The Reds’ good rotation has been a big reason for the team’s return to the playoffs in 2025, and rival teams have seen this talent and depth. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes that Cincinnati is still receiving trade inquiries about the starters, and while the Reds “remain open to the possibility if a return improves it now and in the future,” this high asking price could scare off a lot of buyers.
Sure, not much has changed in the ballpark since October, when baseball president Nick Krall said he “wouldn’t rule out” the idea of dealing with turnovers. As Krall adds, however, “if you trade jars you have to go (back) and fill them somehow. We all know how it works, where you run out of innings at some point in the season, guys get hurt, things happen.”
A few weeks later, both Krall and manager Terry Francona again downplayed the idea Hunter Greene in particular it will be available at the right price, Krall notes “That’s tough to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to trade a guy who has a chance to be the ace of your staff and the best guy going into the postseason.’ We’re looking to figure out how we can be better, but right now that’s off the table.”
Continuing that thread, Rosenthal writes that “rival clubs doubt their big arms are really available,” referring to Greene, Nick Lodoloagain Andrew Abbott. Greene is signed to an extension through at least the 2028 season, Lodolo has two years of arbitration control, and Abbott is controlled through 2029 and has a year to reach arbitration eligibility. Brady Singer has been widely talked about as a potential trade chip since he is a free agent next season, but Rosenthal feels the Reds would want both an MLB-ready starter and a bat for Singer’s services, which seems like a tall order.
While Cincinnati’s rotation was good in 2025, the team has been down since then. Nick Martinez again Zack Littell they are free agents. Chase Burns is one of baseball’s top prospects and has been penciled in as the fifth starter for 2026, as well as another top 100 prospect Chase Petty it’s in the mix. Outside of these top six starters, however, the Reds have very little depth but many injury-related question marks. Forearm and oblique problems are limited Rhett Lowder to 9 1/3 minor league innings and no time in the majors last year, and Julian Aguiar again Brandon Williamson he missed all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
According to Krall, the mantra of “you can never have enough pitching” alone may be enough to make the Reds wary of trading any starters and eliminate the team’s obvious strengths. On the flip side, moving a starter (even one of the top three arms) for a premium return would allow Cincinnati to address a number of program holes, especially among the team’s roster.
The Reds haven’t done much to improve their middle offense, as the team has added JJ Bleday again Dane Myers while trading Gavin Lux. Cincinnati’s pursuit Kyle Schwarber it was an outfield based on Schwarber’s status as a local product, so the team’s limited payroll will likely prevent any other major spending unless some money is taken off the books (ie Singer’s $12.75MM salary for 2026). For now, the Reds are relying heavily on in-house development for program help, a risky endeavor in the increasingly competitive NL Central.
