Nothing may signify the disappointment of the Cincinnati Reds’ 2026 season more than the fact that with roughly a month left, the team’s biggest offseason signing and its Opening Day leadoff man were not only placed on waivers, but also went unclaimed.Designated hitter Eugenio Suárez and center fielder TJ Friedl were put on waivers earlier this week before clearing waivers Thursday. This is a sign that the Reds are already looking to move on from a failed 2026 campaign and save money heading into the offseason filled with uncertainty around the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association, which will likely lead to a lockout.The Reds are the type of franchise the impending lockout is supposedly trying to help. Still, even if you take the rosiest outlooks presented by the owners, who are expected to lock players out in December, it’s almost impossible to plan for a season post-lockout; whether it starts in February, when players traditionally report for spring training; in March, when the last lockout ended; or even following a potential cancellation of the 2027 season.Basically, every possible look beyond the 2026 season for the Reds or any other team comes with one giant asterisk. With that asterisk duly noted, here’s a look at where Cincinnati’s 40-man roster stands as the team enters its final month of games before a winter of complete uncertainty. Instead of littering the list with asterisks, consider this the disclaimer that all assumptions about contracts and team control are under the rules of the current CBA that expires in December.TJ Friedl cleared waivers this week after a difficult season. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)Free agents: LHP Brock Burke, C Tyler Stephenson, RHP Brady SingerAhead of the trade deadline, Nick Krall, the team’s president of baseball operations, said the team would consider extending Singer a qualifying offer. Because the qualifying offer process takes place before the end of this CBA, it’ll be under the current rules. A qualifying offer is a one-year deal worth the mean of MLB’s top 125 salaries, expected to be around $23 million this offseason.Since the trade deadline, Hunter Greene had his second Tommy John surgery, increasing the likelihood of a qualifying offer to Singer, who has made 26 starts this season and is on track to pitch more than 150 innings for the sixth consecutive season.