Could the Reds pull off a blockbuster trade for Rays starter Tyler Glasnow?

It's no secret that the Cincinnati Reds will be looking to add starting pitching this offseason. Unfortunately for the Reds, almost every other major league team will be doing the same thing.

The free agent market is one way to add players, but that's typically not a road the Reds travel down very often. The last time Cincinnati ventured down that path they were left with Shogo Akiyama and Mike Moustakas.

But trades have been one way the Reds have looked to improve their roster over the years, and it may behoove Cincinnati to go that route this offseason. In terms of starting pitchers to target this offseason, there may not be a better option than Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow.

Could the Reds pull off a blockbuster trade for Rays starter Tyler Glasnow?

Tyler Glasnow missed the start of the 2023 season with an oblique injury. Glasnow had already missed most of the 2022 season following Tommy John surgery in 2021. But the right-hander was able to return for the Tampa Bay Rays' playoff run in 2022.

Glasnow appeared in 21 starts for the Rays last season while posting an ERA of 3.53 and a WHIP of 1.083. Glasnow covered 120 innings while striking out 162 batters.

So why in the world would the Rays want to part with Glasnow? In case you don't know how Tampa Bay's front office works, president of baseball operations Erik Neander is oftentimes known to move on from players before they become too expensive.

The Rays have done this in the past with players like Willy Adames, David Price, Chris Archer, and others. Might they do so again with Tyler Glasnow? The 30-year-old is in the final year of his two-year extension and will be paid $25-million in 2024 according to Spotrac.

Glasnow checks a lot of boxes and has ace-level stuff. According to Baseball Savant, Glasnow among the 95th percentile or higher in strikeout-rate and whiff-rate. The right-hander also has a 50.9-percent ground ball-rate.

Trading for Tyler Glasnow would not come cheap, and likely cost the Reds at least one Top 100 prospect. The Tampa Bay Rays are known to be very shrewd operators when it comes to trading players, so there's always a risk.

But if there's any team in Major League Baseball who has an abundance of talent in its minor leagues, it's the Cincinnati Reds. If the Reds are in win-now mode, securing a superstar pitcher like Glasnow would greatly improve the club's chances of contending in 2024.