Alfredo Duno Is the Future, but the Reds Still Need a Catcher for 2027

Reds Country, for the first time in years there's no homegrown answer ready behind the plate.

Tyler Stephenson is headed to free agency, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports top prospect Alfredo Duno, No. 20 in baseball per MLB Pipeline, isn't expected to be ready by Opening Day 2027. Duno hit .281 with an .899 OPS, 19 homers and 61 RBIs over 97 games at High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga this year, but Nick Krall was clear: "First, I think Duno needs to be a Minor League player."

That leaves Jose Trevino, who hit .217 with a .557 OPS in 52 games, and Will Banfield, who has 18 games of big league experience, as the catchers on the 40-man roster. On Stephenson, Krall told MLB.com the club needs to "figure out what it's going to take" and whether that money is better spent elsewhere, but added, "we'd love to have him back." Sports Illustrated's Inside the Reds put it bluntly: relying on Trevino and Banfield "would be a tough sell."

Our Take: After a 75-win, last-place season, the Reds can't punt on this spot. Bring Stephenson back at a sensible price or land a real bridge catcher on a short deal, which MLB.com says could hand the job to Duno later in 2027 or in '28.

What to watch: a thin free-agent catching market that MLB.com says includes Carson Kelly and Austin Hedges, who played for Terry Francona in Cleveland, and whether Krall goes the trade route instead.

Sources: MLB.com, Sports Illustrated