The Cincinnati Reds won just 75 games last season. Heading into the offseason, they've got needs all over the field. With Emilio Pagan opting out of his $10 million player option, they'll need a closer. They need to decide if they're content with Matt McLain and Ke'Bryan Hayes in the infield. Tyler Stephenson is a free agent, so they'll likely need a starting catcher, unless they think Jose Trevino could be their starter. They'll need more starting pitching depth with Hunter Greene out for the season and Brady Singer set to become a free agent. They need more offensive pop in the outfield.

With all of that being said, the roster needs a lot of work.

MLB.com's Mike Petriello recently ranked all 30 Major League Baseball rosters heading into the offseason, and the Cincinnati Reds found themselves near the very bottom of the list.

He ranked them 29th. The only team behind them was the Colorado Rockies.

"The trio of shortstop Elly De La Cruz (25 next season), starter Chase Burns (24) and first baseman Sal Stewart (23) is a youthful, talented group that’s the envy of almost any other team in baseball," Petriello wrote. "De La Cruz, in particular, made The Leap to being a true superstar. The problem is everything else. Cincinnati had the weakest-hitting outfield in baseball, and no pitching staff walked more batters. And to add injury to insult, ace Hunter Greene is likely to miss all of 2027. Three young stars is a great place to start, but there's so much work to do elsewhere."

Petriello is spot on. There is a lot of work to do.

Terry Francona is Impressed with New Pitching Coach Joe Torres

The Reds hired pitching coach Joe Torres last week. Torres previously worked with Reds manager Terry Francona in Cleveland.

Francona appeared on the Reds Hot Stove last week and spoke in high regard of Torres.

"What really impressed me was the growth I felt as we were interviewing him, listening to the comfort level of him talking about how he would like to run things," Francona told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "You could really see the growth. And that really pleased me because I liked him already. So, much like Carl, he's a calming influence. He has a delivery. He understands analytics. He understands using his eyes, and he understands using a pitching team. I just think he's going to be phenomenal."

Heading into 2026, pitching was supposed to be the strength of the organization. That absolutely did not end up being the case and they'll need to find a way to turn the corner in 2027.