Spring training is still about a month from getting started, with pitchers, catchers, and players who will be playing in the World Baseball Classic all reporting to Goodyear on February 9th and position players showing up on the 14th. While we know that all players on the 40-man roster will be in big league camp, the Cincinnati Reds announced an additional nine players from the minor leagues that will also be in big league camp.
Among that group the split is pretty even between position players and pitchers. Five pitchers have been extended non-roster invites to big league camp while there are four position players on the list.
Right-handed pitchers Tejay Antone, Hagen Danner, Lyon Richardson, and Carson Spiers along with left-handed pitcher Joel Valdez were all given invites. On the position side of things it’s catcher Will Banfield, infielder Michael Chavis, and utilitymen Garrett Hampson and Michael Toglia that will be arriving earlier than the rest of the minor league counterparts.
Eight of those nine players have some big league experience. Hagen Danner has only recorded one out and he only faced one batter in his only time on the mound in a Major League Baseball game, but that still counts.
Left-handed pitcher Joel Valdez is the lone player from the list who has never reached the big leagues. In the winter of 2024 the Reds took him in the minor league version of the Rule 5 draft and he broke out in 2025 with Double-A Chattanooga where he pitched in 26 games with a 1.38 ERA while throwing 45.2 innings, giving up just one home run, walking 20, and striking out 55 batters. He struggled in his 12.0 innings with Triple-A Louisville as he allowed eight earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while hitting three batters and striking out 12.
This likely isn’t the last of the non-roster invites that the club will hand out. At this point there are no minor leaguers that aren’t on the 40-man roster that have officially gotten big league invites yet outside of Joel Valdez, who while a solid relief prospect, is not among the team’s top 30-something prospects. Expect some of Cincinnati’s prospects to get invites announced soon enough because it’s just highly unlikely that they won’t give out some more in the next couple of weeks.
We’ll have to remove someone from the 40 man roster once they finalize the Pierce Johnson signing as well. I was kind of thinking that would have been yesterday or today. I suppose they may have not synced up on getting his physical scheduled.
It seems like Zulueta and Tyler Callihan are on the bubble, although I suppose they could make a trade, such as Trevino to the Phillies.
Unless he has residual effects from the broken arm I can’t imagine them releasing him. To me Dunn has moved pretty far down the depth chart, especially after picking up Myers.. I think Callihan has moved ahead of him, hitting lefthanded, more power and position flexibility.
Johnson signing is now official. Yosver Zulueta is DFA to make 40 man roster space.
Don’t we usually have mid 50s- low 60s number of players every year? Some candidates I think are Higgins, Urbaez, Leibrandt, Benschoter, Staumont and Kuncl
I said a while ago Valdez is my dark horse pick for opening day roster. Im still there.
He was very effective in AA/AAA last year
Tell them……”Valdez is coming!”
Wait, wasn’t that a movie? 🙂
Seems to me they are short catchers for the first couple of weeks when there is always a glut of pitchers to get throwing in.
What I noticed about this list: Every single one of these guys is a player who signed as a free agent this offseason (even Antone and Valdez, who were with the organization in 2025) except for one guy. No one who was a non-free agent signing, sans Lyon Richardson (who was DFA’d and then outrighted to Triple-A), has been given a non-roster invite yet. When those come out I’m sure we’ll see some more catchers on the list, as well as plenty of other pitchers and position guys.
Thought Relief pitchers Miller and Kuncl might get an invite.
This article seems to indicate the Reds are probably done. Not sure how accurate it is.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cincinnati-reds-banking-continuity-offseason-213320973.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
“Continuity”
“A Patient Approach”
“Internal Improvement”
At least we know what Jim Day and the broadcasters will be slinging this year.
Yep, patience right up to Elly’s FA departure. This organization is the poster child for incompetence
@ LDS
I don’t know if it is incompetence, apathy, or just the limits imposed on what they can spend.
