Reds Fail to Agree to Terms With Two Important Players Ahead of Thursday's Deadline

Cincinnati – After coming to terms with eight players on Thursday to avoid arbitration, including Matt McLain, the Reds have failed to agree to terms with two key players: Graham Ashcraft and Tyler Stephenson. That means they will each go to arbitration. Mark Feinsand was the first to report the news.

There hasn't been much noise about an extension with Stephenson. To hear that they cannot agree on a deal to avoid arbitration doesn't surprise me. The 29-year-old slashed .231/.316/.421 with 13 home runs. He showed significant improvement defensively and in pitch framing. This is his final year of arbitration before he becomes free agent eligible next offseason.

Ashcraft faced a role change in 2025. He was primarily a starter up to this point, and he did so admirably. He pitched in 62 games with a 3.99 ERA in 65 1/3 innings with a 1.42 WHIP. He topped his strikeout total from 2024 of 57 with 64 in fewer innings pitched out of the bullpen. He has two more seasons of arbitration before he can become a free agent after the 2028 season.

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Published 19 hours ago

RICKY LOGAN

Ricky Logan is a California native, originally from Yuba City, now living in the greater Cincinnati area with his wife and kids. He’s the co-host and producer of the Red Hot Reds Podcast on YouTube and other social platforms, where he brings commentary and passionate coverage of Cincinnati Reds baseball. He co-hosts the Chatterbox Reds Pregame Show for Chatterbox Sports on YouTube to give pregame analysis for upcoming games and has appeared on various Chatterbox Sports shows. Ricky also serves as an editor and writer for WeLikeSportzPC and recently joined the writing team at Chatterbox Sports covering Reds Minor League Baseball, continuing to grow his presence in the world of sports media.

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