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CINCINNATI -- The Reds' baseball operations department has a number for its 2026 budget as it sets out to refill the roster this winter. The exact figure wasn't revealed but we now know the zip code, so to speak.

"Our 2026 payroll will be around the same as our payroll from 2025," president of baseball operations Nick Krall said on Tuesday.

Honestly, that wasn't too surprising.

According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Reds' Opening Day payroll this year for the 26-man roster was just under $112 million and ranked 23rd in MLB. The 40-man roster payroll by season's end was $116 million.

For those with pipe dreams of a free

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