Reds fans might see the best version of Hunter Greene after offseason trade buzz

One of the most annoying parts about the Cincinnati Reds' offseason has been the persistent trade buzz surrounding Hunter Greene. Every time it seems that the rumors have died down, they quickly bubble back up to the surface.

And while trading Greene might be the best way to get an impact bat, the logic just doesn't really hold water. The right-hander is still only 26 years old, is a true ace, and is signed to a team-friendly deal despite his escalating annual salaries. The only true knock on him has been his inability to stay healthy.

One has to imagine how frustrating it has been to hear the rumors as a fan, which probably goes double for Greene. We sometimes forget the mental side of things these athletes go through, and constantly having to hear about how your life could be uprooted and a move to a destination that isn't of your choosing could be on the horizon has got to be frustrating.

Some players have a competitive streak where that kind of stuff actually motivates them to new heights, and that could be the case with Greene. If it is, watch out, because the baseline he's coming from is already elite.

Hunter Greene could take another step forward for the Cincinnati Reds and emerge as a true Cy Young contender in 2026

Greene posted an impressive 2.75 ERA in 2024, proving he was the real deal after two injury-shortened campaigns where he was more potential then performance. He followed that up in 2025 with a nearly identical 2.76 ERA, while also making a couple of key improvements.

Greene raised his strikeout rate from 27.7% in his breakout 2024 campaign to a career-best 31.4% in 2025. He also deceased his walk rate from a slightly elevated 9.3% to a sterling 6.2%, ranking in the 82nd percentile. Once a thrower who relied almost entirely on his power, the Reds' right-hander emerged as a complete pitcher.

While Paul Skenes is the odds-on favorite for the 2026 NL Cy Young, Greene can't be counted out. The 2024 All-Star currently has the fourth-best odds to take home the award behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Christopher Sanchez. Any further improvements on his part could make it an even closer race, and in some ways, Greene might have the best chance of them all.

FanGraphs' Stuff+ metric accounts for a variety of factors to determine how nasty and effective a pitcher's offerings are. Scaled to 100 (which represents league average), it can give us a solid idea of who has the nastiest repertoire in the game.

Greene led all big league starters (min. 100 innings pitched) in Stuff+ last season, and it wasn't particularly close. His 124 mark dwarfed the 116 number recorded by co-runners-up Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet (a couple of brand names, right there). Skenes, who is certainly nasty, came in at a respectable 107, ranking 19th.

At the end of the day, Greene staying healthy is priority No. 1. If that happens, he's already got a shot. If he can further improve, like reducing his slightly elevated home run rate, he'll vault himself further into the rarified air of dominant aces and potentially take home some hardware for his efforts.