The Cincinnati Reds need a big 2026 from Matt McClain.
The Cincinnati Reds have not had the offseason many fans hoped they would. After showing interest in hometown slugger Kyle Schwarber in MLB free agency, the Reds seemed to be positioning themselves as spenders this winter. Instead, the team missed out on Schwarber, and has done very little to reallocate the money they offered him.
If they remain unable to make any meaningful additions in free agency, Cincinnati will become even more reliant on internal progression in 2026. No player fits this category better than infielder Matt McLain.
Bursting onto the scene in 2023, McLain posted a 127 OPS+ in his rookie season. He missed all of the 2024 campaign due to left shoulder surgery, and returned in 2025 much less productive than his first campaign. With an OPS+ of just 74, McLain was well below league average last season. It was this drop-off in production that had many Reds fans clamoring for a middle-of-the-order addition this winter, incase McLain never returns to his 2023 form.
Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert has been floated as a potential Reds option, but that momentum seems to have cooled in recent weeks. For now, the Reds remain confident that McLain can bounce back.
"I think it's probably the first time he's ever struggled, anywhere, and to do it at the Major League level is probably a hard place to learn," Reds manager Terry Francona said (via MLB.com). "But he's a very competitive kid."
The veteran manager added, "In my opinion, he's probably our best baserunner," Francona said. "I don't mean fastest, but I mean he always knows where the ball is. He runs the bases like a veteran. He plays second base, he knows where the ball is supposed to go. The ball jumps off his bat way more than you would think when you look at his stature. I think that shoulder -- you talk to guys that have had that, and they've kind of said the same thing. Like, 'I played, but it wasn't the same.'"
To a lesser degree, the Reds also saw star shortstop Elly De La Cruz take a step back in 2025. While he was still an All-Star, his numbers were mostly down across the board from the year prior. If both he and McLain can regain their peak form in 2026, the Reds failing to make a big offseason splash will hurt less. But if that doesn't happen, many will point back to this winter as where things went wrong for Cincinnati.