CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Cincinnati Reds have a new pitching coach, and manager Terry Francona went back to his Cleveland roots to find him. The club announced Wednesday that it hired Joe Torres, who has been the No. 2 pitching coach for the Guardians since 2022.
Torres, 44, takes over for Derek Johnson. Johnson stepped away on leave in June and missed the rest of the season, and the Reds told him last month he would not be back. Johnson had held the job since the club hired him in October 2018.
Torres joined the Cleveland big-league staff in January 2022, so he worked two seasons under Francona before Francona left the Guardians after 2023. He spent the five years before that in the Cleveland minor league system, coaching at the rookie, Single-A and High-A levels and then serving as minor league pitching coordinator.
He was a first-round pick of the Angels in 2000, 10th overall, and pitched 13 years in the pros as a left-hander without making the majors.
The job is a big one. Cincinnati finished 2026 with a 4.83 team ERA, 28th in the majors, and issued 668 walks, the most in baseball. Hunter Greene had Tommy John surgery in August and is expected to miss all of 2027, and relievers Emilio Pagan, Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson, along with starter Brady Singer, are now free agents.
There is talent to work with. All-Star Chase Burns posted a 15-3 record and a 2.86 ERA across 29 starts, striking out 185, and the rotation also includes lefty Andrew Abbott plus Nick Lodolo, Brandon Williamson and Rhett Lowder. Matt Tracy, the assistant pitching coach, and Oscar Marin, the bullpen coach, each interviewed for the lead role and are expected to stay on staff.
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