Hunter Greene’s name has surfaced in trade deadline chatter, but the Reds right-hander still looks like the kind of arm a team builds around, not moves out.
Cincinnati spent the first half of the season without Greene after offseason elbow surgery, and Chase Burns filled the void in emphatic fashion. The young flamethrower went 11-1 while Greene was sidelined, stepping into the ace role and giving the Reds a major boost.
Greene is back now, though the return has come with a mixed start. His first outing was rough, but he answered with a strong performance against the Chicago Cubs. Even so, the possibility that Cincinnati could entertain offers has not gone away.
Mark Sheldon of MLB.com recently floated Greene as a “less obvious” trade chip ahead of the deadline, noting both the contract and the injury history that could shape any market for him.
"Greene is signed through 2028 with a club option for '29, and his $8.3 million salary in 2026 jumps to $15.3 million in '27, and then $16.3 million in '28. The option is worth $21 million ($2 million buyout).
That money could be reallocated to add more Major League players via free agency and trades," Sheldon wrote. "Greene's talent is elite but durability issues -- including his missing four months of this year because of surgery that removed bone chips from his right elbow -- could hamper the return.
He fared poorly in his season debut on Saturday vs. the Orioles, when he gave up eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings."
That’s the tension with Greene: when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in the league. But staying on the mound has been the issue. He missed time last season with lower-body problems and then lost the first half of this year to the elbow injury.
The financial side only adds to the intrigue. Greene is on a very team-friendly deal, with roughly $50 million owed over the next three seasons.
For a pitcher with ace-level upside, that’s a bargain. And for Cincinnati, replacing that kind of production on the open market would be extremely difficult, even with money freed up by a trade.
Still, the idea of moving him feels thin. There hasn’t been much indication from the Reds or Greene’s camp that anything serious has been discussed, and his contract is not close to expiring.
Just as important, the Reds are good enough to matter if Greene catches fire again. If he can dominate down the stretch, Cincinnati has a real shot to push for the postseason.
For now, the smarter play is keeping Greene in the rotation. Trading him would be a major gamble, and one that doesn’t seem to line up with where the Reds are right now.
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