The Cincinnati Reds closed out another season short of October baseball, finishing below .500 for much of the year and missing the postseason entirely.
With an important offseason now underway, the organization faces pressure to improve a roster that already features several bright spots but still lacks consistent production across the infield.
Elly De La Cruz remains the centerpiece after a strong finish to the year, while young pitcher Chase Burns and slugger Sal Stewart have also shown the kind of upside that suggests the core is in place.
Yet questions persist at second and third base, where everyday reliability has been hard to find.
Former franchise cornerstone Joey Votto recently weighed in on one potential solution, publicly endorsing the idea of acquiring New York Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe.
Votto’s support came in response to a fan suggestion on social media that the Reds pursue the 25-year-old.
“I like this idea,” he wrote, a concise but notable signal from a player who spent the bulk of his career in Cincinnati and understands the franchise’s needs.
Volpe would not displace De La Cruz at shortstop, but he could slide into second base or serve as a flexible option elsewhere on the dirt, addressing areas that have been unsettled.
Matt McLain has been given repeated opportunities at second base since 2023 without locking down the position, and the club has already explored shifting him to the outfield.
Volpe’s own 2026 season was uneven—he was optioned to the minors midway through the year—but he returned to the majors and posted a .265 average with a home run, nine RBIs, and four runs scored in limited action. He also showed flashes during the Yankees’ postseason run.
Over four big-league seasons, Volpe has accumulated 9.5 WAR, with 94 doubles, 16 triples, and 54 home runs across 542 games.
His career OPS remains under .700, a figure that falls short of what the Yankees typically expect from their infielders and has contributed to his diminished standing in New York.
For a Reds team looking to add controllable talent without committing massive resources, that profile could represent a worthwhile reclamation project—someone with established major-league experience and remaining developmental upside who might thrive in a new environment.
Whether Cincinnati ultimately pursues such a deal remains to be seen, but Votto’s endorsement adds an intriguing voice to the conversation as the Reds map out their path forward.
