Reds must trade Hunter Greene to give their 2027 season a real chance

We know the idea sounds crazy — if there was ever a time to trade Hunter Greene, it was last offseason, when the Cincinnati Reds' ace was commanding ample attention from across the league.

At that time, he was a 26-year-old with three years (plus a club option) remaining on his team-friendly contract, and was fresh off a two-season stretch having recorded a 2.76 ERA over 258 innings. The haul would have been enormous.

Heck, even dealing him at this year's trade deadline could've brought a future-altering return. Greene made his season debut in July, and though the results weren't terrific, he looked healthy and had struck out 33 over 27⅔ innings. The market for him was there according to various reports, but the Reds held firm once again.

But now, he's a recent recipient of Tommy John surgery, and slated to miss the entire 2027 season. Once he returns, he'll be heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract, owed $16.3 million (plus $21 million in 2029 if his club option is exercised). The Reds won't be able to capture even a fraction of the interest they did just one year ago.

So, if they held firm when his value was at its peak, why trade Greene now? What could the Reds possibly gain from selling low on one of their best players?

Reds must decide between the present and their post-Elly De La Cruz future when discussing Hunter Greene trades

Trading Greene wouldn't be made with the long haul in mind; this is purely a play to maximize the Reds' odds of winning next year. That might sound a little short-sighted on the surface considering they just finished in last place in the NL Central.

But Elly De La Cruz isn't going to be around forever. He's only under team control for three more years and will keep getting more expensive until he reaches free agency. If the Reds want to make any noise in the postseason while he's around, next year might be their best shot to do so. That would require offloading Greene's $15.3 million salary for whatever MLB-ready talent another organization is willing to offer.

In an ideal world, Cincinnati wouldn't be hamstrung by their limited finances and would be able to stash Greene away for a year before unleashing him again in 2028. But that $15 million could go a long way toward fleshing out the roster, especially when it comes to getting De La Cruz some help.

There's a reason MLB Trade Rumors listed Greene as one of their top trade candidates this offseason. It's unlikely that he'll be moved now while recovering from injury, but it might be downright impossible to keep him and compete before he and De La Cruz reach free agency.

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