Based on what the Reds budget is, there is honestly little hope that they can really compete, unless some of the players just have miraculous seasons….which is the “plan” for the team from the Front Office….
And then…a miracle happens!
The thinking is, if there was more of a money flow, they could afford to sign free agents, but unless they make a more competitive team, they aren’t going to see a growth in revenue from attendance or TV contracts.
@David, same stuff for 20 years – it’s always next year. I was looking back through Reds’ transactions since Krall took over and it’s not impressive. Lots of castoffs that were going to be resurrected by the GABP and the Reds’ own brilliance. And thus far what do they have to show for it? A peak of 83 wins and staggering into the playoffs on the backs of the Mets collapse. Incompetence, regardless of the money. Trade prospects, trade what you can. Quit hoarding players that may or may not ever become MLB players, e.g., Petty, Dunn, Hinds, etc. Either call them up and give them a legit shot, or trade them for players that can play now.
edited for language
LDS – Don’t avoid the swear filter.
Apologies Doug. It wasn’t really an attempt to duck the censors. That particular acronym was such a regular part of my working life that we ceased to think of it as an abbreviation.
@ LDS; be nice! 🙂
Yes, it is pretty much lack of competence and confidence. Krall has done a few shrewd things, but also a lot of dumb things….from shopping the cheap end of the waiver wire.
I go back to the post Mauired put up a few days ago, looking at money spent on “free agents” versus WAR returned, during the “Krall Era”. Plenty of bad juju in the Front Office, fer shure. The 2009 team was promising, the 2010 team was pretty good, the 2012 team choked against the Giants, and should have been in the World Series. And then it all started going downhill, the result of Walt Jocketty player management. Just disappointing. Those teams were good based on player drafts, etc., pretty much before Bob C. and Walt arrived.
David, is Krall “dumb” for signing low-cost players or is he simply–as you said in an earlier comment–being realistic about the amount he has to spend? Mauired’s analysis of FA signings was interesting, but lacked context: how do other teams do in this regard? I doubt that the Reds are the only ones who fail to hit the jackpot frequently, and, again, the explanation may be simply that Krall can only bid on low-cost, low-value FA’s.
Sorry budget constraints do not excuse Krall’s performance. The Schwarber stunt proves that. If the Reds can afford $150M for Schwarber, they can do a lot more to improve the team than they have. And no, contrary to the fawning press coverage, Schwarber was not special because he was a local guy. Anyone believing that is kind of gullible.
What the Reds were willing to pay for Schwarber was very unlikely to have been determined by Krall, wouldn’t you think? Krall is certainly constrained by spending limits, so criticism that he doesn’t spend more is at least partially misplaced. As for Schwarber, I don’t know the details, but there has been reporting that the Reds’ offer was legitimate, but that Schwarber’s intention was always to resign with the Phillies and that his overtures to the Reds were likely negotiation ploys.
“Sorry budget constraints do not excuse Krall’s performance. The Schwarber stunt proves that. If the Reds can afford $150M for Schwarber, they can do a lot more to improve the team than they have.”
LDS – You are correct. Krall has stated that he/they would have to just “get creative” if they were going to spend that kind of money on Schwarber. Of course we, as dumb ignorant gullible Reds fans aren’t supposed to ask why if he could get creative with one player that he couldn’t get just as creative with another player or players who would help the team win. hahaha
There was certainly the implication that ownership was only willing to spend that kind of money for Schwarber because of the home town connection and dubious idea that it would increase ticket sales. If that is the case, Krall doesn’t have the option to use it on somebody else. Might be good to know before further embellishing Krall’s scapegoat status, eh?
Krall specifically stated the budget would have been the same with or without Schwarber. The “fawning press” misinterpreted one of Krall’s statements, or conversely, Krall wasn’t clear with his initial statement to the “fawning press.” Dismissing budget constraints when evaluating anyone doesn’t speak well of one’s objectivity, just like constant name-calling indicates weak arguments.
