Cincinnati Reds Struck Gold With 2 Bargain Bin Offseason Signings

May 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) celebrates with left fielder JJ Bleday (22) after scoring a run during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds Struck Gold With 2 Bargain Bin Offseason Signings

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated May 26, 2026 3:11 PM ET

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The Cincinnati Reds aren't notorious for making the biggest offseason additions. In fact, they've become notorious for making some horrible signings.

They've recently handed out a lot of money to players like Jeimer Candelario, who was a huge negative for the Reds. They brought in Ke'Bryan Hayes in a trade that has aged like milk. He's set to be paid for the next few years despite being one of the least valuable players in the league.

A lot of heat has come back on president of baseball operations Nick Krall. But not every move that Krall has made has been a bad one.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently highlighted the Reds' offseason signings of JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe as a few of the best bargain bin additions of the offseason. The Reds were able to sign both players without breaking the bank, and they've been huge additions.

Nathaniel Lowe, JJ Bleday Have Been Huge Additions for the Reds

"These signings went completely unnoticed by the vast majority of fans, but each has been huge. Bleday and Lowe have become two of Cincinnati's most important position players, out of nowhere. Conforto went from a poor-hitting pariah with the Dodgers to the Cubs' best slugger," Miller wrote. "And where would the injury-riddled rotations of Toronto and Atlanta be without Corbin and Pérez? Sometimes for some teams, it's better to be lucky than rich in free agency."

Bleday is slashing .270/.377/.596 with an OPS+ of 165, which would be far and away his career high. He has seven home runs in 89 at-bats after only hitting 14 home runs in over 300 at-bats last season. He's quickly become a staple in the Reds lineup that desperately needed a spark earlier in the season.

Lowe has also been very good for the Reds. He's slashing .272/.346/.561 with eight home runs and has consistently been one of the clutchest players on the team. He was signed late in the offseason on a very affordable deal and has already paid that contract back and then some for the Reds.

To make matters even better, Bleday is under team control for an additional two seasons after this year. There's a chance he's a staple in the Reds lineup for the next two and a half years, which is exactly the spark that the Reds outfield needed.

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Reds on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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