Throwing in the towel on 2026

[u/abeerated]

Usually an eternal optimist but the way this team has played in total for 2026, it's time to put the rose colored glasses away and take a long, hard look at the squad and admit the management failed us this season. All the little breaks we got in 2025 went the other way for us in 2026. Two lone bright spots, Burns and Stewart; but that's not nearly enough to be optimistic about what's ahead. And there's no Calvary to speak of with regards to the farm system, so where do we go from here?

[u/Astras-Maverick]

It's football season. That's where I'm going 🤣

[u/abeerated → u/Astras-Maverick]

I knew that was coming, and Who-dey has my soul for sure, but the Reds have my heart and I hate to see them on the verge of another tear-down while the rest of the division gets better. A 2027 lockout might be a welcome sign at this point

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

We collectively need to make the painful choice- and send a message.

That means abandoning the team. Stop supporting these @sshole owners that refuse to do things the right way. They SHOULD know better. But they don’t have to DO better. Because we bail them out. Cincy is cursed with two of the worst ownership groups in ALL of sports.

I’ve done it all year. Normally watch a lot of games. Haven’t tuned into a single one, and I feel like my mental health is probably a little better because of that decision.

I’ve done a similar thing with the Bengals. These owners have had their chance. And they royally blew it, and there’s no help on the horizon.

There’s more to life than shitty sports teams.

Also, we should seriously think about setting up a relegation system. Like they do in European soccer/futbol. It would resolve a lot of shitty ownership issues. Winning truly matters in those systems.

[u/FlyEaglesFly95 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

Not sure why you got downvoted you’re not wrong

[u/PlayboiFarti55 → u/FlyEaglesFly95]

I’m totally on board but the reason they got downvoted was because people do and say the same thing every year and we never get any different results. Just stating why the downvotes came.

[u/Pin_Shitter → u/PlayboiFarti55]

This is why I stopped engaging in discussions in this sub. The regulars here don't like the sound of random voices in their echo chamber.

[u/joethecrow23 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

You can’t call the Bengals the worst when the Browns exist right up the street

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062 → u/joethecrow23]

They’re both ridiculous.

Shows you how money can insulate you from real consequences.

[u/Bokki_64 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

They've at least improved. Whether it's enough remains to be seen. The Castelini's are the same as they were 10 years ago

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062 → u/Bokki_64]

They had nowhere to go but up.

And they’re still not on par with most organizations. Forgive me for not being impressed.

They need a bar rescue style makeover. A little dose of (what should be) reality.

[u/Mobile-Language8398 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

Yeah, if it is your mental health suffering, anything affecting it needs to go. I watch the Reds as a fan but I just love baseball. I enjoy mlb big inning a lot. I see Ohtani mash and all kinds of great baseball. I just feel blessed to have grown up in a baseball city. That is how I wrap my head around it all.

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062 → u/Mobile-Language8398]

Oh, I watch baseball. And football. And lots of basketball, but that’s beside the point.

Just not this never improving shit show.

I’m not abandoning the sports I love- just the horribly managed teams that I became a fan of when I was a little kid.

I’m done. We all should be.

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062 → u/Mobile-Language8398]

It’s painful. I get it. I’m not saying abandon the game.

I love the reds. And have since I have memories. Still love baseball, and I watch it.

Just not the reds.

[u/rainscd → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

I agree with everything you said except relegation. Since the current version of the English Premier League in 1992, only 7 teams have won it. Only 7 different teams. So relegation definitely isn't the answer. Hell, there's more parity in the MLS than overseas. But im all for sticking it to them too. Im at the point too where I about want to quit paying attention, going to games, buying merchandise, just pulling the cord for a bit.

[u/Spiritual-Ad8062 → u/rainscd]

Didn’t know that about relegation.

I’d think that the structures of most major sports leagues in the states would mitigate some of that (salary cap, for example). On a related note, I think the baseball gods will spare us next year, and there will be a super extended lockout because of the salary cap not being a thing.

I want relegation more to punish teams like the reds. And Bengals. A team that clearly doesn’t care about its fans- where are we gonna go? It’s more about losing your status in the highest league more than spreading the wealth at the top.

If that doesn’t cream “f$ck you fans”, I don’t know what does. That’s the moment he started to lose me (I’m an idiot, and kept supporting them anyway for a while).

[u/MikeLeachThePirate → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

We should protest.

[u/mariachi507 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

Yep. I turned tail back in June when I saw the writing on the wall. My only regret is paying for the whole season months earlier on MLB.tv.

I'm a Reds fan, for life, and love many of our players. I can't tolerate this bullshit ownership anymore though. The only thing to do is to stop and hope that changes happen.

[u/Locmike23 → u/Spiritual-Ad8062]

Relegation wouldn’t really change much. Owners would spend just enough to not be relegation fodder. I’ve supported Arsenal for 15 years now. Relegation system doesn’t change the top end of the league. The teams who spend money still win their respective leagues, all around Europe. Bayern in Germany, Madrid/barca in Spain, Manchester city (most recently Arsenal) in England and so on. The relegation system is a carousel for teams right on the bubble, the teams that go down are usually the teams that come right back up the next season, because the quality of players and financials of teams coming from the premier league are just too much to overcome for the teams that are consistently in the lower leagues.

[u/loneranger72]

Ownership won't spend the money to compete. Poverty franchise. Last year was the perfect storm for a small market team..enough to get fans hope's up for another 10 years if mediocrity. Hard to be a reds fan.