The story is from roundtablesports.io written by a former college baseball player who lives in Los Angeles and covers “multiple teams” who has only been writing for roundtablesports since Halloween and no one outside of his family has ever read anything he’s written before. For reasons unknown to God herself Yahoo picks up garbage contributor websites like this. Scratch that they do it because people still click it and Yahoo probably pays them like $100 a month to use their stories.
The fact that you said not sure how accurate it is tells you all you need to know about how much you should trust it.
Some of you guys need an internet literacy class in the worst way.
Thank you Brian. In the future, I will run my posts by you since you are so evolved in this area.
I will mention however, we are nearly
in mid January. The Reds have stated numerous times that their payroll will be around what it was last year. Last year the payroll was near $119 million dollars. According to Charlie Goldsmith (do you accept him as a reliablesource?) the current 2026 payroll is around $116 million dollars. That would indicate the Reds have another additional $3 Million dollars to spend.
So please tell me where this young writer is wrong? I mean since you are so internet savy.
Since you don’t believe the above article is accurate, please share your thoughts on the Reds late offseason spending spree they are about to partake in.
Will the Reds sign Kyle Tucker? Cody Bellinger? Both? Since you are so better informed, please do tell us because so many people here have been waiting for some good news from this team for several years now.
Possibly, Brian is right about this. Maybe it’s worth reflecting that every single comment that can be interpreted as negative toward the Reds is latched onto and nurtured, which makes me wonder if some fans are rooting for the team to fail so they can continue to complain that they are being intentionally deprived of a winner.
Votto4life it’s not that this person’s opinion is or is not right or wrong, it’s that you presented it as it being factual or not when instead it’s just an opinion you happen to agree with. Words have meaning.
Brian,
I took Votto’s opening line (“I’m not sure how accurate it is”) as an honest disclaimer rather than an endorsement of the source. To me, it signaled that he found the piece interesting and worth discussing, while also being upfront about its limitations.
I don’t think posting it implies that it meets any particular standard of credibility beyond sparking conversation. Each reader can weigh the source and decide how much value to assign to it. From my perspective, Votto shared it in good faith as something to consider, not as a definitive statement of fact.
Thanks for sharing this Votto.
I agree, Stock. I took it that Votto was simply presenting it for our interest. He led with the disclaimer, after all. A bit of a tempest in a teapot, and we’re less than halfway through January.
Had to laugh when I saw the article quotes Bryce Spalding. This is the guy who last year said the Reds should get Luis Robert, Jr even if it cost Arroyo and Petty because he would be worth 5 or 6 wins and make the Reds a 90 win team.
Did like the guy talking Reds in his car. Top shelf stuff.
I know opinions vary on ESPN, but there’s no disputing that they have a huge following and seasoned writers. Here’s a little piece they did on the NLC offseason.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47599562/mlb-2026-free-agency-update-nl-central-brewers-cubs-pirates-cardinals-reds
Some blurbs of note if you don’t want to read the article:
Key Additions: None
What they still need to do: Beef up their offense. It’s no secret Cincinnati was deficient at the plate a lot of the time in 2025, but it has yet to make a significant upgrade there.
Urgency 4 (highest in the division)
Do the Reds still do an earlier camp for minor leaguers they want to work with a bit more?
Arizona just acquired Arenado leaving Jordan Lawlar without a position. What about Singer for Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt?
From a value perspective, the Reds would love to get a couple of the Diamondbacks’ top prospects in exchange for one-year of control of Brady Singer; thus, Arizona would likely see this as too much to give up for Singer. About half of Arizona’s lineup is comprised of question marks. I suspect they want to hold onto Lawlar and are hoping that he grows in the player that his prospect pedigree suggests that he can become. As for the Reds, Lawlar wouldn’t really provide more certainty in 2026 than Singer would. The Reds appear to want to be as competitive as they can be within their budget constraints. I don’t see them making a trade largely based on the future value of the return. I think they want players who improve their odds in 2026, even if the improvement is small.
