The Cincinnati Reds have plenty of holes to fill this offseason. After making the postseason in 2025, Cincinnati won just 75 games in the 2026 campaign.

After Emilio Pagan opted out of his deal and signed with the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $11.5 million deal, they'll need a new closer. They also need a catcher, unless they decide to bring back Tyler Stephenson. With Hunter Greene set to miss the entire 2027 season, they need more starting pitching.

However, the most glaring need is an impact bat, preferably in the outfield.

MLB insider Paul Hembekides appeared on the BBTN podcast earlier this week and predicted that Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ will sign with the Reds.

"I've got him going to Cincinnati," Hembekides said. "Two years, $38 million. He went to college in Cincinnati. They desperately need offense. He can play left field exceptionally well. He can play right field if you need him to. They just need to get better and they've seen him in the division a lot."

A Risk Worth Taking?

Ian Happ has killed the Reds over his career. He's an easy guy to link to the Reds since he played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati. With that being said, he's already 32 years old and OPS has declined each of the last four three seasons.

The interesting thing about Happ is that he is a switch-hitter, but you'd still likely need to platoon him.

In 2026, Happ slashed .145/.217/.267 with eight in 144 plate appearances against left-handed pitching while slashing .241/.358/.458 with 47 extra-base hits against right-handed pitching.

That is a bit concerning.

Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall spoke with the media on Wednesday about the type of players they want to try to bring in.

“Some of the guys we’ve brought in, they’ve not made great contact,” Krall told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. “Their bodies haven’t aged real well. We have to do a better job of scouting those players and knowing those players. Who actually fits where on our club? We’ve signed a guy who was out of position. We locked up our DH last year, which hurt with moving some other guys around. It’s about making sure we have some proper flexibility.”

The question comes down to whether the Reds believe Happ will age well or if they're concerned about him becoming another Jeimer Candelario or Mike Moustakas. Whatever direction they decide to go, one thing is clear: they can't afford another expensive mistake.