Even with the second-easiest home run park, the Cincinnati Reds finished only 21st in the majors in homers. Their lack of consistent power and production led to the team’s offensive struggles and a weak wRC+ ranking in 2025. And the power outage of their star shortstop was one of the reasons for the crisis.

The Dominican phenom had been playing through a partially torn quad all year. Elly De La Cruz had 12 errors before the injury, which increased to 14 after he tried to play through it. So, heading into next season, the Reds can’t stick with De La Cruz as their only option.

They’re expected to enter the market as buyers for the shortstop position. So, David Schoenfield of ESPN recently urged the Reds to “roll out the red carpet for Kyle Schwarber.”

Since 2013, the Reds have made it to

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