“Arizona just acquired Arenado”
According to an article I read today, “The Cardinals agreed to a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that will send Arenado (and a lot of cash) to the desert in exchange for pitching prospect Jack Martinez. According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the Cardinals deal with the Diamondbacks includes $31 million in cash. The D-backs will only owe Arenado $5 million this year and $6 million in 2027.”
This is the kind of deal that can be made for Robert from the White Sox. Perhaps Robert for Chase Petty? The Reds and the rest of Major League Baseball is just waiting for Chicago to come back from “never never land” to make that kind of a deal. I would personally do that deal if the White Sox would go for it. It would be worth the gamble.
By the way I personally would have much rather had this deal than the one for Hayes if possible. But what’s done is done.
That is the deal the Snakes made for Arenado instead of Hayes.
I would prefer the Reds just go with internal options over Robert Jr. Injury prone and coming off a couple of down years, the White Sox miscalculated and picked up his option. Bailing them out of their bad deal would be a mistake.
Two years of $5 and $6 million plus one prospect like Petty is why I could go for it for someone as talented as Robert. He’s still relatively young and on a very bad team. He could very well be rejuvenated with the Reds playing for Tito. I wouldn’t pay anything more though.
At the same time I wouldn’t mind going with Hinds etc. instead as you said.
@Melvin, White Sox didn’t pick up his $20M club option to eat $15M of it in trade for Petty. That’s essentially paying $15M for Petty. They’ve miscalculated on Robert for 2.5 years in both lofty trade and performance expectations. They’ll surely either get the moon in trade from some team or keep him til the deadline and try again, which means they will be keeping him.
I prefer Hayes. Arenado is six years older and declining. Hayes produced more fWAR and bWAR in 2025 as well. Even on a shorter, slightly cheaper deal, I think Arendado would have been a riskier proposition.
BK – To each his own I guess. We’re talking about the difference between two years and $11 million compared to being locked in to five years and $30 Million. Arenado has been a gold glover too and even with his off year last year offensively he’s still a lesser risk in my view than Hayes with a chronic bad back.
His “off year” last year was still better than Hayes.
Arenado – .237/.289/.377 – 12 HR – 52 RBI
Hayes – .235/.290/.306 – 5 HR – 49 RBI
Arenado has played 144+ games 9 years in his career.
He averages 138 games played per year.
As I said, as always just a matter of opinion. I’m sure you could some up with stats to support your view as well.
AllTheHype – That’s why I said when they come back from “never never land” because obviously the White Sox are still in it. The Reds front office is not the only front office that seemingly isn’t very smart.
Has anyone been to spring training in AZ?
I am looking pretty hard at going down for a few days in late February. It’d be early-ish in training, so I understand that as to how the games would be ie limited ML players.
What i am wondering is whether you can still have access to the ‘back fields’ where players, including whatever minor leaguers that have arrived, work out. Or is access more restricted here in 2026?
Thanks in advance — 115.00 round trip Seattle to Phoenix might be just too tempting. Escape the rain and see baseball.
Oh nice deal on the plane ticket there can’t hardly beat that! Arizona was one of my favorite spots I’ve been to in the states but been along time since I’ve been there. Florida is nice of course in Winter but Arizona a little more interesting to me as far as making a vacation out of seeing the Reds play a spring training game or two as well.
Spring in Phoenix is nice, but summers there are…..(explecative deleted).
People in Phoenix come out after the sun goes down in the summer, in Arizona. It drops into the 80-90 degree area, and dry.
Really pleasant.
I was out there 7 years ago in February, and it was just really pleasant, and snow up north in the mountains and in the Grand Canyon.
All this talk about the Giants seeking an everyday 2nd baseman. Do the Reds offer Lux? Freeing up $5.5 million isn’t nothing and adding Rhys or, heaven forbid, Geno makes the lineup much more palatable.
