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Nationals Hire Simon Mathews As Pitching Coach

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The Nationals announced that they have hired Simon Mathews as their new pitching coach. He had previously been an assistant pitching coach with the Reds. Russell Dorsey and Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports reported the news prior to the club announcement.

“Simon brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and a wide range of experience to our staff,” said manager Blake Butera in the team’s press release. “He is grounded, has great perspective on pitching and connects incredibly well with players at all levels. He is widely respected throughout the game and the type of coach that makes everyone around him better. Simon is a tireless worker and is uniquely equipped to help our pitchers reach their full potential.”

Mathews, 30, was a pitcher but stalled out in the minors. He pitched in the Angels’ system for three years in his early 20s but never made it to the show. He then worked for companies like Push Performance and Driveline Baseball before getting hired by Cincinnati in 2021. He worked various jobs throughout the minors for the Reds before getting bumped to the big league staff in January of 2025.

This hiring continues the trend of the Nationals going very young in overhauling their franchise. Their ongoing rebuild appeared to stall out, prompting big changes. In July, president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were both fired. Rizzo was 64 years old at the time and Martinez 60. It was reported last month that pitching coach Jim Hickey, 64 years old, would probably not be returning to the club next year.

The Nats hired Paul Toboni to replace Rizzo, Butera to place Martinez and now Mathews to replace Hickey. Toboni is 35 years old. Butera is 33.  Matthews is 30. Younger doesn’t necessarily mean better but it is perhaps a symbol of the Nats feeling they fell behind the times and need to shake off the cobwebs. Mathews will be taking over a club with a lot of young pitchers who had some prospect hype but haven’t fully delivered yet, including Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli and others.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

Francona: Not Expecting A Hunter Greene Trade

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Manager Terry Francona is the latest member of Cincinnati’s organization to downplay the possibility of trading starting pitching. Francona said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that he wasn’t anticipating a Hunter Greene trade. “I don’t think those things are gonna (happen)…pitching is too hard for us to acquire through free agency…we gotta keep Hunter on the mound,” Francona said in a clip relayed by Chatterbox Sports.

President of baseball operations Nick Krall offered a similar sentiment last month, downplaying the idea that the Reds would move players on the pitching side. Led by Greene, Cincinnati’s starters ranked sixth in the National League in ERA and third in strikeouts. Only the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Braves got more innings from their starting pitchers.

Greene battled a groin injury multiple times last season, but he was dominant when healthy. He set career-best marks in xFIP (3.27) and SIERA (3.06) while throwing harder than ever before. Greene’s heater averaged 99.5 mph in 2025, a 1.9 mph jump from 2024. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, Greene ranked fourth in swinging-strike rate and sixth in K-BB%.

The most notable development for Greene last season was how often he was in the strike zone. He posted a strong 68.6% strike rate and a career-low 6.2% walk rate. Greene had never recorded a season with a strike rate above 65% or a walk rate below 9%. The improved command helped him maintain a lower pitch count and work deeper into games. He notched quality starts in 11 of 19 outings. Greene had 13 quality starts in 2024, but it took him 26 appearances to get there.

If the Reds were to put Greene on the market, he would certainly fetch a handsome return. The 27-year-old signed a six-year, $53MM extension in 2023. The deal includes a $21MM team option for 2029. Greene’s annual salary will rise in each of the next three seasons, but it’ll still be plenty affordable in the final year of the deal, even if the Reds (or another club) decline the team option.

Cincinnati has a stable of controllable starters beyond Greene. Andrew Abbott and Chase Burns have yet to reach arbitration. Nick Lodolo won’t hit free agency until 2028. Youngsters Rhett Lowder and Julian Aguiar only have a year of MLB service time apiece. Brady Singer is the only mainstay nearing free agency, as he’s in his final year of arbitration. The Reds can keep the majority of this group together for the foreseeable future if they want to.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images.

Giants Claim Reiver Sanmartin, Justin Dean

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The Giants have claimed reliever Reiver Sanmartin and outfielder Justin Dean off waivers from the Reds and Dodgers, respectively. They opened a 40-man roster spot by designating righty Mason Black for assignment. The moves were relayed by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Sanmartin, 29, has pitched parts of four MLB campaigns with Cincinnati. He has only made one big league appearance over the past two seasons, tossing 1 2/3 frames while allowing an unearned run against the Blue Jays on September 2. The Colombian-born southpaw otherwise pitched the entire season with Cincinnati’s top farm team in Louisville. He had a strong year, working 67 1/3 innings of 2.67 ERA ball behind a 58.7% ground-ball rate.

Dean is a speed and defense center fielder who just won a World Series with Los Angeles. He got into 18 regular season games and made 13 more appearances in the postseason. They only let him bat twice — he went 0-2 with a strikeout — but clearly valued him as a depth piece. The 28-year-old Dean (29 next month) has a full slate of minor league options and is coming off a .289/.378/.431 showing with 27 steals in Triple-A.

