The Reds and Moll avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $875,000 contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
He'll have a chance to earn an additional $150,000 in incentives. Moll split his time between the Reds and Triple-A Louisville in 2025, posting a 6.38 ERA and 22:10 K:BB over 18.1 frames with the big club. The lefty reliever does not have minor-league options remaining, so he would have to pass through waivers in order to be sent down.
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Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Played with second-half quad strain
Rotowire
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed this week that De La Cruz played through a left quad strain from late July through the end of the season, Mark Sheldon and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com report.
It's not clear when exactly De La Cruz was first hurt, and Krall indicated the injury wasn't overly serious. However, after slashing .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the first half, De La Cruz hit only .236/.303/.363 with four homers and 12 steals in the second half, so it's reasonable to think the injury affected him to some degree. De La Cruz is expected to be fully healthy at the beginning of spring training.
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Reds' Carson Spiers: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Spiers (elbow) was designated for assignment by the Reds on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Cincinnati needed a 40-man spot for one of its young prospects, and Spiers was a likely choice to be bounced given he's expected to miss most, if not all, of 2026. The right-hander made three appearances (two starts) in the majors this past season before undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of July. Spiers has put up a 5.69 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 117 career innings in the majors.
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Reds' Leo Balcazar: Shielded from Rule 5 Draft
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The Reds added Balcazar to the 40-man roster Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Balcazar is now protected from next month's Rule 5 Draft, but a debut during the first half of 2026 seems unlikely given his limited experience at the upper levels of the minors. The 21-year-old reached Double-A in 2025 and largely struggled, posting a .677 OPS across 51 games. The infield prospect needs more time and seasoning on the farm.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Reds selected Rodriguez's contract from Double-A Chattanooga on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Acquired in a rather inconspicuous trade with the Mets in 2022, Rodriguez has emerged as a legitimate major-league prospect thanks largely to his hitting ability. He advanced to the Triple-A level this past season, and while most of his numbers fell off compared to what he was doing at Double-A Chattanooga, he still hit seven homers and stole nine bags in 53 games with Louisville. Now protected from the Rule 5 Draft, Rodriguez will have a chance to debut late in 2026.
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Reds' Edwin Arroyo: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Reds selected Arroyo's contract from Double-A Chattanooga on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Arroyo slashed .284/.345/.371 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases over 120 games with Chattanooga in 2025 after missing the 2024 campaign due to shoulder labrum surgery. The 22-year-old is now on the 40-man roster and could move up to Triple-A Louisville to begin the 2026 season.
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Reds' Ben Rortvedt: Claimed off waivers by Reds
Rotowire
The Reds claimed Rortvedt off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Rortvedt split 2025 between the Rays and Dodgers, collecting a .152/.240/.205 batting line over 44 regular-season contests. Per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Rortvedt had avoided arbitration with the Dodgers with a one-year, $1.25 million contract prior to being placed on waivers, and that salary will now be the Reds' responsibility. He does not have minor-league options remaining and the Reds already have Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino pegged as their catching duo in 2026, so it's unclear how Rortvedt fits into the picture for Cincinnati.
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Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Will remain at shortstop in 2026
Rotowire
The Reds plan to keep De La Cruz at shortstop next season, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
De La Cruz has led baseball in errors in each of his two full seasons as the Reds' starting shortstop. After grading out at plus-14 in Outs Above Average in 2024, per Baseball Savant, he came in at minus-3 in 2025. The inconsistency on defense from De La Cruz has led to speculation that he could move to the outfield, but there are no plans for a position switch at this point. The Reds do plan to give De La Cruz more days off and more starts at designated hitter in 2026, per Goldsmith, with the idea that it will help keep him fresh after he struggled offensively and defensively in the second half in 2025.
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Reds' Roddery Munoz: Claimed by Reds
Rotowire
The Reds claimed Munoz off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday.
Munoz gave up 10 earned runs in 11 innings with the Cardinals in 2025 but finished the minor-league season with a 3.28 ERA and 1.33 WHIP through 57.2 frames at Memphis. The Reds, evidently intrigued by his Triple-A statline, will now bring the 25-year-old in to add depth to their pitching staff, but because he has no more options remaining, Munoz will need to make the Opening Day roster in order to stay on the 40-man roster.
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Reds' Jose Franco: Selected to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Reds selected Franco's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.
Franco split his time between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville in 2025, posting a 3.11 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over a combined 110 innings. His quick ascension through Cincinnati's farm system will grant him a place on the Reds' 40-man roster, and he'll have an opportunity to make the 2026 Opening Day roster during spring training.
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Reds' Sam Benschoter: Outrighted to Louisville
Rotowire
Benschoter cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville.
Benschoter joined the Reds' active roster twice in 2025 but has yet to make his debut in the major leagues. He appeared in 38 games at Louisville, however, turning in a 4.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with a 68:22 K:BB over 78.2 innings. He's likely to report back to Triple-A to begin the 2026 campaign.
The Reds signed Thompson to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Per Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer, it's a split contract that will pay Thompson $1.3 million if he's in the majors. Thompson was removed from the Cubs' 40-man roster before the start of this season and wound up spending the full year at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 4.50 ERA and 83:25 K:BB over 64 innings. The righty has some experience as a starting pitcher but has been used almost exclusively in relief over the past three seasons. It's unclear what role the Reds have planned for Thompson.
Reds' Santiago Espinal: Outrighted off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Reds outrighted Espinal to Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Espinal has the ability to decline the outright assignment and elect free agency, but it's uncertain whether he plans to exercise that right. The veteran infielder slashed only .243/.292/.282 with zero home runs over 114 regular-season games for the Reds this season.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Taking regular turns in AFL
Rotowire
Lowder (oblique/forearm) has made three starts for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
The Reds are being careful with Lowder, who has thrown two innings in all a three of his outings. The 2023 first-round selection allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six with zero walks. The right-hander is coming off a lost season due to his injuries and pitched a total of 9.1 innings in rehab outings during 2025. The club believes Lowder will have a normal offseason and compete for a rotation spot in spring training.
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