The Reds roster appears to be in a holding pattern for off-field reasons. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the club is interested in players like the infielder Eugenio Suarez and foreign player Austin Hays but the club is awaiting further clarity on its broadcast status before proceeding.
Cincinnati was one of nine teams that terminated their contract with Main Street Sports earlier this month. The company has been in bankruptcy for many years and went bankrupt around 2023 and 2024, back when it was known as Diamond Sports Group. The company previously handled broadcasting under the Bally Sports moniker. After emerging from bankruptcy, they changed the company’s name and signed a new licensing agreement, so the channel was labeled FanDuel Sports Network recently.
Although the company emerged from bankruptcy, it did not escape problems. They recently missed payments to several clubs, which led to their withdrawal. The regional sports network (RSN) model has been eroded for years by cord-cutting and live streaming.
This puts other clubs at a disadvantage. The RSN model has been a good source of income in the past but it has declined. Some teams have chosen to have MLB run their broadcasts. This allows them to offer customers a direct-to-customer live streaming option without switching off, which increases viewership. However, that model often leads to income that is not only low but also not guaranteed, as it depends on how many people sign up.
A return to Diamond/Main Street is another option but that usually involves the club taking less money in rights fees than before. Going into 2025, the Reds looked at various options but finally agreed a new deal with the company in mid-January.
At the start of the current season, president of baseball Nick Krall said the Reds would probably have the same amount of money in 2026 as they had in 2025, or that was before the Main Street situation began.
Their winter is quiet, all things considered. They signed again Emilio Pagan on a two-year, $20MM deal, a small raise over the two-year, $16MM deal that just expired. They also offered one-year deals worth less than $7MM each Pierce Johnson, Caleb Ferguson, JJ Bleday again Keegan Thompsonalthough Thompson was lost to the Rockies on waivers.
Bleday’s signing is probably done Gavin Lux money that could be used, as the Reds included him in a three-way trade a few weeks later to stay Brock Burke. That deal saved Cincinnati a few million, as Lux will make $5.525MM this year compared to Burke’s $2.325MM.
RosterResource currently projects the club at $112MM in salary. Cot’s Baseball contracts put them at that number through early 2025. It seems that raising this year’s number will not happen without more clarification about the TV situation. Trading Brady Singer he will free up some space, as he will make $12.75MM this year, but remain on the roster despite trade rumors this winter.
Suárez would look the lesser of the two possibilities. He is coming off a 49-homer campaign and MLBTR pegged him for a three-year, $63MM contract at the start of the season. Since he went unsigned for so long, maybe it’s like he ends up on a two-year deal, but it will still be worth a year.
The Reds have it It’s Bryan Hayes at third base but Suárez is not a good defender and is 34 years old, so he may be inserted into the first base and designated hitter combination, where the Reds Sal Stewart again Spencer Steer. Stewart had a great start in 2025 but still has 58 big league games under his belt. Steer is coming off a couple of middle-of-the-bat seasons and may enter the outfield mix.
Hays should work harder. The Reds signed him last year to a guaranteed $5MM one-year contract. He had a solid season but his earning potential shouldn’t be much higher than it was then. He made a good addition to their outfield with his right-handed, left-handed batting TJ Friedl and Lux. He could play the same role in 2026, but Bleday switched with Lux.
That will depend on him remaining unsigned while the Reds work out their broadcasting situation. Hays also received reported interest from the Royals, Yankees, Mets and Cardinals this winter, though most of those clubs have made other outside moves since those reports came out.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