I’ve read they are interested in Donovan or Hoerner. Lux may be on their list after those 2. I also think it’s better to trade away Lux. Hopefully, we can get a reliever in return. Moll and Zulueta can easily be replaced. I’d like to see this move and I think that a position player like Dunn might be DFAd to make room for Johnson when it becomes official. We usually have more pitchers than hitters on the 40 man roster. If we move Lux for a reliever and DFA Dunn, we will be at 21 pitchers and 19 hitters. That’s about the balance that we usually start the season with.
If I were Nick Krall I would take a flyer on Roberts if the Sox would take Hinds or Arroyo and throw in a lot of cash. My reasoning is Hinds has not proven that he can hit ML pitching on a full-time basis. There are plenty of guys who feast on MiL pitching but wilt against ML hurlers. As per Arroyo, he is blocked at ML level and Reds have a couple of other prospects at SS that will soon pass him. Too, I am not sold on his offense. Seems like more of a Kevin Newman type hitter. Singles and doubles and not much else. SS has evolved to more of an offensive position with the most athletic players there like Corey Seager and Trea Turner.
“If I were Nick Krall I would take a flyer on Roberts if the Sox would take Hinds”
If the Reds are NOT going to give Hinds a REAL consistent shot, which it would seem they are very reluctant to do, they might as well trade him and get something for him. It would seem they want to play it both ways though. They don’t want to give him that shot but also don’t want to risk trading him and then getting embarrassed if he does well with another team. What a waste if that’s true.
Hinds has an option and has much more trade value in this comment section than in the real world.
Makes no sense to trade him.
“Hinds has an option and has much more trade value in this comment section than in the real world.”
I agree that his one option left is working against him at least with the Reds. Don’t know if I agree about his trade value though.
As @ATH stated above, the CWS have proven unwilling to absorb a significant portion of Robert’s bloated contract for two and a half years now. There’s no way that the Reds are taking on his contract. Now, if they were willing to eat most of his contract and were interested in Hinds, Robert Jr. would almost certainly be a Red at this point.
Apparently, Phil C. Got a warm reception at a Xavier game.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTh6w6n9x/
hahaha I would imagine he gets a real “warm” reception wherever he goes around Cincinnati. Probably has to wear a disguise when he goes out to eat. hahaha 😀
Hilarious, and I hope it continues wherever he goes in the area.
Kind of surprised Yunior Marte not on the list.
Me too, it was reported that he was getting one at the time of his signing in MLB Trade Rumors:
“The Reds are in agreement with reliever Yunior Marte on a minor league contract with an invite to big league Spring Training, reports Francys Romero. The righty would lock in a $1.05MM base salary if he breaks camp.”
Since the disappointment of not signing Schwarber, it’s been a quiet offseason although the Reds have strengthened the bullpen which is a positive. A number of average hitting outfielders have been added, and ‘hope’ seems to be the word for somebody to breakout as an offensive leader. Change by trading could surprise us, although probably not a blockbuster, as spring training is about a month away.
I go way back as a reds fan From the terrace at Crosley field in the 61 world series Where Frank Robinson And Vada Pinson roamed Where Mantle and Maris came in to our Park for the 61 world series As a young boy it was paradise to come over from West Virginia and watch my beloved Redlegs I sure would like to see one more world series… Our Management team Had a chance to return us to that glory when they had a legit chance to sign Schwarber They had all our hopes up And now they have settled back to just trying to win more than they lose just to keep the fanbase from revolting.. and of course our wonderful fans will love our Reds anyway I guess they know that and feel no obligation to return the former glory to the Queen city
Lets move the fences out at GABP, since we are not going to build the roster around the dimensions of the stadium we call home, lets build the stadium around the makeup of the roster?
I applaud the idea in spirit, Angelo, but it is apparently not feasible for various engineering reasons.