Toglia signs minor-league deal with Reds after tough 2025 season

The Reds added a low-risk, high-upside bat to their system when Toglia signed a minor-league contract on Saturday. Once a promising first-round pick in 2019, he now arrives in Cincinnati looking to rebuild after a difficult 2025 that saw his major-league production fall off dramatically.

Toglia’s track record shows the profile that draws teams back: in 2024 he posted a .767 OPS with 25 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 457 plate appearances, demonstrating legitimate power and some athleticism. That promise faded in 2025, however, when he slashed just .190/.258/.353 with 11 homers and three steals across 337 plate appearances. He also struck out at a 39.2 percent clip for Colorado, a spike that contributed to the Rockies designating him for assignment and non-tendering him in November.

Even in a down year at the big-league level, Toglia flashed power in Triple-A, homering 11 times in 42 games for Albuquerque. That production keeps him on the radar as a potential organizational depth piece with the ability to change a game with one swing. The Reds are offering him that chance, but the club and its fans should expect him to start the season in the minors while he works on contact and plate discipline.

For Reds followers and Triple-A regulars, Toglia is the kind of reclamation project that can keep spring training interesting. He gives the organization an additional right-handed power option in the upper minors and a potential emergency call-up should injuries or slumps hit the big-league lineup. For minor-league ticket buyers, his presence increases the odds of seeing a long ball or two at early-season games.

Fantasy players and local beat writers should monitor a few concrete markers this spring: a lower strikeout rate, improved walk rate, and sustained power without the extreme swing-and-miss tendencies. If Toglia can trim that 39.2 percent K-rate even modestly, his upside as a power source is real; if not, he risks remaining a Quad-A type who tears up Triple-A pitching but struggles in the show.

The takeaway? Toglia’s signing is a small bet that could pay off for Cincinnati and a storyline to follow at Triple-A, watch spring training and early April box scores. Our two cents? Go see him in person if he opens in the minors; you’ll get a front-row seat to whether the power returns with more polished contact.