Reds: 3 veteran free agent relievers Cincinnati should sign right away

1. The Reds should sign Shane Greene to be their closer.

The Cincinnati Reds clearly lack a closer, and yet one of the best in the game is still on the freee agent market. I don’t know what it would take for Bob Castellini and the Reds to bring Shane Greene to Cincinnati, but at this point, what do you have to lose other than the National League Central Division?

Greene was drafted by the New Yankees in 2014 and went to the All-Star Game with the Detroit Tigers in 2019. After being dealt to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline in 2019, Greene’s struggles led manager Brian Snitker to begin utilizing Mark Melancon as the team’s closer. Greene produced solid numbers last season with a 2.60 ERA over 27.2 innings of work.

Greene has 66 career saves to his name. The only player on the Reds current roster to have more is Sean Doolittle (112). Having a veteran right-hander who can keep the ball in the ballpark would be an incredibly valuable commodity for Cincinnati right now. Greene’s 8.3% career walk-rate would be a nice boost to this Reds bullpen as well.

Greene signed a one-year deal with Atlanta last season worth more than $6M, so you’d have to assume that his contract demands are north of $7M and a big reason why her remains unsigned. Greene’s xFIP of 4.75 in 2020, a career-worst, is a bit concerning. Offering Greene anything more than a one-year deal is a fool’s errand, but a one-year/$7.5M contract could secure a proven reliever for this Reds team.