Cincinnati Reds Face Tough Questions After Disappointing Start to 2026

The 2026 season has been a disaster for the Cincinnati Reds nearly halfway through the year. After a great first month, winning 20 games before May, the team has fallen off a cliff and has the worst record in baseball since May 1. There are multiple factors for the lack of success. Bullpen regression, injuries, and players not taking developmental leaps. Is there anything the team can do to salvage a disappointing season, or is it time for a fire sale?

Is It Time To Move On From Nick Krall?

Nick Krall has been a part of the Reds organization since 2003, where he was an advanced scout. He became the assistant director of baseball operations in 2008, an assistant to the general manager in 2015, the general manager in 2018, head of baseball operations in 2020 and president of baseball operations in 2023. Krall has made some decent trades as general manager, but the longevity of those trades really haven't panned out, but it's still early in some other trades. A notable trade that was questionable at best was trading 2023 second-round pick Sammy Stafura, reliever Taylor Rogers and cash for Ke'Bryan Hayes.

His free agent signings have been flops more times than not, especially when the team is spending money. They signed Mike Moustakas to a four-year, $64 million contract. He managed to play just 184 games over three seasons, although his first season was cut short due to the shortened COVID-19 season. He recorded just 54 extra-base hits and was out of the league one season after he was released three years into his contract.

During the next free agency cycle, he signed Jeimer Candelario to a three-year, $45 million deal. He played in 134 games, slashing .207/.265/.394 with a 77 OPS+. He was released one and a half years into his contract. That totals $109 million over seven years of extremely poor production. To give credit where it's due, the Nick Castellanos signing worked in the Reds' favor. Castellanos opted out of his contract, and the Reds extended a qualifying offer that eventually turned into Sal Stewart.

It's hard enough to compete with the current state of baseball, where teams with unlimited budgets can spend as much as possible, and a team like the Reds has to be perfect in free agency, as well as keeping a solid farm system to replenish talent. Krall, as well as new general manager Brad Meador, have to be better if the team wants to succeed; unfortunately, that has not been the case. In a window with Elly De La Cruz and Chase Burns developing into superstar talents, the Reds can’t afford to keep missing on trades and in free agency at their current rate.

Coaching Staff Changes?

The Reds fired former manager David Bell after six seasons and a disappointing 2024 season, after the team showed promise in 2023, winning 82 in '23 but just 77 in '24. They talked former Guardians and Red Sox manager Terry Francona into coming out of retirement to help lead a team with a lot of promising talent, with the hopes he would guide them in the right direction. Francona's managing style is in stark contrast to Bell's. Francona is a traditionalist, while Bell was heavy into analytics. Francona is in year two of his three-year contract, so it will be highly unlikely a managerial change is coming, but there are other members of the coaching staff that can be upgraded.

Chris Valaika is the team's hitting coach and the organization's director of hitting. He left Cleveland to rejoin Francona. The team did improve year-over-year from 2024 to 2025 in average, on-base, slugging, OPS, and runs, but Valaika's approach to hitting may not mesh well with the style of hitters on the roster. Valaika has a line-drive approach with more emphasis on moving runners over and at times, small ball. Do the Reds need better talent? Sure. That falls back on what I said earlier with the front office. Making a change at hitting coach and putting a new voice in a player’s ear can make a difference and is an easier move to make.

Derek Johnson is currently on a leave of absence, but the pitching staff as a whole has regressed collectively, with the exception of Burns. The Reds are third in Major League Baseball in walks, they're in the bottom half in strikeouts, 29th in WHIP, 20th in average against, and 23rd in ERA. Johnson has done great work in being a leader in the new age of pitching development. I don't think he is the issue per se, but something needs to be addressed with the pitching staff. On May 2, the Reds walked seven straight batters, including four in a row with the bases loaded.

The Reds are currently 37-42 and have severely underperformed against division opponents. They are 35-26 against teams outside of the division but are 2-16 against teams within the division. They are fresh off of being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at home.

Something needs to change.

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