I’ve been kicking around the idea of a post about my fandom of the Cincinnati Reds and where the team stands for quite a while. The All-Star break? The trade deadline? Well, here I am, finally getting around to it while watching the last game of the season.

There’s no way around it: this season has been a disappointment. It began with playoff expectations; it ends with a losing record and, depending on today’s outcomes, either a last-place finish in the National League Central division or just barely above. (ETA: a Reds win and a Pirates loss keeps Cincy out of the basement by one game. Woohoo.) The team was behind the eight ball from the very beginning due to injuries and a suspension. While none of that was optimal, it seemed like the team was well positioned to at least be competitive this year. That turned out not to be the case, and it cost manager David Bell his job with five games left in the season.

And as the good and decent teams prepare for the playoffs and the not-so-good teams head home for the winter, that sets the stage for what is sure to be an interesting offseason for the Cincinnati ballclub. The team is at a crossroads, and the decision on who will manage them will be an early indicator of how seriously they plan to take their opportunity to compete for playoff and World Series appearances in the years to come.

As a team, the Reds did not perform well this year, but they have a handful of young players that could form the core of a really good, dangerous team if the front office can identify and bring in some other good players to surround them. Let’s start with the rotation: Hunter Greene showed this year that he’s ready to be an ace, and Rhett Lowder has been really promising in his starts to finish the season as well. Andrew Abbott is really solid, and if Nick Lodolo can stay healthy, he can be as well. I would love for them to bring in another guy to slot in toward the top, but given where they are, I’d settle for retaining Nick Martinez and using him and guys like Graham Ashcraft to fill in where needed.

I don’t have a lot to say about the bullpen—there’s so much movement there for every team, I feel like putting together a good one is a combination of magic and blind luck. I’m good with Alexis Diaz in the closer’s role, and we’ll see where the pieces fall around him.

The offense needs some help. There are some pieces there, but very few spots where they couldn’t improve. The star, of course, is Elly De La Cruz—write his name in ink at shortstop for the next few years and forget about it. The only other real lock I see is Tyler Stephenson at catcher. Matt McLain at second base is a possibility, but after losing this year to a shoulder injury, there’s no telling how long it will take him to get back to form, especially considering he’s played less than one full year in the major leagues anyway.

The outfield obviously needs improvement. And on the infield, it seems like there’s no way they can go into next season with Elly, McLain, Jonathan India, Jeimer Candalerio, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Spencer Steer (although maybe he’s an outfielder now), Noelvi Marte, and Santiago Espinal all on the roster. Oh, and Ty France. Then again, I thought the same thing going into this season, and then McLain got hurt and Marte got suspended, and…well, it didn’t all work out, exactly, but it wasn’t quite the logjam it looked like at first. At any rate, assuming a more normal season, there are more players than spots on the infield (even counting the designated hitter), and some roster moves there seem inevitable.

Something that might change that—and I have no idea how likely this is—would be if the Reds were to hire Joe Maddon as manager. He likes to move players around and play them at different positions, so…I don’t know what that would look like. I’m not crazy about the idea of, say, Steer and India in the outfield at the same time, but I would definitely be interested in seeing a guy like Maddon at the helm.

I’m really interested in and almost even apprehensive about the way the offseason will play out. With the young players the Reds have, it’s probably enough for them to be not completely irrelevant for the next few years. The question is whether “not completely irrelevant” is enough for ownership; they have given no reason for fans to think it is not. I would not be surprised if they whiff on the manager hire with current interim manager Freddie Benavides or with Barry Larkin—not that either of them would necessarily be terrible managers, but because neither seems like the person a team trying to win a championship would hire. As for the roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a trade or two to clear up the infield situation (and maybe save a few bucks in the process), add a token mid-level has-been or never-was free agent to the outfield, and call it good.

The problem is that ownership and the front office have rarely acted like they want to win. I think they would like to win, sure—and enjoy the financial windfalls that come along with it—but they haven’t done anything to make it seem like it’s a priority. What does that look like? I don’t know. I’m not going to crucify them if they don’t sign Juan Soto and Pete Alonso in free agency, but I’m also tired of hearing they can’t compete for guys like that. If there’s a guy that can help the team, go fight like hell to add them. If you can’t, you can’t, but it’s exhausting to root for a team that’s always shopping from the bargain bin.

