Reds’ quiet star may push the front office into action sooner than expected

Shortly after the 2024-25 offseason began, the Cincinnati Reds made the unpopular decision to trade Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals. The former NL Rookie of the Year had seen his production tail off in recent years and the Reds, looking for back-of-the-rotation starter, were able to snag Brady Singer in exchange for India and outfielder Joey Wiemer.

Fast-forward to September, and that trade looks like a utter steal on the part of the Reds. India is having the worst statistical season of his career (.234/.325/.341) and Wiemer has a new home with the Miami Marlins. Singer, on the other hand, has turned in his best big-league season to date, and he's become one of the Reds best starting pitchers.

With the offseason just around the corner, president of baseball operations Nick Krall and the Reds front office now have a surprisingly difficult — and somewhat urgent — decision on their hands. Singer's name gets lost amid all the talk of contract extensions, while the likes Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Andrew Abbott dominate the conversation. If the Reds are looking to dish out extensions, however, Singer's name should be near the top of the list.

Brady Singer's breakout in 2025 should trigger contract talks with the Reds' front office

Unlike so many of the Reds' young stars, Singer is only under team control through 2026. Singer will be heading into the final year of his arbitration window, and if the Reds fail to sign him to an extension, the right-hander will enter free agency after next season.

Singer has been dealing this season, and his stats have looked even better since the All-Star break. On the year, the 29-year-old has covered over 150 innings — second behind only Nick Martinez — and owns a 3.94 ERA and 1.236 WHIP. But after getting destroyed by the Washington Nationals in his first post-All-Star start, Singer has gone 6-2 in nine starts with a 2.21 ERA and 3.14 FIP.

He's walked just 15 batters during that span and struck out 56 batters over 53 innings of work. Singer's gone at least six innings in eight of those nine starts and has only allowed four home runs — two of which came on Friday night at Sutter Health Field in Sacramento.

Singer is taking home just under $9 million this season, so any contract extension would have to include an average annual value (AAV) that's a little higher than that. If the Reds offered Singer a three-year deal worth $36 million ($12 million AAV), that might be enough to keep the right-hander in Cincinnati for the next several seasons.

While Reds fans would love to see the ownership make a long-term commitment to the likes of De La Cruz, Abbott, and even Chase Burns, Singer's name can't get lost in the shuffle.

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