Cincinnati Reds Facing Tough Question Ahead of 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

The Cincinnati Reds have been carried by their offense and a few pitchers over the last few weeks. Besides Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott, the pitching staff has struggled, but with players like Elly De La Cruz, JJ Bleday, Spencer Steer, and Sal Stewart on offense, the Reds' lineup has been able to keep them in games.

But it's unclear how long this could last for the Reds.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly recently discussed the Reds' offense and suggested they could see some regression ahead of the trade deadline. As a result, the Reds might need to add to their offense if they want to compete for a postseason spot this year.

Reds Still Need To Add To Their Offense

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain — May 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) and second baseman Matt McLain (9) celebrate win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

"While regression is usually used in a negative sense, positive regression is also a thing. And trying to project regression to the mean is one of the hardest parts of being an MLB executive," Kelly wrote. "On one hand, Eugenio Suárez is probably going to start hitting homers. On the other hand, it's hard to think that JJ Bleday is going to finish the year with a .953 OPS, or that Nathaniel Lowe will have a 141 OPS+ when the season ends. So it's difficult to get a picture for what the Reds really have offensively around Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart.

"What we do know is that Terry Francona's crew needs to get more offensive production at both second and third base. Will Matt McLain ever resemble the star player he looked to be in his 2023 rookie season? Can the Reds continue to punt on offensive production at third base if Ke'Bryan Hayes plays world-class defense? These are key questions facing president of baseball operations Nick Krall."

It's tough to imagine that Bleday will continue to post an OPS close to 1.000, but he's looked much better than in previous years. On the other hand, Eugenio Suárez hasn't gotten going yet, so he should see some improvement to the mean over the next few weeks.

Either way, the Reds might need to find one more outfielder to help produce runs. Aside from that, they need to add one infielder to help bolster the lineup that has employed Ke'Bryan Hayes all season.

There are still a few months before the deadline, so the Reds have plenty of time to see if their hottest hitters will regress. If Bleday and company continue to crush the ball, the Reds might not need to add to the offense at all.

Add us as a preferred source on Google