3 Veteran Starting Pitchers the Reds Could Target for 2027

The Cincinnati Reds' starting rotation will be depleted heading into next season. Hunter Greene will miss most of the year after right elbow surgery in August 2026. Also, Brady Singer will likely hit free agency after struggling at the end of the season and playing himself out of the qualifying offer the Reds planned to extend, which was a big reason they didn’t trade him at the deadline. 

Given that the rotation currently includes Chase Burns, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Rhett Lowder, who are some candidates to add to the rotation? Current Reds like Brandon Williamson, Graham Ashcraft, and Chase Petty contributed out of the bullpen last year but could slide back into starting roles. 

However, adding a veteran starter would likely be a wise move for the Reds in 2027. Three impending free agents have ties to the Reds organization and fit what the Reds could want: veteran starting pitching for around $20 million or less a year. 

Kevin Gausman

The Reds claimed Kevin Gausman off waivers from the Atlanta Braves in 2019, and he went on to post a 4.03 ERA in 15 appearances and one start with Cincinnati. Since then, he’s made two All-Star Games for both the Giants and Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 2.81 ERA in 2021 with the Giants and a 3.16 ERA in 2023 with the Blue Jays. 

Gausman was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the most recent deadline, going 4-2 with a 4.83 ERA and helping the Cubs reach the postseason. 

Gausman will be 36 next season. 

Nick Martinez

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Nick Martinez was a top target for Nick Krall last offseason, but ownership pressured him to sign a power hitter, leading to the $15 million-a-year deal with Eugenio Suarez. 

Martinez went on to post a stellar season with the Rays, posting a 3.10 ERA in his age-35 season and making 31 starts. Martinez made 42 starts for the Reds over two seasons, 2024 and 2025, bouncing from the bullpen to the rotation before establishing himself as a starter in 2025. 

He’d be a great fit as a veteran starter for the Reds. Martinez has a mutual $20 million option with the Rays after the 2026 season. 

Tyler Mahle

Mahle began his career with the Reds before the Twins acquired him in 2022 in a deal that sent Spencer Steer to Cincinnati. His best season was 2021, when he posted a 3.75 ERA in 33 starts. He had a 3.59 ERA in 2020 but made just nine starts. 

This signing would remind me of when Cincinnati signed Nick Castellanos in the 2020 offseason. Castellanos blew up in the second half with the Cubs, as Mahle did with the Atlanta Braves, posting a 1.99 ERA in nine starts and allowing just one earned run in 6.1 innings during the Braves' NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.