The Cincinnati Reds have a lot of work to do this offseason.
They’ve begun right away, adding two pitchers to their organization on Monday who could potentially help them at some point at the MLB level in the 2027 season and beyond.
The Reds entered Monday in a fascinating spot — they began the day with five open 40-man roster spots. As other teams have to clear out players via the waiver process, the Reds can benefit from that.
That’s how they added their two newest players, and Cincinnati might not be done.
Reds Add 2 Pitchers
The Reds announced these two moves on Monday:
- Claiming right-handed pitcher Duncan Davitt off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
- Claiming right-handed pitcher Paxton Schultz off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
Duncan Davitt
Davitt was an improbable big leaguer to begin with.
The Tampa Bay Rays took him in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Iowa.
Davitt is one of just three players chosen in that round who have made the major leagues, along with Brad Lord and Andrew Walters.
He debuted in the 2026 season and played for both the Chicago White Sox and then the Giants.
First, Davitt pitched in two games for the White Sox, allowing one run in two innings.
He then threw in four games for the Giants, allowing six runs in six innings while striking out four.
Davitt has already moved around a bit.
First, he was in the July 2025 trade with Curtis Mead and Ben Peoples from the Rays to the White Sox for Adrian Houser.
He then went from the White Sox to the Braves for Joey Bart on August 3.
The Braves waived Davitt in early September without him pitching in the big leagues for Atlanta, and the Giants claimed him.
Now, the Giants had a lot of players coming off the 60-day IL, so they had to waive a chunk of players to clear space.
Davitt was discarded, and the Reds have added the 6-foot-3 27-year-old righty.
Paxton Schultz
Paxton Schultz was also a late-round pick.
The Brewers chose him in the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Utah Valley University. Six players chosen in that round have made the major leagues.
Schultz is now 28 and 6-foot-3.
He pitched for the Blue Jays in his debut season in 2025, appearing in 13 games and putting up a 4.38 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.
Then in 2026, Schultz got 27 games with the Nats, posting a 6.40 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.
Schultz had gone to Toronto’s organization in 2021 for Derek Fisher in a trade. He then was waived by the Blue Jays in January and picked up by the Nats.
Now, he’s the newest member of the Reds.
Reds Add 2 Pitchers To Begin Offseason