The Cincinnati Reds just agreed to arbitration salaries with several players, but they now have a more difficult agenda item ahead. They don't have a broadcast contract to televise games for next season, and that could affect how the organization builds its player roster.

The Reds are operating with a "status quo" approach for now, but that could change if the situation doesn't get resolved, per Cincinnati.com's Gordon Wittenmyer. 

"The obvious impact is on long-term planning, making it no surprise that the Reds have shied away from extension talks for core players and taking on multi-year obligations from the outside this winter," he wrote. "The five-year offer to hometown free agent Kyle Schwarber in December was a one-off – and made at least in part with an eye toward increased revenues based on the popularity and performance of the player."

"But the short-term ramifications are anything but certain, which in theory could put even the Reds' limited remaining flexibility in peril if the business side determines in the coming weeks that 2026 budget cuts are necessary," he continued.

Cincinnati is coming off a playoff season after not previously making it since 2020, but this isn't helping them stay in the NL Central mix. The Reds aren't a big-market club like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees, making them more vulnerable to revenue and budget issues. With MLB having no salary cap, they could get left in the dust competitively if they have financial issues. This would be especially discouraging given the timing, as they just started turning the team around after some dormant seasons.

MLB, FanDuel Sports Network Issues Spell Bad News

The Reds are one of nine MLB teams that previously partnered with Main Street Sports Group, the parent company of broadcaster FanDuel Sports Network. However, the company tried to renegotiate those contracts amid its bankruptcy, and all nine teams subsequently terminated their partnerships.

On the bright side, Cincinnati fans will likely still get to enjoy its regular crew of announcers like team legend Barry Larkin on the broadcast when it finds a new broadcasting home, per Wittenmyer.

"That’s not expected to change. By and large, the on-camera broadcast crew goes where the rights go," he wrote. "They’re chosen in collaboration with the team and team-approved. The current group is popular with fans, and the Reds have shown no inclination to change its makeup."

"So the on-air talent roster isn’t likely to be affected by rights-holder changes – with the exception of always-possible budget-driven decisions on the amount of content and/or number of broadcasters," he continued.

This conundrum exemplifies how the sports media landscape is changing, and how important it is for it to be stable. If a team's broadcasting situation is in shambles, that jeapordizes its TV revenue, which is one of the main profit avenues.