Could the Reds Trade Hunter Greene This Offseason?

The Cincinnati Reds have until December 1 to build their roster, if they choose to do so, before a lockout begins after the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

The Reds will have to make plenty of moves and decisions regarding players like Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Brock Burke, Eugenio Suarez and others. However, MLB Trade Rumors thinks one Reds player could be a trade candidate this offseason.

MLBTR listed starting pitcher Hunter Greene as one of 40 trade candidates Thursday morning.

Greene had surgery on his right elbow in early August, causing him to miss the rest of the 2026 season, and he could miss most, if not all, of the 2027 season as well. When healthy, Greene has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, but that's the rub. He rarely stays healthy for a full season. The most starts he has made in a season is 26 in 2024, when he posted a 2.75 ERA with 169 strikeouts.

Trading Greene while he's injured would absolutely be selling low on the former No. 2 overall pick. However, he will make $15 million in 2027, $16 million in 2028 and a $21 million option in 2029. Getting the highest-paid player off the payroll could benefit the Reds, who are looking to thread the needle and find creative ways to compete for a championship as a small-market team. It makes even more sense considering that the expensive player taking up a big chunk of the payroll is so injury-prone.

Cincinnati is looking for a lot of innings in 2027, as Greene's injury and Singer's free agency mean the Reds will be down two starters next season. The Reds could trade Greene to a team with plenty of starting pitching that can afford to wait for him to get healthy, and get an MLB-ready prospect in return, or an innings-eating veteran with multiple years of control plus a quality prospect.

Greene isn't the only Reds star who could be traded this offseason, as rumors about Elly De La Cruz will persist. At some point, Cincinnati has to prioritize its future, knowing De La Cruz likely won't spend his entire career in Cincinnati, and the prospect haul he would bring back, much more than Greene, could be enough to push the Reds to sell. Needless to say, dealing Hunter Greene would be a massive move that would signal a philosophy change for the Reds.