And I’m paying extra attention this year because watching baseball is expensive. From April through August, the only reason I keep a live TV streaming service is to watch the Reds, and the regional sports broadcasting fee makes that a ridiculous cost per month. I’m kind of reevaluating my sports fandom in general right now—it’s a been a while since the level of enjoyment I get from it has matched or exceeded the level of frustration it causes me—and if it doesn’t seem like the Reds are serious about winning, well, that’s probably money that’s better spent elsewhere.

Yesterday was a disheartening day to be a Reds fan.

Let’s get this part out of the way: if you had told me before the season that the Reds would be in first place on August 1, I wouldn’t have been thrilled; I would have thought you were literally insane. As they were constructed going into the season, I fully expected them to push for 100 losses again. Given ownership’s (or, more accurately, ownership’s son’s) derisive attitude toward the fanbase and retaining talented players, my interest was at an all-time low. I even thought about not keeping the streaming subscription that shows me the games. I almost certainly would have canceled if not for the fact that this could be Joey Votto’s last year, and being able to watch him play was worth it to me.

So I kept it, and stuck to my habit of watching each game (whenever possible) despite Votto starting the season on the injured list, and the season didn’t start off great. But then they started moving some pieces around, bringing up some of the prospects, and they started to win some games. And then the Ricky Karcher game happened (holy shit)! And then Joey came back slugging! And then Elly De La Cruz hit for the cycle! And there was a Viking helmet featured prominently throughout! The Reds were fun, and they were winning, and lo and behold, August 1 rolled around and they were in first place in the National League Central Division.

But!

August 1 was this year’s MLB trade deadline, meaning it was the last chance for contending ballclubs to significantly improve themselves for the stretch run by making trades for players on other teams. After using trades last season, including at the deadline, to sell of pieces of their big-league team and stock their minor league teams with prospects, the Reds looked to be in the opposite position this year, with plenty of trade chips and payroll flexibility to go get a player or two to shore up their weaknesses and put themselves in a great position to make the playoffs and push for a World Series trophy. They desperately needed a starting pitcher—and there were several available—and could have used some help in the bullpen. And, you know, if there were other opportunities to improve, why not?

On Monday night, they traded a minor leaguer to Oakland for a lefty reliever, Sam Moll. On Tuesday, I kept my eyes and ears fixed as much as possible on baseball news, eagerly anticipating a move. I was really hoping for Justin Verlander—in my opinion, he was exactly what this team needed: a great pitcher, Cy Young winner, playoff and World Series veteran, someone who could lead this young, talented staff by example—but I knew that might be a long shot. But still, they had to get somebody. Would it be Dylan Cease? Eduardo Rodriguez? Michael Lorenzen?

It was Sam Moll. That was it; that was the move. Deadline day was completely and utterly anticlimactic.

Reds GM Nick Krall said afterwards that they had a lot of conversations but ultimately couldn’t find a deal that made sense. And on one hand, I’m glad the Reds didn’t overpay in prospects for a player that wasn’t a massive upgrade. But on the other hand…all the teams the Reds are competing against managed to find ways to improve. And the fact that the Reds didn’t, despite their needs, stokes my fear that the Reds, at the highest levels, don’t really care if they win a championship or not.

And yes, I’m aware that Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are slated to return from injury in the coming weeks, and that should greatly help the starting rotation if they can pitch well. But counting on two young pitchers coming off injuries to lead a playoff push seems more in the realm of a “hope” than a “plan.” Adding a veteran starter at the front—or hell, even the middle—of the rotation would have made this team that much more of a serious contender. The results of the game following the trade deadline—a 20-9 loss to division rival Chicago—made that abundantly clear.

Lack of moves notwithstanding, I really hope they can do it. I hope they can hold off the Brewers and Cubs to win the Central, or barring that, at least win enough games to make it into the playoffs as a wild card. If they can make it into the playoffs, anything can happen, and nobody will be losing their mind more than me if they go all the way.

But one way or another, this team is probably going to look a lot different next year. First up is the question of whether Joey Votto will retire or return, a question that has as much to do with his contract as it does his ability and desire to play. Beyond that, it seems incredibly unlikely to me that Jake Fraley, Will Benson, Nick Senzel, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jonathan India, Jose Barrero, and Noelvi Marte will all still be in the organization next year. And that’s just on the hitting side, and I’m sure there are more names I could have listed. So trades are coming, and the offseason market is a whole different animal. If the Reds truly are interested in building a perennial championship contender, it’s going to be time to show it.