Kent). That’s per Katie Woo of The Athletic, and it’s hard not to notice that Donovan would be a pretty ideal pickup for the Reds given what Nick Krall and Co. have been prioritizing of late – high contact, low K, ‘line drive power that might play up in GABP,’ and positional versatility. Anyway, I don’t think the Cardinals will be dealing him within the division.
Speaking of the division, the Milwaukee Brewers wrapped up an interesting deal to end this week by dealing outfielder Isaac Collins and righty Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals for lefty Angel Zerpa. The Royals have been desperate to add offense to their outfield mix and do so, in theory, by adding Collins, who is fresh off finishing 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Of course, he’s also 28 years old, somewhat positionless, and fresh off a .326 BABIP despite a soft contact approach and middling speed, so maybe this is just another example of the Brewers being incredibly shrewd with their decisions.
Finally, we turn back to the Padres. They’re reportedly shopping veteran starter Nick Pivetta (and his backloaded contract) along with the likes of Ramon Laureano, Mason Miller, and a handful of others. That’s per a cadre of reporters from The Athletic, who note that while they’re not going to trade Fernando Tatis, Jr., even Jake Cronenworth could be on the block as the club looks to trim back some of its payroll outlay. While neither is Schwarber (or even in the same stratosphere), adding the likes of Cronenworth and Laureano would significantly upgrade what the Reds have going for them offensively.
