The one move the Reds didn’t make could define their season

The Cincinnati Reds are still waiting to hear the results from Hunter Greene's MRI. The team's presumed Opening Day starter is now likely now begin the season on the IL, and depending on the severity of the injury, he could be out of action for several months.

Greene's name came up early and often in trade rumors during the offseason, but once those were dismissed, the media turned their attention to Brady Singer. At the time, he was team's highest-paid player, as Cincinnati had yet to add Eugenio Suárez to the roster.

The idea behind a Singer trade was to shed his $12 million salary for the upcoming season while at the same time adding a power bat to the lineup. Ultimately, nothing came to fruition, the front office splurged to bolster the lineup with the addition of Suárez, and and Singer will likely be part of the Reds rotation during the first weekend of the 2026 season.

The Reds would be regretting a Brady Singer right about now

And thank goodness for that. Had the Reds actually decided to trade Singer, and then lost Greene to injury, who knows what the starting rotation would look like at the moment. While Reds fans are excited about the organization's young hurlers like Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder, and rightfully so, those same fans saw how quickly things unravelled last season.

Even with Brandon Williamson and Julian Aguiar on the 60-day IL, Cincinnati's rotation depth wasn't bad last year. But a rash of early-season injuries still required the team to give unprepared rookie starter Chase Petty an audition, carry Wade Miley for three games, and call up Burns midway through the season.

Singer was the Reds' most reliable starter in 2025. He started a team-high 32 games last year and nearly recorded 170 innings pitched, all the while posting a respectable 4.03 ERA. The Reds are counting on more of the same from him during the upcoming season.

Fans tend to focus on the top-tier arms and elite-level bats, but a sturdy and reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter can be just as crucial to a team's success. That's especially true when your top-tier arms are injury-prone.