This bold offseason move could be the Reds only path to meaningful improvement

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain | Jeff Dean/GettyImagesThe Cincinnati Reds' front office has a problem — quite a few, in fact. President of baseball operations Nick Krall has been tasked with building a competitor without increasing the team's payroll. That's not easy to do, especially considering he's only got about $20 million to play with and multiple holes on the roster — both in the starting lineup and the bullpen.

Recent reporting from The Athletic (subscription required) revealed that the Reds have three players (Elly De La Cruz, Ke'Bryan Hayes, and Noelvi Marte) locked into their respective roles heading into 2026, but the team may look to use the versatility of the rest of the…