The moves probably spell the end of Black’s time in San Francisco. He’s a former third-round pick who was viewed as one of the organization’s more talented pitching prospects when he was called up in 2024. Black struggled to a 6.44 ERA across 36 1/3 innings during his debut season. He only pitched once in the big leagues this year, instead struggling to a 5.81 earned run average over 30 appearances (24 starts) in Triple-A.

Black will be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. There’s a decent chance another team takes a flier. He turns 26 next month and still has a minor league option. Black sits around 93 MPH as a starter but could be a speculative relief target. He has posted middling Triple-A numbers in consecutive seasons but fanned nearly a third of opposing hitters in Double-A back in 2023.

Reds Claim Roddery Muñoz

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves today. Right-hander Sam Benschoter has been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. Right-hander Jose Franco has been selected to the roster. Right-hander Roddery Muñoz has been claimed off waivers from the Cardinals. The Reds also lost left-hander Reiver Sanmartin to the Giants via a waiver claim, which you can read more about here.

Muñoz, 26 in April, has a limited big league track record. He has thrown 93 2/3 innings between the Marlins and Cardinals with a 6.73 earned run average, 19.5% strikeout rate, 11.9% walk rate and 32.9% ground ball rate.

He has largely been a starter in his career. The Cards converted him to a relief role this year, mostly in the minors, with intriguing results. He tossed 57 2/3 innings over 38 Triple-A appearances with a 3.28 ERA. His 12.1% walk rate was high but he punched out 30.8% of batters faced and ot grounders on 47.8% of balls in play.

He is out of options, which presumably led the Cardinals to bump him off their roster. The Reds are intrigued enough that they have grabbed him off waivers. Perhaps he can hold a roster spot through the winter and compete for a bullpen job in Cincinnati next year. It’s also possible the Reds try to pass him through waivers later in the winter.

Franco, 25 in November, was an international signing out of Venezuela back in 2018. He has climbed the minor league ladder, also with some control issues. He tossed 110 innings in 2025, split between Double-A and Triple-A, with a 3.11 ERA. His 11.5% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 25.2% of batters faced. Back in May, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Franco the #24 prospect in the system, predicting a future in the bullpen.

Whatever his future is, the Reds want it to be in Cincinnati. Adding him to the 40-man roster today prevents him from becoming a minor league free agent. He has a full slate of options and can be kept in Triple-A until he earns a role with the big league squad.

Benschoter, 28 in March, was added to the club’s roster on July 1st. Starter Chase Burns had only lasted a third of inning on the prior day, meaning the bullpen had to cover almost the entire game. With the relief corps gassed, Benschoter was one of a couple of fresh arms who were brought up for extra coverage.

However, he was optioned to the minors a few days later without getting into a big league game. He was recalled in August but again didn’t pitch before being optioned, so he is therefore still looking to make his major league debut. He tossed 78 2/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 4.12 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 49.1% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Joe Puetz, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Reds Decline Options On Brent Suter, Scott Barlow, Austin Hays

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The Reds announced that they have turned down three contract options. Outfielder Austin Hays had a $12MM mutual option on his deal but the club has declined that in favor of giving him a $1MM buyout. Right-hander Scott Barlow receives a $1MM buyout instead of a $6.5MM club option. Left-hander Brent Suter gets a $250K buyout instead of a $3MM club option. All three players are now free agents.

None of the three decisions is a shock, though there did seem to be a chance of Suter being brought back. His earned run average jumped up to 4.52 this year and he’s now 36 years old but the price isn’t egregious. He also has a strong clubhouse reputation and local ties as a guy who played high school ball in Cincinnati.

It seems that wasn’t enough for the Reds to overlook the numbers. As mentioned, his age and ERA both crept up this year. He is still doing a good job limiting hard contact, so he should still be in line for a gig somewhere. Perhaps the Reds will circle back to him and try to bring him back at a lower price point.

Barlow, 33 in December, signed with the Reds last offseason. The one-year deal came with a $2.5MM guarantee in the form of a $1.5MM salary plus the aforementioned option buyout. His 4.21 ERA this year was fairly close to last year’s 4.25 but with concerning trends under the hood. His strikeout rate dropped from 28.2% last year to 24.8% this year, his walk rate climbed from 12.9% to 14.9% and his grounder rate dropped from 47.1% to 42.9%.

Though the ERA held fairly steady, given the direction of the other numbers, it’s understandable that the Reds didn’t want to give him a relatively hefty raise. The Reds aren’t a big spender and will have about the same payroll next year, so they are keeping some powder dry for now.

