Barry Larkin Delivers a Blunt Message About the Reds That Fans Have Every Right to Agree With

After the Reds fell to the Cubs 9-1 on Sunday, Barry Larkin said what plenty of Cincinnati Reds fans have been thinking for a long time.

Things have to change.

As another disappointing season winds down, Larkin delivered a blunt message about where the Reds stand compared to the teams heading to the postseason. He didn’t leave much room for interpretation.

“I think these last three weeks of baseball playing against some of the better teams that are going to be going to the postseason really illustrates how far we are behind at this big league level," Larkin said on the broadcast. "And change has to happen. This city deserves better than that, and I know every player down there feels that. But something has to give. We have to get better because we are so, so far behind.”

Larkin is Spot On

Sep 20, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) hits a single in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He’s right.

The Reds have now missed the postseason in 26 of the last 31 seasons. They haven’t won a postseason game since 2012. They haven’t won a postseason series since 1995.

That is far too much losing for a fan base that continues to show up and care about this team.

Every year, there seems to be another reason to wait. Wait for the young players to develop. Wait for the injured players to return. Wait for next season.

At some point, there have to be results.

Have to Win With Elly De La Cruz

Sep 20, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) hits a single in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Reds have a generational talent in Elly De La Cruz, and they have made the postseason just once since he arrived in the big leagues. Having a player like that should create urgency throughout the organization to put a winning team around him.

Those seasons are opportunities. Once they’re gone, the Reds don’t get them back.

Meanwhile, Nick Krall is rumored to be returning despite the Reds making the postseason just once under his tenure. If that is the direction ownership chooses, fans have every right to ask what will actually be different.

What about the results suggests this organization should keep doing things the same way?

The responsibility goes beyond one person. Ownership has to provide the resources to win. The front office has to make better decisions with those resources. The coaching staff and players have to deliver on the field.

But the people responsible for building this team cannot keep asking for patience without giving fans a reason to believe the outcome will change.

Empty Promises

Reds owner Bob Castellini applauds during a Reds Hall of Fame induction ceremony before the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, April 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Castellinis promised to build the Reds into a winning organization when they took over in 2006. Two decades later, they still haven’t delivered sustained success. Instead, they seem content to hover around .500 rather than commit to a rebuild, even if staying in the middle hurts the organization in the long run.

Larkin’s comments get to the heart of the frustration. The Reds are still looking at the better teams in baseball and seeing how much ground they have to make up.

After all this time, that isn’t good enough.

Cincinnati deserves better. Reds fans deserve better.

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