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Wondering just how good the Cincinnati Reds are this year with the re-acquisition of Eugenio Suárez, a full season of Sal Stewart and the renewed health and vigor of Elly De La Cruz?
Wonder how Hunter Greene will be after having those bone chips removed a few weeks ago? How much of a load the Reds reputed starting pitching depth will have to carry – and whether it’s up to the task?
Just where does this team fit competitively across the roster and across the league?
If you’ve got questions like that, we’ve got answers. All of them. Just ask us.
Enquirer columnist Jason Williams and Reds writers Gordon Wittenmyer and Pat Brennan tell you right here, right now, how it’s all going to play out this season for manager Terry Francona’s high-expectations Reds.
Their Bold Predictions for the 2026 season:
How many wins for the Reds this season, and where does it land them in the National League Central?
Brennan: 85 wins, third place. Cubs and Brewers are still the class of the division and will go to the postseason. And the Phillies edge out the Reds for the final wild-card spot despite the Reds winning more games than last year.
Williams: 87 wins, second place in NL Central behind the Chicago Cubs. Another year of incremental growth for the young core nets the Reds four more wins in 2026.
Wittenmyer: Call me Homer. But the Reds stay healthy enough for their depth to play, and their frontline players shine in a 91-win season that wins the NL Central by a game. Get ready for a home playoff win that most of these guys are too young to have seen a Reds team pull off in their lifetimes. Doh!
It’s been 31 years since the Reds last won a playoff series, longest drought in American major league sports. Does the streak end this year?
Brennan: Can’t win a playoff series if you don’t get in (see above). The beat-down goes on.
Williams: Yes, the Reds will get a wild-card bid again, and somehow, they’ll avoid having to face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the opening series.
Wittenmyer: Are your eyeballs painted on? What’d I just say? They not only win a home playoff game, they also win a playoff series for the first time since Barry Larkin’s MVP season.
When does ace Hunter Greene make his next start for the Reds after undergoing elbow surgery for bone chips March 11?
Brennan: Right on time in mid-July. He’ll be motivated to silence his critics. In fact, he said he wants to try to come back early. So make it Monday, June 28, for that Milwaukee series opener.
Williams: April 2027.
Wittenmyer: Damn, J-Dub. Don’t expect smooth sailing on that 14- to 16-week timeline. So, forget about July. But he’ll be ready to give the club a boost when he returns on Aug. 17 – just in time to open a four-game home series against the Cardinals and to kick off the toughest six-week stretch of the season.
The Reds haven’t had a player hit 30 home runs since the last time Eugenio Suárez played for them in 2021. With him back in the fold, how many Reds will hit 30 this year?
Brennan: Two. Geno’s protection as the cleanup hitter behind Elly De La Cruz means Elly breaks through with his first 30-homer season, and Sal Stewart with a big 24-homer rookie season protects Geno enough that the cleanup man hits his typical 38.
Williams: One. Suarez will have a big season in his return to Great American Ball Park, and he’ll hit 40 homers this season.
Wittenmyer: I’m starting to feel queasy. Maybe I drank too much Kool-Aid. But let’s make it three – Elly, Geno and Sal combine for 100. All of them get to 30.
Elly De La Cruz led the National League in steals in 2024, but playing through a quad injury much of the second half last year limited him to 37, and he went from June 24 through Sept. 18 with just one home run. How many steals and home runs for the two-time All-Star this year?
Brennan: You’re looking at baseball’s next 30-50 man. Like I already said, he’ll get 30 home runs. And with that quad healthy and stronger, he’ll get 52 steals.
Williams: In Terry Francona’s system, De La Cruz is never going to steal 67 bases like he did in 2024. However, with his leg feeling better, EDLC will steal 47 bases and hit a career-high 28 home runs.
Wittenmyer: 30-50, PB? You’re selling him short. I’ve got 30-60 vision and MVP votes coming in Elly’s third full season in the majors. Specifically 32 homers, 64 steals.
How many All-Stars selections for the Reds this year after earning two each of the past two years? And who makes it?
Brennan: Same old, same old two. Elly De La Cruz will have the numbers and the flash. And he always has the support. So he’s in. And after Emilio Pagán forced his way into the All-Star conversation before falling short in the voting last year, the closer makes it this time
Williams: The Reds will land three players on the All-Star team this season. Elly is a lock to make his third straight All-Star game. He’ll be joined in Philadelphia by Suarez and pitcher Nick Lodolo.
Wittenmyer: The Reds are going to have five or six guys worthy of the conversation, but with all the usual suspects from the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets and Cubs taking up All-Star spots, the numbers are going to work against them. You guys are right about Elly. But you’re sleeping on this year’s breakout Red, second baseman Matt McLain. He gets in. And Lodolo makes it as an injury replacement. There’s your three.
The Reds won their first Gold Glove in a full season since 2017 last year – sort of – when third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes won his second after playing the final 52 games with the Reds following a trade-deadline deal with the Pirates. How many do they win this year?