As for Hays, his option always seemed destined to be bought out. It’s been over a decade since a mutual option was triggered by both sides. They are usually added to contracts as a way for the team to delay paying part of the guarantee. The Reds signed Hays last winter to a one-year, $5MM deal, with a $4MM salary and then the $1MM buyout on the $12MM mutual option.

He had a decent season, slashing .266/.315/.453 for a 105 wRC+, but that wasn’t going to be enough for the Reds to double his salary. He’ll head out to the open market to look for his next opportunity. That will likely come from a club in need of help against southpaws. Hays swings right-handed and has been better against lefty pitchers in his career. That includes a .319/.400/.549 line and 155 wRC+ in 2025.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images

Krall: Reds’ 2026 Payroll Will Be “Around The Same” As 2025 Levels

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The Reds enter the offseason likely to seek bullpen help and multiple upgrades within the lineup, but they won’t have an especially lofty budget for achieving those goals. President of baseball operations Nick Krall said Tuesday that 2026’s budget “will be around the same as our payroll from 2025” (link via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic).

Cincinnati opened the 2025 season with a roughly $112MM payroll and finished around $116MM, per Cot’s Contracts. RosterResource pegs their end-of-season number a bit higher, at about $119MM.

Regardless, running back the same payroll gives the Reds a bit of spending power but not all that much. They’re currently projected for a payroll around $91MM, per RosterResource. That’s before option decisions on relievers Scott Barlow and Brent Suter. Barlow’s $6.5MM option seems likely to be bought out. Suter is a bit more of a borderline call at $3MM but could still be cut loose (or re-signed to a restructured deal with lighter immediate payroll implications, as was the case for the Cincinnati native this time last year).

The 2025 Reds nabbed the final NL Wild Card spot and saw an attendance increase of about 147,000 over their 2024 levels. However, the 2025 payroll was up about $20MM over the prior season, so much of the increased attendance revenue was offset by a more expensive on-field product. Reds ownership has never trotted out an Opening Day payroll north of roughly $127MM — though their prorated $55.5MM Opening Day payroll in 2020 indicates they’d have set a new franchise-high were it not for that year’s shortened schedule.

Cincinnati currently has just three players signed to guaranteed contracts for the 2026 season. Ace Hunter Greene will earn $8MM, while third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is owed $7MM and catcher Jose Trevino is owed $5.25MM. Assuming the options on Barlow, Suter and outfielder Austin Hays (a $12MM mutual option) are bought out, their only other financial commitments will be in arbitration. The Reds already outrighted infielder Santiago Espinal and reliever Ian Gibaut, sparing themselves a projected $4.6MM in salary between the two of them.

The Reds still have 12 arbitration-eligible players even after that pair of outrights (effectively non-tenders), but the only players projected to earn more than $5MM are right-hander Brady Singer ($11.9MM) and catcher Tyler Stephenson ($6.4MM). Any of Gavin Lux ($5MM), Sam Moll ($1.2MM) or Will Benson ($1.7MM) could be non-tendered or traded to buy a little extra breathing room. Speculatively, the pitching-rich Reds could swap out Singer for a comparably priced veteran bat to plug into their outfield (e.g. Taylor Ward).

Krall has downplayed the possibility of trading a starter, but the quintet of Greene, Singer, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and top prospect Chase Burns is strong as it is, and well-regarded young arms like Chase Petty and Rhett Lowder loom as rotation possibilities as well.

Adding to the bullpen also figures to be on Krall’s to-do list. Closer Emilio Pagan is a free agent. Holdovers Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and Connor Phillips all showed well in 2025 (Phillips in a fairly small 25-inning sample), while young flamethrowers Luis Mey and Zach Maxwell provide some upside. Still, there’s not much end-of-the-game certainty among the group, making a few reasonably priced bullpen pickups seem likely.

Depending on further non-tenders and some potential trades, it seems the Reds probably have room for one big-ticket item. A major bat like Pete Alonso or Cincinnati native Kyle Schwarber would be highly out of character, but there’s probably enough payroll flexibility to make that type of splash if the other moves are minimally priced. The likelier outcome would be a handful of more measured, mid-range additions to the roster, likely with a bit of wiggle room left for in-season maneuverings like we saw with this summer’s acquisitions of Zack Littell and Miguel Andujar.

Reds Sign Keegan Thompson

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The Reds announced that they have signed Keegan Thompson to a one-year contract.  It is a Major League deal for the 30-year-old right-hander, and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer specifies the contract is a split deal that will pay Thompson $1.3MM for his time in the majors.  Another $100K in incentive bonuses is also available in the contract.

A career Cub since being drafted by Chicago in the third round of the 2017 draft, Thompson will now head elsewhere in the NL Central.  Thompson was a pretty decent reliever and even an occasional starter for the Cubs during the 2021-24 seasons, at least in terms of bottom line numbers.  The righty posted a 3.64 ERA over his 227 1/3 career innings in the majors, and his 3.94 SIERA wasn’t much higher.  Thompson had a respectable 23% strikeout rate but control was a bigger issue, as he had an 11.3% walk rate.

