CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Every year, the payroll number given from Cincinnati Reds’ ownership to the front office turns into what feels like an artificial hard cap. The front office is told what it has to work with, and it’s had to get creative.

To get a sense of what the planning process looks like, go back to some recent examples. Heading into 2023, the Reds traded Kyle Farmer (projected to make around $5 million the following season) for a prospect and used that $5 million to afford a temporary shortstop in Kevin Newman in a trade and backup catcher Luke Maile on the free agent market.

At the deadline in 2025, the Reds added reliever Taylor Rogers into the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade as a way to make the money line up, offset salaries and avoid adding too much payroll.

Why the Reds’ payroll has

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