Brennan: Two. Let’s give Hayes some Gold love for what he did in Cincinnati. He was tremendous after the trade. And he wins it again this year. And don’t forget about McLain’s glove, GDub. Dude’s going to his right again with authority after getting back to full strength from that shoulder injury, and he beats Nico Hoerner for this year’s hardware at second.
Williams: One. Hayes will win it again, but no one else is good enough at their position to contend for a Gold Glove.
Wittenmyer: Maybe the Kool-Aid’s starting to wear off, but they’re not gonna win any. The team fielding will be better than it’s been in maybe a decade or more. But individually, they’ll fall short of the big award.
How many games will Noelvi Marte start in right field?
Brennan: Noelvi Marte didn’t play a game in the outfield in his life until last June in New York. He’s still a work in progress, and he looked fraught most of the spring out there. With win now pressure, he doesn’t get out of May with the regular job: 65 starts (including platoon/backup work after May).
Williams: Right field has been unsettled in recent seasons, and the Reds would love to turn the position over to Marte. But he’s still a developing outfielder after moving to right last season. Look for him to start 110 games in right.
Wittenmyer: Marte’s bat is gonna be a big part of the lower half of this lineup, especially if he keeps getting better against left-handers after loading up on at-bats against them in the spring. That’ll keep the pressure on to have him in the lineup, and he’ll do just well enough defensively once the season starts to stick. In other words, 140 starts with plenty of late-inning time on the bench for defensive replacements when the Reds have the lead.
Who finishes with the best ERA among Reds starting pitchers (minimum 15 starts)?
Brennan: Mr. Opening Day starter, Andrew Abbott, of course. Might not be anybody on the staff who knows how to pitch better than this guy, which is why he always gets the most out of his stuff.
Williams: Nick Lodolo. This is a guy the Reds once projected as a potential ace, and he seems ready to take another step after he made 28 starts and had a career-best 3.33 ERA last season.
Wittenmyer: Lodolo’s on tap for a breakout year, but his 3.45 ERA won’t beat Rhett Lowder’s 3.19.
Brady Singer last year became the first Reds pitcher with 30 starts or more since they had two pitchers do it in 2021. How many on the staff reach that mark this year?
Brennan: One. My guy Abbott, of course.
Williams: Three – Singer, Lodolo and Abbott. Lodolo is trending toward becoming a reliable guy after injuries plagued him his first three seasons. Abbott is a workhorse who was one game shy of making 30 starts last season.
Wittenmyer: Nobody. Singer, Lodolo and Abbott will all fall just short. Greene won’t get to 10. And Williamson, Burns and Lowder will combine for 60. But bet on this: The group will have more playoff starts than any Reds rotation in 31 years.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elly De La Cruz HR total and other Cincinnati Reds 2026 Bold Predictions
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Wonder how Hunter Greene will be after having those bone chips removed a few weeks ago? How much of a load the Reds reputed starting pitching depth will have to carry – and whether it’s up to the task?
Just where does this team fit competitively across the roster and across the league?
If you’ve got questions like that, we’ve got answers. All of them. Just ask us.
Enquirer columnist Jason Williams and Reds writers Gordon Wittenmyer and Pat Brennan tell you right here, right now, how it’s all going to play out this season for manager Terry Francona’s high-expectations Reds.
Their Bold Predictions for the 2026 season:
How many wins for the Reds this season, and where does it land them in the National League Central?
Brennan: 85 wins, third place. Cubs and Brewers are still the class of the division and will go to the postseason. And the Phillies edge out the Reds for the final wild-card spot despite the Reds winning more games than last year.
Williams: 87 wins, second place in NL Central behind the Chicago Cubs. Another year of incremental growth for the young core nets the Reds four more wins in 2026.
Wittenmyer: Call me Homer. But the Reds stay healthy enough for their depth to play, and their frontline players shine in a 91-win season that wins the NL Central by a game. Get ready for a home playoff win that most of these guys are too young to have seen a Reds team pull off in their lifetimes. Doh!
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It’s been 31 years since the Reds last won a playoff series, longest drought in American major league sports. Does the streak end this year?
Brennan: Can’t win a playoff series if you don’t get in (see above). The beat-down goes on.
Williams: Yes, the Reds will get a wild-card bid again, and somehow, they’ll avoid having to face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the opening series.
Wittenmyer: Are your eyeballs painted on? What’d I just say? They not only win a home playoff game, they also win a playoff series for the first time since Barry Larkin’s MVP season.
When does ace Hunter Greene make his next start for the Reds after undergoing elbow surgery for bone chips March 11?
Brennan: Right on time in mid-July. He’ll be motivated to silence his critics. In fact, he said he wants to try to come back early. So make it Monday, June 28, for that Milwaukee series opener.
Williams: April 2027.
Wittenmyer: Damn, J-Dub. Don’t expect smooth sailing on that 14- to 16-week timeline. So, forget about July. But he’ll be ready to give the club a boost when he returns on Aug. 17 – just in time to open a four-game home series against the Cardinals and to kick off the toughest six-week stretch of the season.
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The Reds haven’t had a player hit 30 home runs since the last time Eugenio Suárez played for them in 2021. With him back in the fold, how many Reds will hit 30 this year?