The Cubs seemed to fall out of favor with Thompson in the spring, as he was designated for assignment and then outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster.  The result was a 2025 season spent entirely in the minors, as Chicago didn’t select Thompson’s contract back to the active roster even when the team was hunting for bullpen reinforcements.  Thompson’s 4.50 ERA over 64 innings at Triple-A Iowa didn’t really help his case for a promotion, but he had a strong 29.5% strikeout rate and his walk rate was a more manageable 8.9%.

Thompson selected minor league free agency at season’s end.  He is out of minor league options, so that means the Reds will have to DFA and outright Thompson when and if they bring him to the active roster and then want to send him to the minors.  Now that Thompson has been outrighted, he has the right to elect free agency if he is ever outrighted again, though he would have to forfeit any guaranteed salary in that circumstance.

There’s not much risk for the Reds in bringing in Thompson as a low-cost depth option to at least check out during spring camp.  The split contract also gives the team a bit more flexibility in moving Thompson to the minors at least on the financial side, apart from the out-of-options hurdle.  Thompson is also arbitration-controlled through the 2027 season.

Reds Bench Coach Brad Mills Retires

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The Reds announced a handful of changes to Terry Francona’s staff. Most notably, bench coach Brad Mills has retired. Mills was one of two bench coaches this year, so the Reds could stick with Freddie Benavides (who also has the title of field coordinator) without making an outside hire.

Cincinnati has made three additions to the staff. Mike Napoli gets the title of assistant bench coach after spending this past season in a nebulous “staff assistant” role. The Reds have also promoted Willie Harris to third base coach and hired Bill Haselman as their catching coach.

Mills, 68, has enjoyed a longtime relationship with Francona. He worked on Francona’s staffs in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland going back to the 1990s. He spent most of that time as the bench coach. Mills got a two-plus year managerial run of his own with the Astros between 2010-12, though a rebuilding Houston team won only 38.4% of their games over his tenure. He had not been on an MLB staff for a few seasons before returning last offseason when Francona came out of retirement to take over in Cincinnati.

Harris spent this past season managing Cincinnati’s Low-A affiliate in Daytona. He’s back on a major league staff in the same position he held with the Cubs between 2020-24. Cincinnati’s previous third base coach, JR House, left to take the same position with the Diamondbacks last month. Haselman is a former MLB catcher whose coaching career began with Francona’s Red Sox in the mid-2000s. He has ample minor league managerial experience and was most recently on a big league staff with the Angels in 2023.

Rays Acquire Ryan Vilade From Reds

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The Rays are acquiring outfielder Ryan Vilade from the Reds, according to a team announcement. Tampa is sending cash considerations to Cincinnati in exchange for Vilade’s services.

Vilade, 27 in February, joins the Rays following a season where he split time between the Cardinals and Reds organizations. He signed a minor league deal with St. Louis all the way back in December, and began the year in the minor leagues. Vilade hit well enough to get called up to the big league roster in late May, though he appeared in just seven games before being designated for assignment by the Cards in the middle of June. He was plucked off waivers by the Reds shortly thereafter, though they optioned him to Triple-A and he spent the majority of the rest of the season with the club’s Louisville affiliate and made just one appearance in Cincinnati.

Overall, Vilade went just 1-for-13 with two walks and five strikeouts in his taste of big league action this year. That more or less tracks with his limited cameos as a member of the Tigers and Rockies over the years, and he’ll join the Rays with a career .141/.200/.188 slash line across 71 plate appearances in the big leagues. His Triple-A numbers do suggest there might be more to Vilade than meets the eye, however. Between Louisville and the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, Vilade slashed a robust .290/.378/.511 in 113 games this year. He hit 29 doubles, 4 triples, and 17 homers in that time with 11 steals in 13 attempts, and struck out just 19.3% of the time. It’s an impressive profile, though on some level that’s to be expected of a 27-year-old outfielder hitting at Triple-A.

Even so, a small market team like the Rays could certainly benefit from taking a flier on Vilade. Tampa is in clear need of outfield help after a disappointing 2025 season where they had the fifth-worst outfield in baseball by wRC+ with a figure of just 85. That’s 15% worse than league average, and if the Rays don’t have the budget to make adding a big bat to the outfield a priority this winter, then it’s possible they could simply look to take fliers on players like Vilade who have succeeded in the minors but not yet gotten significant run in the big leagues. That sort of player isn’t quite as valuable for the Reds, who have Gavin Lux, TJ Friedl, Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer, and Will Benson as potential outfield contributors on the roster with both Friedl and Marte as likely average or better regulars next year.

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