One Reds offseason rumor fans wish came true, but didn't—and it's not Kyle Schwarber

The Cincinnati Reds front office did a good job of putting together a competitive roster for the 2026 season, but there's always that one offseason rumor that fans wish would've come true. For Reds fans, the obvious answer is signing free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, right?

The Reds attempted to lure the hometown star back to his Cincinnati roots, but in the end, their efforts came up short. The Reds reportedly offer Schwarber a five-year, $125 million contract, but he returned to the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal.

But Schwarber is the easy (and obvious) answer. Adding him would've also destroyed the Reds payroll and prevented the front office from making any sort of meaningful upgrades to other areas of the roster. In order to add Schwarber, the Reds would've likely had to trade Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson, and the free agent additions of Caleb Ferguson and Pierce Johnson never would've happened.

Yes, the Reds would've finally secured that middle-of-the-order bat, but at what cost? Furthermore, Cincinnati was able to sign Eugenio Suárez to help fill the void at a reduced rate. While Schwarber is the more accomplished player, reuniting with Geno gave the Reds a big bat in the middle of the lineup at a fraction of the cost.

The correct (and controversial) answer to this hypothetical scenario is actually the trade rumors surrounding All-Star pitcher Hunter Greene. Reds fans will recall that Greene's name was linked to numerous trade rumors throughout the offseason, and the front office did little to quell the noise. Nothing ever materialized, but in light of Greene's recent injury, fans may be wishing it had.

Should the Reds have traded Hunter Greene this offseason?

When he's on the field, Greene is legitimate superstar. Over the past two seasons, Greene is 16-9 with a 2.76 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and a 29.2% strikeout rate. The problem, however, is that Greene has averaged just 22 starts and 129 innings pitched since 2024. Those numbers dwindle even more when you include his 2023 campaign.

Greene battled injuries in 2023 and was able to make just 22 starts. In 2024, he was tracking toward a top-3 Cy Young finish until an elbow injury took him out of action for about six weeks. Last season, Greene was shelved with a groin strain in early-May, but came back after just a three-week absence. The problem persisted, however, and he was out of commission for the bulk of the summer.

Greene reported elbow soreness last week, visited two doctors, received an MRI, and after undergoing surgery, he'll now be out until sometime in July. Andrew Abbott has since been named the Reds Opening Day starter. He'll be joined by Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo, and some combination of Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson.

A player like Greene could've fetched an absolute haul if the Reds attempted to trade him this past winter. He's not only one of the best pitchers in the game, but his contract is extremely affordable and runs through the 2029 season. If Cincy made Greene available, there would've been no shortage of suitors lining up to make a play for the Reds fireballer.

The return for Greene would've rivaled some of the biggest blockbuster trade packages baseball fans have seen over the past decade, and likely would've included both Major League talent and numerous top prospects. In other words, it could've been a deal that would've helped Cincinnati during the 2026 and into the future.

Nevertheless, the Reds made the decision to keep Greene around, and it's probably for the best. If he can return to the mound in short order this season and get back to the dominant force in the rotation everyone knows he can be, the Reds fans will be thankful they have him in the fold.