Nick Lodolo

Lodolo made one trip to the injured list in the second half due to a blister on his left index finger, and he was said to be nursing a groin injury late, but the 2019 first-round pick made a career-high 28 starts for the Reds in 2025. The 6-foot-6 southpaw put up his best statistical season yet, posting a 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 156:31 K:BB over 156.2 innings during the regular season while tying for the MLB lead with two complete games, including his first career shutout. His 4.8 BB% was fourth lowest among pitchers with at least 150 innings. However, after a few stumbles in September, Lodolo was passed over in favor of Zack Littell for a start against the Dodgers in the wild-card round. While he's still lacking much of a track record and the blisters have been a recurring issue, Lodolo is showing steady improvement on the mound, albeit with slightly less of a strikeout punch in recent years compared to earlier in his career. His home splits remain rather troubling (1.79 HR/9 last season). Even so, it's easy to envision another level if he can just stay healthy. Read Past Outlooks