Hunter Greene trade rumors hint at Reds eyeing offseason blockbuster

Are the Cincinnati Reds looking to trade Hunter Greene this offseason? At least two Reds beat writers seem to think so. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer has been peddling the idea of trading the Reds ace since the middle of the season, and now MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has joined the conversation as well.

Sheldon recently wrote a piece for MLB.com titled Five questions facing the Reds this offseason and one of those inquiries centered around the idea of trading Greene this winter. When asked about the potential of dealing Greene this offseason, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said, "I don’t want to speculate on anybody that’s going to get traded or not get traded at this point."

Obviously Krall's not going to overplay his hand, especially at this stage of the offseason. However, when someone proposes the idea of trading your ace, the typical response might be something more along the lines of, "Are you crazy?"

Reds Rumors: Is Hunter Greene on the trade block this offseason?

Sheldon is usually plugged into the Reds' front office and how Krall and Co. devise to execute their game plan. Prior to the MLB trade deadline this summer, he was one of the few, if not the only media member who mentioned the idea of dealing for Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. Lo and behold, less than 24 hours later, Hayes was on his way to Cincinnati.

The idea of trading Greene, at least on the surface, seems rather bizarre. After all, the right-hander is arguably one of the top starters in the league and is under contract through 2029 at a very affordable price. He's the type of player that most small-market franchises like the Reds cling to until the bitter end.

Greene, however, is not without his flaws. His inability to stay healthy has ruffled a few feathers throughout the fanbase, and one has wonder if those sentiments are felt in the Reds front office as well. Greene's contract may be one of the biggest bargains in all of baseball, but it doesn't amount to much if he's constantly on the injured list.

If the Reds truly looked to deal Greene this offseason, Cincinnati would have to get a haul in return. Starting pitching s a hot commodity, and a player like Greene (on an inexpensive deal) would be coveted by almost every GM throughout the league.

Furthermore, any type of return would have to centered around players who could impact the Reds roster in 2026, not 2029. Cincinnati's front office oftentimes operates with an eye toward the future, preferring to hoard prospects rather than add major league talent. But if Greene were to be moved, it would have to be a win-now type of blockbuster.

The MLB offseason hasn't even begun, but the Reds rumors are already heating up. If Cincinnati wants to make it back to the postseason, and then have success in October, it's going to take a bold move like this to make it happen. Stay tuned, Reds fans.