Brennan: Two. Geno’s protection as the cleanup hitter behind Elly De La Cruz means Elly breaks through with his first 30-homer season, and Sal Stewart with a big 24-homer rookie season protects Geno enough that the cleanup man hits his typical 38.
Williams: One. Suarez will have a big season in his return to Great American Ball Park, and he’ll hit 40 homers this season.
Wittenmyer: I’m starting to feel queasy. Maybe I drank too much Kool-Aid. But let’s make it three – Elly, Geno and Sal combine for 100. All of them get to 30.
Elly De La Cruz led the National League in steals in 2024, but playing through a quad injury much of the second half last year limited him to 37, and he went from June 24 through Sept. 18 with just one home run. How many steals and home runs for the two-time All-Star this year?
Brennan: You’re looking at baseball’s next 30-50 man. Like I already said, he’ll get 30 home runs. And with that quad healthy and stronger, he’ll get 52 steals.
Williams: In Terry Francona’s system, De La Cruz is never going to steal 67 bases like he did in 2024. However, with his leg feeling better, EDLC will steal 47 bases and hit a career-high 28 home runs.
Wittenmyer: 30-50, PB? You’re selling him short. I’ve got 30-60 vision and MVP votes coming in Elly’s third full season in the majors. Specifically 32 homers, 64 steals.
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How many All-Stars selections for the Reds this year after earning two each of the past two years? And who makes it?
Brennan: Same old, same old two. Elly De La Cruz will have the numbers and the flash. And he always has the support. So he’s in. And after Emilio Pagán forced his way into the All-Star conversation before falling short in the voting last year, the closer makes it this time
Williams: The Reds will land three players on the All-Star team this season. Elly is a lock to make his third straight All-Star game. He’ll be joined in Philadelphia by Suarez and pitcher Nick Lodolo.
Wittenmyer: The Reds are going to have five or six guys worthy of the conversation, but with all the usual suspects from the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets and Cubs taking up All-Star spots, the numbers are going to work against them. You guys are right about Elly. But you’re sleeping on this year’s breakout Red, second baseman Matt McLain. He gets in. And Lodolo makes it as an injury replacement. There’s your three.
The Reds won their first Gold Glove in a full season since 2017 last year – sort of – when third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes won his second after playing the final 52 games with the Reds following a trade-deadline deal with the Pirates. How many do they win this year?
Brennan: Two. Let’s give Hayes some Gold love for what he did in Cincinnati. He was tremendous after the trade. And he wins it again this year. And don’t forget about McLain’s glove, GDub. Dude’s going to his right again with authority after getting back to full strength from that shoulder injury, and he beats Nico Hoerner for this year’s hardware at second.
Williams: One. Hayes will win it again, but no one else is good enough at their position to contend for a Gold Glove.
Wittenmyer: Maybe the Kool-Aid’s starting to wear off, but they’re not gonna win any. The team fielding will be better than it’s been in maybe a decade or more. But individually, they’ll fall short of the big award.
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How many games will Noelvi Marte start in right field?
Brennan: Noelvi Marte didn’t play a game in the outfield in his life until last June in New York. He’s still a work in progress, and he looked fraught most of the spring out there. With win now pressure, he doesn’t get out of May with the regular job: 65 starts (including platoon/backup work after May).
Williams: Right field has been unsettled in recent seasons, and the Reds would love to turn the position over to Marte. But he’s still a developing outfielder after moving to right last season. Look for him to start 110 games in right.
Wittenmyer: Marte’s bat is gonna be a big part of the lower half of this lineup, especially if he keeps getting better against left-handers after loading up on at-bats against them in the spring. That’ll keep the pressure on to have him in the lineup, and he’ll do just well enough defensively once the season starts to stick. In other words, 140 starts with plenty of late-inning time on the bench for defensive replacements when the Reds have the lead.
Who finishes with the best ERA among Reds starting pitchers (minimum 15 starts)?
Brennan: Mr. Opening Day starter, Andrew Abbott, of course. Might not be anybody on the staff who knows how to pitch better than this guy, which is why he always gets the most out of his stuff.
Williams: Nick Lodolo. This is a guy the Reds once projected as a potential ace, and he seems ready to take another step after he made 28 starts and had a career-best 3.33 ERA last season.
Wittenmyer: Lodolo’s on tap for a breakout year, but his 3.45 ERA won’t beat Rhett Lowder’s 3.19.
Brady Singer last year became the first Reds pitcher with 30 starts or more since they had two pitchers do it in 2021. How many on the staff reach that mark this year?
Brennan: One. My guy Abbott, of course.
Williams: Three – Singer, Lodolo and Abbott. Lodolo is trending toward becoming a reliable guy after injuries plagued him his first three seasons. Abbott is a workhorse who was one game shy of making 30 starts last season.
Wittenmyer: Nobody. Singer, Lodolo and Abbott will all fall just short. Greene won’t get to 10. And Williamson, Burns and Lowder will combine for 60. But bet on this: The group will have more playoff starts than any Reds rotation in 31 years.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elly De La Cruz HR total and other Cincinnati Reds 2026 Bold Predictions
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