5 starters the Reds could trade for and immediately sign to a contract extension

In January of 2019, the Cincinnati Reds pulled off a trade for then New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray. The Reds acquired Gray and Reiver Sanmartin in exchange for infield prospect Shed Long and a competitve balance pick.

Once the trade was finalized, the Reds immediately inked Gray to a three-year contract extension. The trade, combined with the new deal, gave Cincinnati a frontline starter with cost control for the next several seasons.

With so many young prospects in the farm system, a wide-open payroll for 2024, and a need for starting pitching, might the Reds make a similiar deal this offseason? If so, who might Nick Krall and the Reds front office have in mind?

1. Reds could trade for Royals RHP Brady Singer & sign him to an extension

There were whispers around the MLB trade deadline that the Cincinnati Reds were targeting Brady Singer. Might the Reds and Kansas City Royals reengage in trade talks during the offseason?

Singer is former first-round pick who just turned 27 years old. The right-hander started 29 games last season and posted a ground ball-rate near 50-percent. Both of those factors should bode well for a team like the Reds who are looking to get some length out of their starting rotation while also keeping the ball on the ground.

Singer's ERA, however, has not pretty. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft owned an eye-popping 5.52 ERA in 2023 after posting an ERA of just 3.23 the year prior. The past two seasons combined have seen Singer record a collective ERA of 4.40 and an xFIP of 3.80 according to FanGraphs.

Brady Singer is not a strikeout artist, but he does a fantastic job of keeping the bases clear. Singer owned a walk-rate of just 6.3-percent the past two seasons and 2.42 walks per nine innings pitched. Singer has the makings of solid, middle-of-the-rotation option.