Desperate for rotation depth following a wave of injuries, Cincinnati turns to veteran Chris Paddack to stabilize a struggling staff as the Reds slide in the standings.
After flaming out with the Miami Marlins, Chris Paddack has emerged with a new club.
The veteran right-handed pitcher has signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds and was instantly inserted into the starting rotation on Wednesday. Paddack, 30, signed a one-year, $4MM contract with the Marlins leading up to 2026 but was designated for assignment and later released after posting a 7.63 ERA in 30.2 innings over seven starts.
He started his Marlins tenure by allowing eight runs in a home loss against the Chicago White Sox on March 30. Giving up six runs in the first inning of a loss against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 1 was the final straw for the Marlins, who had a pair of young hurlers thriving in Triple-A and a sense of urgency to remain competitive in the National League East.
Paddack replaces Rhett Lowder, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to a shoulder issue. Starting pitching has been the strength of the Reds but has sustained heavy damage as of late. Hunter Greene underwent surgery on his elbow in March and won’t be available until midseason. Brandon Williamson was placed on the 60-day IL for a shoulder injury. Brady Singer took a comebacker off his right foot on Tuesday and is day-to-day.
“I think our thought was we're trying not to put a band-aid on something [and] that we want this kid to be able to pitch, and pitch for a long time and not get interrupted," Reds manager Terry Francona said to reporters about Lowder. "So hopefully, a couple weeks down will do him a world of good."
Paddack comes to Cincinnati at a time of desperation. The Reds, coming off a brief appearance in the postseason in Francona’s first season as manager, started the season 20-12. Cincinnati has since dropped eight of its last 10 games to fall towards the bottom of a competitive National League Central Division.
For a brief moment, he made the Marlins regret trading him to San Diego for veteran All-Star closer Fernando Rodney in 2016, back when he was a pitching prospect in Single-A. It turned out to be the only season in which his ERA would be below 4.00.
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