Reds risk ruining relationship with catcher Tyler Stephenson over $250,000

Billy Heyen

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Reds risk ruining relationship with catcher Tyler Stephenson over $250,000 image

Tyler Stephenson and the Cincinnati Reds will be heading to salary arbitration.

They couldn't agree to terms on a salary for 2026 by Thursday's pre-arbitration deadline, which means they'll take part in a hearing to determine what Stephenson gets paid for the season ahead.

These hearings can be contentious as a team has to argue, with the player present, about why that player shouldn't earn as much money as he's asking for.

That's why the vast majority of players eligible for arbitration already agreed to contracts by Thursday to avoid the hearings.

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The Reds, though, held out over just $250,000.

Stephenson has submitted a value of $6.8 million. The Reds have countered with $6.55 million.

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It's odd that Cincy would go to a hearing over that small of an amount when they could've just given Stephenson that contract for 2026 and been done with it.

Stephenson will be a free agent after this season, so there are no future arbitration implications of giving him a bigger salary this time around.

If both sides handle this with some grace, it doesn't have to work out poorly.

But it's a situation that could've already been handled with the smallest bit of compromise. Instead, Stephenson and the Reds will do a bit of an offseason battle.

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Senior Editor