The Cincinnati Reds leaned heavily on their starting rotation to punch their ticket back to the playoffs in 2025-and the rest of the league took notice. That rotation wasn’t just good; it was the backbone of the Reds’ resurgence.
And now, rival clubs are circling, checking in on the availability of those arms. But here’s the thing: the Reds aren’t in a hurry to break up their biggest strength.
According to ongoing reports, Cincinnati is still fielding trade calls on its starters. But unless a deal clearly makes them better both now and in the long term, the Reds are holding firm.
Translation: it’s going to take a significant return to pry one of these arms loose. And that high asking price?
It’s already giving potential suitors pause.
This cautious openness isn’t new. Back in October, president of baseball operations Nick Krall didn’t slam the door on the idea of moving a starter.
But he also made it clear that any subtraction from the rotation would require a plan to backfill those innings. “You run out of innings at some point in the season, guys get hurt, things happen,” Krall said-an acknowledgment of how fragile pitching depth can be over a 162-game grind.
More recently, both Krall and manager Terry Francona have tamped down the idea that Hunter Greene-the flamethrower with ace potential-is on the block. Krall was candid: “That’s a hard one to actually say, ‘Hey, we’re going to trade the guy that has a chance to be the ace of your staff and top-of-the-rotation guy going into the postseason.’” In other words, unless the return is overwhelming, Greene isn’t going anywhere.
That sentiment seems to extend to the rest of the Reds’ top arms. Around the league, there’s growing skepticism that Greene, Nick Lodolo, or Andrew Abbott are truly available.
And for good reason. Greene is locked up through at least 2028.
Lodolo still has two years of arbitration left. Abbott?
He’s under team control through 2029 and hasn’t even hit arbitration yet. That kind of cost-controlled, high-upside pitching is gold in today’s game.
If there’s one name that’s been floated a bit more freely, it’s Brady Singer. He’s set to hit free agency after this season, and his $12.75 million salary for 2026 makes him a logical trade candidate.
But even there, the Reds aren’t looking to sell low. They reportedly want a major league-ready starter and a bat in return.
That’s a steep ask, and one that might limit the market.
Here’s where things get tricky. While the Reds’ rotation was a clear strength in 2025, it’s already taken some hits.
Nick Martinez and Zack Littell are free agents. Chase Burns, one of the game’s top pitching prospects, is penciled in as the likely fifth starter heading into 2026.
Another top-100 prospect, Chase Petty, is in the mix as well. But beyond those six, the depth chart gets murky.
Rhett Lowder, once a highly regarded arm, was limited to just 9 1/3 innings in the minors last year due to forearm and oblique issues. Julian Aguiar and Brandon Williamson both missed the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery. So while the Reds have young arms in the pipeline, they’re not exactly in a position to start giving away innings.
That’s why Krall’s “you can never have enough pitching” line carries weight. The Reds know what they’ve got-and they know how quickly it can unravel.
Still, the idea of moving a starter for a premium return isn’t off the table. If the right deal comes along, it could give Cincinnati a chance to patch holes elsewhere, especially in a lineup that still needs work.
Offensively, the Reds haven’t made a ton of noise this offseason. JJ Bleday and Dane Myers have come aboard, and Gavin Lux was traded out.
The pursuit of Kyle Schwarber-largely driven by his ties to the area-was more of an exception than a sign of aggressive spending. With a limited payroll, unless the Reds shed some salary (like Singer’s), don’t expect any big-ticket additions.
That leaves internal improvement as the Reds’ primary path forward on offense. It’s a gamble, especially in an NL Central that’s only getting tougher. But Cincinnati’s front office is betting that its young core can take another step-and that its rotation, whether intact or slightly reshaped, will continue to anchor the club in 2026.
Bottom line: the Reds aren’t shopping their starters, but they’re listening. And if the right offer comes along, they’ll be ready to deal-but only if it makes them better now and later. Until then, don’t expect them to mess with the strength that got them back to October.