The Unsigned $10 Million Dollar Solution for the Cincinnati Reds' Offense

The Cincinnati Reds have a big decision on their hands after shut down trade rumors regarding ace Hunter Greene. 

What's next? 

Cincinnati is coming off of an uplifting season, as they challenged the eventual World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wildcard round, but got swept in two games. 

Led by superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz on offense and Hunter Greene on the mound, Cincinnati has built a solid core. However, they lack that impact player that could contribute alongside either De La Cruz or Greene. 

Their 83-79 record in 2025 proved that they are good enough to compete, but still lack star power. Should they spend money on a free agent, or instead they look into the trade market?

Why not do both?

The 2026 free agent class still has a bunch of stars available on both sides of the diamond, like Framber Valdez and Eugenio Suarez. 

We all know that Cincinnati isn't necessarily comfortable with spending the big bucks, as their $112 million dollar payroll is 11th lowest in the league. But what if they found a way to add an impact player without breaking the bank? 

Luis Arraez has been an extremely quiet name this offseason period. His ability to make contact with the ball is impressive, but his lack of versatility seems to concern other clubs. 

Luckily for Cincinnati, I believe Arraez would be the perfect fit alongside De La Cruz. 

One of Elly's biggest flaws is his struggle with making consistent contact, as he was in the 9th percentile in whiff% and 20th percentile in K%. 

Here's where Arraez comes in.

In 2025, Arraez was in the 100th percentile for whiff percentage and strikeout percentage. Arraez had a league lowest 3.1% strikeout rate in 2025. 

I believe that Arraez's strengths would help balance out De La Cruz's weaknesses, creating a more dangerous and put together lineup. Cincinnati could bring Arraez in on something as low as a prove it deal with how his market currently looks. 

This would be an absolute bargain for Cincinnati if they could sign him to a deal less than $10 million dollars. 

The club would have minimal obligations to Arraez, as he would be set to hit free agency the following offseason. 

I believe a lineup headlined by the duo of De La Cruz and Arraez would elevate the production of others, driving this team to heights that haven't seen in a while. 

Cincinnati is still a young and unproven squad, but if they play their cards right, they could be right back in NL Central contention this upcoming season.