3 Cheap Free Agents Reds Should Target In 2026

Those who are leaving (or at least set to be free agents) include Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Scott Barlow, Zack Littell, Wade Miley, Nick Martinez, Emilio Pagan, and Brent Suter. This means Cincinnati will need to focus on outfielders and pitching. 

Cedric Mullins

Although Cedric Mullins hit a bit of a slump this season, he could still be an excellent addition to next year’s squad. Especially considering the need this team has for a consistent left fielder, the upside he brings, for the price he’s worth, could be the single best signing the Reds could make. 

This season, Mullins averaged .216 at the plate with 94 hits and 17 homers. For comparison, his career average is .247, and he has 103 total homers. His WAR this season was 0.5, while his career WAR is 15.8. 

Mullins was not his usual all-star caliber self this season, and Cincinnati should take advantage. The Reds have seemingly always been a place for players to sign single-year contracts with the intent of restoring their image as competent players. 

Not only could Mullins use a year like this, but the Reds could use a player like Mullins. Despite the down year, a player of his caliber would be a great get, even if he’s not fully the player he once was. 

Mullins is coming off a contract worth $8,725,000, but should be much more approachable with the season he had. If Cincinnati can sign him, he should make next year’s team much more exciting.

Randal Grichuk

Another outfielder, Randal Grichuk, has been a name circling in Reds rumors for a couple of seasons now. There’s a reason for this, as Cincinnati needs an outfielder and Grichuk is the exact kind of player they need. 

This season, Grichuk averaged .228 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. For his career, he’s averting .251 behind the plate, and would be great at moving guys on the basepath. 

A big issue for the Reds this season was leaving runners stranded, and Grichuk’s bat would certainly help with this. Considering his last contract was worth $5 million, he should be relatively easy to lock down for at least next year. 

Brent Suter

In what would be a resigning, bringing back Brent Suter should be a no-brainer for this team. Although he wasn’t elite, he could mostly be relied on this season and was a great locker room presence. 

This season, Suter posted an ERA of 4.52 with 52 strikeouts. These aren’t exactly great stats, but considering his contract was worth $3 million, it’s about the best that can be expected.

Not only would this move address the hit to the pitching staff this team is taking, but it would be doubling down on this year’s roster. This is the first time in over five years the Reds made the postseason, and investing in the talent that got there would be a good move (at least optically). 

This is the most obvious signing here, and it should almost certainly happen. It wouldn’t fix the pitching issues, but it would help to stop them from becoming worse. 

End Of My Cincinnati Reds Rant

Cincinnati is going to be losing a good chunk of its pitchers, as well as its options for left field. The singing of Mullins, Grichuk, and/or Suter would help either or both of these issues.

None of them would be expensive, either, and should be pretty easy to get a hold of. If the Reds do decide to pursue any of these guys, fans should be excited, as they would objectively put the team in a better place.