The Cincinnati Reds have a lot of big decisions on their plate this offseason. They're already behind the 8-ball, as they lost their closer, Emilio Pagán, to the Detroit Tigers in free agency. Pagán opted out of his deal with the Reds a few weeks ago before ending up with the Tigers.

The Reds have a handful of other free agents who could be on their way out, too. Tyler Stephenson and Eugenio Suárez are two key players who could be headed elsewhere over the next few weeks.

The Reds also lost a handful of minor leaguers to free agency after they opted out. Trevor Kuncl and Shane Sasaki decided to jump into free agency rather than sticking with the Reds. But shortly after electing free agency, Kuncl landed back with the Reds on a minor league deal, per the minor league transaction log.

Trevor Kuncl is a Low-Risk Piece for the Reds' Farm System

Kuncl didn't have a great year in Triple-A for the Reds last season, but he's still a productive arm with some potential to end up in the bullpen in Cincinnati. Last season, the righty recorded nine saves in 38 1/3 innings as a member of the Louisville Bats. He surrendered 39 hits, 23 earned runs, and walked 29 batters while striking out 42. In 2025, Kuncl held a 2.34 ERA in 47 games and 50 innings pitched. He walked 17 hitters while striking out 51 during that season.

The biggest difference between his productive 2025 season and his down year this season was his walk rate. His walk rate floated around eight percent in 2025 versus around 16 percent this season. That difference is enough to keep him out of the bullpen in Cincinnati.

Kuncl has good stuff. His slider grades out as a good pitch with above-average Stuff+. His sweeper is also a very good pitch, but he doesn't use it nearly as much. If he can find the zone with his sweeper and his splitter, he could be a very good arm.

The Reds are willing to take a risk on Kuncl on another minor league deal because there's close to zero risk. There isn't much money involved, and the worst-case scenario sees him cut from the roster at some point next season. The best-case scenario sees him on the big league roster.

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