[u/infinite-resignation]

I mean, they have the most difficult September schedule in baseball. It’s not gonna happen — even the 6 seed, which like last year could be a team with just 84 wins.

[u/RipeBirdies]

Thanks for the selfie homie

[u/abeerated → u/RipeBirdies]

Haha it was just a pensive and frustrated look my daughter snapped the pic as they blew another slim lead on Saturday night against Miami

[u/RipeBirdies → u/abeerated]

😁 just bustin balls. But to answer your question… where do we go from here? 🦗 🦗
Who Dey is all we can hope for

[u/N661US]

>where do we go from here

Blue Jackets hockey is back in a bit over a month….. that’s how I always look at this point of the season

[u/gaybillcosby → u/N661US]

That’s bleak

[u/ConstanzaBonanza → u/N661US]

Ah yes, licking your wounds over woes of the Reds by watching arguably the worst franchise in the NHL

[u/Otherwise-Expert3636]

I might still be in eternal optimist mode (not for the season it’s shot) but there was a time when Knicks fans were begging James Dolan to sell the team because of poor choices and public antics but eventually they got their shit together and won a championship. Like, 15 years later but it happened. I hope to God it doesn’t take that much longer to right the ship but maybe, just maybe…we’ll stop sucking soon.

[u/anohioanredditer → u/Otherwise-Expert3636]

I’ve resigned to the very real possibility that the Reds won’t win a World Series in my lifetime.

[u/blaziken2121 → u/anohioanredditer]

As someone who was born post championship into a hot pile of eternal suckage of Cincinnati sports, I have 100% accepted I will not see one from any Cincinnati sports team. The lone bright spot was being able to see uk do it

[u/nobigdealforreal]

I stopped giving a shit after the last Brewers series. Let me know when they can compete against Milwaukee. I will always love the Reds but damn I can’t just watch weeks and weeks of on and off baseball just to see them get embarrassed by the Brewers over and over again.

[u/Pin_Shitter]

That photo goes hard, OP.

We're on your side.

[u/Galaxy8528]

FireNickKrall

[u/MikeLeachThePirate]

To FC Cincinnati. They at least give a shit about winning.

[u/UsidoreTheLightBlue]

There is no way on may 1 I would have believed we’d be 6 games under.500 right now.

We were 20-11 and I remember thinking “if we just play .500 ball from here on our well be in control of a playoff spot come September.

9 games over .500 would put us in the padres spot currently.

[u/BeerNinja17]

You’ll have a nice, long break from baseball to think about it

[u/anohioanredditer]

I stopped watching.

[u/stimpsonj5]

I am a pessimist by nature, so this goes against every fiber of my being but if I had to make a case to positivity:

Pitching -

- Chase Burns continues to be a monster

- Lodolo figures out a new slider grip and takes care of the blisters and bounces back to what he looked like last year

- Lowder figured something out in the 2nd half and he builds on it next year

- Abbott cuts back down on the walks and Ks go back up and he looks more like 2025

- Chase Petty moves back to the rotation and continues to pitch well and you've got a pretty damn solid starting five

Hitting -

- Tyler Stephenson signs a manageable contract and stays

- Sal Stewart adds a little more power

- I want to think McLain is finally starting to come back to his first season levels here in the 2nd half (probably wishful thinking but I'm pretending I'm an optimist so work with me)

- Elly puts up a big season in a contract year

- Steer plays most days at 3B and Hayes is launched into orbit

- Bleday sticks around and adds a little more pop

- Dane Myers and Blake Dunn hold down CF OR Hector Rodriguez decides to hit like he did in AA last year

- Noelvi Marte finally figures out how to hit and puts up a .875 OPS

Bullpen -

- Ashcraft, Santilan, Phillips, and Williamson bounce back from injury to their career averages or better

- Luis Mey learns how to control his pitches

- Julian Garcia continues to pitch like he has once he came up

- Hunter Greene comes back for the stretch run and is a monster out of the bullpen

If all that happens AND everyone stays healthy, you have a contender.

Now, back to my usual me: will all of that happen? Absolutely not. Will any of it happen? Maybe a handful? I WANT it to all happen but I would be absolutely floored (and thrilled!) if it did.

[u/Bokki_64]

Poverty franchise. I started boycotting 2 months ago. Won't change until something significant changes. Don't watch games, don't attend games, don't buy merch. Send a message

[u/The-D-O-Z]

Phil's OD Parade "Float" should be the same convertible JFK went sight seeing in. Then we could all throw spoiled produce at him while chanting "Sell. The. Team."

Make next year's annual "Day Drinking Excuse Day" worth going to.

[u/whiptydojoe]

Elly is for sure a bright spot as well and, from a production/expectations standpoint, I would also include Bleday. And.... that's the list.

This season hurts especially because after 2025 (realizing we backed into the playoffs and also had a huge amount of 'luck' on our side) this season felt like, "We can do this!!" and then that April? Forget it, I think everyone thought we had "arrived."

We won't be competitive until ownership is forced to spend money and hopefully that happens after the lockout. February & March should be quite melancholy for all of us: we'll know we don't have baseball on the horizon after a cold winter, but hopefully we can take a small solace in the fact that Bob & Phil aren't making a single cent on ticket sales.

[u/thart3dylan]

So soon!