3 early contract extensions the Reds should pursue

2. Tyler Mahle, Reds pitcher

It’s anyone’s guess as to what the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation will look like in 2022. Cincinnati has two top prospects (Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene) who are likely to join the rotation next season and every single starter currently in the rotation is under team control heading into 2022. The one pitcher who should undoubtedly be in next year’s starting rotation is Tyler Mahle.

Mahle isn’t going to wow you with his stats, but the right-hander has put together a very solid season and has the makeup of a middle-of-the-rotation starter who can be a reliable piece of the Cincinnati rotation for years to come.

Mahle is second on the team in WAR (4.3) this season, trailing only All-Star snub Wade Miley. Among the Reds’ starting pitchers, Mahle is first in strikeouts (174) and WHIP (1.180) and second in ERA (3.64), ERA+ (131), and innings pitched.

For those who want to make the argument of extending Luis Castillo over Tyler Mahle, take these factors into consideration. Mahle is two years younger than Castillo. In fact, La Piedra will be 31 years old upon entering free agency after the 2023 season.

Castillo also holds much more appeal on the trade market. With Lodolo and Green likely to be part of the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation next season, Nick Krall may have to find a new home for one or more of his current starting pitchers. Castillo was rumored to be of interest to several teams last offseason, and you’d think the same would hold true this winter.

Mahle was also not command the type of salary that Castillo would expect. What a contract extension for Tyler Mahle might look like is anyone’s guess. German Marquez, though more accomplished and younger than Mahle, signed a five-year/$43M extension in 2019 might be best comparison for the Reds’ right-hander.