The Cincinnati Reds find themselves staring at another delicate offseason decision. Emilio Pagán, once viewed as a veteran stopgap, has completely altered his narrative in 2025. He was never meant to be the man at the back of the bullpen, but he seized the opportunity and became one of the Reds’ most dependable arms in a season where consistency has been hard to come by. Now, as free agency looms, the club must weigh whether his resurgence is a sign of long-term stability or if it was just a one-year outlier.
Relief pitching has always been a volatile market, with production swinging wildly from one season to the next.