While the 2026 season has been a disappointing one for the Cincinnati Reds, the organization’s decision-makers will be back in 2027.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported (paywall restricted) that the Reds are expected to retain their front office, as well as manager Terry Francona.
That news hardly went unnoticed, and the general reaction was not positive.
Cincinnati Reds Fans Are Unhappy
A victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday moved Cincinnati’s record to 70-79. Even with the expanded postseason structure that’s been in place since 2022, the Reds are nowhere near contention.
Naturally, the news that everything will remain the status quo was not met with a lot of joy.
“The Cincinnati Reds are the only franchise in baseball where you can fail over, and over and over, and over and over & still keep your job. Teams that have won World Series more recently than the Reds have even advanced in the postseason, have made changes across their organization,” one frustrated fan said.
“This decision makes it clear. The Reds don’t really care about winning,” another opined.
“Not surprising at all. Joke of a franchise,” a fan said. In a follow-up, that same fan noted the team’s 457-502 record under President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall.
The frustrating season comes despite star Elly De La Cruz enjoying arguably his best season. One fan hopes De La Cruz quickly finds himself in a better situation.
“If there is a 2027 season, I hope Elly demands a trade and the Reds lose 110+ games. Garbage organization,” the fan bluntly stated.
Reds Have Experienced Limited Success With This Group
The Reds have not been a complete disaster under Krall. Their overall record is poor, but a 62-100 season in 2022 drives much of that.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati, while the other seasons haven’t been as bad as 2022, they’ve been mediocre. The Reds were 83-79 in 2021, 82-80 in 2023, 77-85 in 2024 and 83-79 in 2025. The 2025 season also included a trip to the postseason, but it was short-lived, as Cincinnati lost 2-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Wild Card Series, losing soundly (10-5 in Game 1, 8-4 in Game 2) in both games.
And while the Reds are far from MLB’s worst team in 2026, their recent road trip showed how far removed they are from the best. Sunday’s win in Milwaukee was Cincinnati’s lone victory on the trip. The Reds were swept 3-0 by the Dodgers and dropped the first two games to the Brewers. The final game in Los Angeles and first in Milwaukee were particularly embarrassing, as Cincinnati was collectively outscored 34-1 in those two games.
With a lockout looming, there’s some logic in keeping things together, as if there is a 2027 season, MLB will almost certainly have an abbreviated offseason leading up to it. But it’s also easy to understand the growing restlessness of a fanbase that has still not seen its team even win a postseason series in over 30 years.
Cincinnati Reds Fans Livid Over Latest Announcement: ‘Joke of a Franchise’