Details of Tyler Mahle's deal with Giants just validated Reds' offseason philosophy

Former Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle signed with the San Francisco Giants earlier this week, and will now be pitching for his third team in four years. The Reds traded Mahle to the Minnesota Twins in 2022, and after an injury-plagued 2023 season, he joined the Texas Rangers on a two-year deal. Mahle put up good numbers in 2025, but injuries were a concern once again.

Mahle's agreement with the Giants is for just one season, but according to New York Post columnist Jon Heyman, the deal is worth $10 million. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN revealed that if Mahle hits certain performance-based bonuses in 2026, the deal could be worth close to $13 million.

That is quite the payday for a pitcher who only appeared in 16 games last season and hasn't crossed the 100-innings plateau since 2022. It's also validation for the Reds' bullheaded stance this offseason, as they've consistently resisted the idea of trading from their abundance of young starters.

Tyler Mahle's deal with Giants further illustrates how valuable young, controllable pitching can be for the Reds

Many Reds fans don't understand why the front office is hesitant to trade one of their starting pitchers in order to bolster the lineup. It's a fair point. Cincinnati has seven or eight pitchers who could be considered quality starters next season, but their lineup is lacking — especially in the power department.

Cincinnati ranked 21st in home runs and slugging percentage last season, and if trading one of their starters could bring back a top-flight bat, most fans would probably be perfectly content to see the Reds make such a deal. A pitcher like Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Hunter Greene, or Rhett Lowder would surely bring back a middle-of-the-order bat in return, right?

But then the Reds would have to figure out how to backfill the rotation. Don't forget that Nick Martinez started 26 games for the Reds last season, and Zack Littell chipped in with another 10. Both Carson Spiers and Wade Miley logged two starts apiece before landing on the 60-day IL, and even Chase Petty started a pair of games for Cincinnati in 2025.

Furthermore, with Lowder coming off injury, he's unlikely to be available throughout the entire 2026 season. The same can be said for Chase Burns, who logged a collective 99⅓ innings of work last season. While both Brandon Williamson and Julian Aguiar are expected to be back on the field this spring, they're both recovering from Tommy John surgery, so there's no telling how effective they'll be.

So while the Reds do indeed have a deep starting rotation, they're one injury away from total disaster. Greene, Abbott, Lodolo, and Burns all saw time on the IL last season, and it's almost unheard of nowadays for an entire starting rotation to make it through a 162-game season unscathed.

If a backend starter like Mahle is making $10 million in 2026, the Reds are perfectly justified in their line of thinking. There's no reason to trade from their surplus arms, and if Cincinnati is looking to bolster their lineup through a trade this offseason, they should turn their attention to the farm system instead.