2 reasons why the Reds should trade for Tyler Glasnow and 2 reasons why they shouldn't

The starting pitcher market is beginning to heat up. This week, Aaron Nola, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson have all inked new deals. But there are several top-of-the-rotation pitchers remaining in free agency.

Eduardo Rodriguez, Sonny Gray, and Blake Snell are the cream of the crop when it comes to free agent pitchers. A step down from those three would be Jordan Montgomery, Seth Lugo, and Marcus Stroman.

But for the Cincinnati Reds, who are notoriously frugal when it comes to free agency, perhaps the best way to land a frontline starter would come through a trade. One pitcher who's said to be available is Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow. Could the Reds and Rays actually work out a deal?

Tyler Glasnow is the ace Reds fans have been clamoring for

Let's get this out of the way first, shall we? If the Cincinnati Reds swing a trade for Tyler Glasnow, he would vault immediately to the top of the rotation. No longer are we discussing mid-tier starters like Nick Martinez and Michael Wacha; Glasnow is a bonafide ace.

The term ace is one that gets tossed about rather flippantly at times, and sometimes is more indicative of a pitcher's standing within his own team rather than a true ace. But make no mistake, Glasnow would be an ace in every sense of the word.

Glasnow's numbers speak for themselves. The 30-year-old made 21 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023 and posted a 3.53 ERA with 162 punch outs over 120 innngs of work. According to Baseball Savant, Glasnow's 33.4-percent strikeout-rate was among the 97th percentile in Major League Baseball last season.

Tyler Glasnow gets strikeouts and ground balls. The right-hander posted a 50.9-percent ground ball-rate, which would play very well in Great American Ball Park. Glasnow's game perfectly fits what the Reds coaching staff is looking for in a frontline starter.