Hunter Greene trade chatter couldn't be more detached from Reds' reality

Hilariously, not even a day after the Cincinnati Reds signed starting pitcher Chase Burns to a seven-year, $105 million deal, the Hunter Greene trade rumors have returned. Have we lost the plot entirely?

MLB.com is arguably the most well known outlet to pitch this foolish idea and recently cited Greene as the Reds' biggest trade chip ahead of the upcoming MLB trade deadline. Frankly, if you're going to be that bold, you might as well dig your heels in all the way and invoke the name of Elly De La Cruz.

Hunter Greene trade talks says more about the narrative than the Reds

These Reds rumors are drummed up on social media, proclaimed as reality by local beat writers, and then disseminated to the masses. Reds fans remember all too well the constant barrage of rumors this past winter linking Greene to teams like the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and others.

Eventually, Reds' president of baseball operations Nick Krall put an end to all the speculation — albeit later than he should have — Greene survived the offseason scuttlebutt, and is currently sitting atop the team's starting rotation. Though Greene's injury history has been troublesome, when he's healthy, the right-hander is arguably one of the top-5 pitchers in all of baseball.

Furthermore, he's on a very team-friendly contract that runs through the 2028 season and includes a club-option for 2029. In total, Greene's deal maintains an average annual value of just $17.5 million over the next three seasons. That's easily half of what he'd be making on the open market, even with the injury issues.

In other words, the Reds have are sitting on one of the best bargains in baseball, and that's not something a small-market franchise like Cincinnati can afford to just trade away.

Furthermore, giving up on Greene — regardless of the return — would effectively mean giving up on De La Cruz as well. The Reds' superstar shortstop is under team control for three more seasons, and Cincinnati would be foolish to trade away one of their frontline starters while having one of the most electric players in the game under arbitration control.

To add another layer to the equation, all signs point to MLB pushing for a salary cap and salary floor during the upcoming collective bargaining negotations. If the two sides include such a salary structure in the new CBA, teams like the Reds would likely have to spend more. So why dump a relatively inexpensive salary like Greene's only to turn around and pay a lesser player the same amount of money?

It's time to officially put the Hunter Greene trade speculation to bed. The flamethrower is not without his flaws — his injury history being chief among them — but his value to the Reds organization goes far beyond anything they'd be able to get in return if they decided to trade him. It's time to put an end to this charade.

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