Surprising rankings reveal Reds truly have an embarrassment of riches

When at full strength, it's clear to all that the Cincinnati Reds have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. Before undergoing arthroscopic surgery earlier this spring, Hunter Greene was a favorite for the 2026 NL Cy Young. Tthe only thing holding him back from being a year-in and year-out fixture in that conversation is the lengthy injury history that hasn't allowed him to put together a season of wire-to-wire dominance yet.

With that said, if Greene were alone at the top of the Reds' rotation, the club would be in trouble. Instead, Cincinnati isn't panicking because of the high-end hurlers that litter the big league roster and minor league system.

How good are the other starters? Well, in a ranking of MLB's aces by The Athletic (subscription required), the Reds had three pitchers show up in the top-50. Greene came in at No. 14, with the injury issues cited as the big reason he wasn't ranked even higher. The surprise comes with Nick Lodolo (No. 26) edging out Andrew Abbott (No. 35) as the second-most highly regarded Reds starter.

Nick Lodolo & Andrew Abbott help form the Reds three-headed monster

Admittedly, there are some wonky things in these rankings. Greene is rightfully held back by his injury concerns, but Lodolo's lengthy injury — one that just got longer — seems to generate no such worry in the minds of the insiders who compiled these rankings. Still, injuries aside, it's hard to see why he beat out Abbott when most fans see it the other way around.

After all, Abbott debuted in 2023 with 21 starts and a 3.87 ERA and has only gotten better since then, lowering his ERA a full run in 2025 versus his rookie season. Lodolo has a ton of talent and a lot of noise in his pre-2025 results due to all the time missed, but has only put together one healthy and productive season.

If healthy, Lodolo's funky delivery and quality four-pitch arsenal can be devastating against both lefties and righties. The 28-year-old ranks ahead of some impressive hurlers, too. He beat out Ranger Suarez (No. 32), who just signed a five-year, $130 million contract this winter. He also shares the No. 26 spot with Dylan Cease, who landed a seven-year, $210 million deal himself over the offseason. If that's the kind of company Lodolo proves to keep, he'll get very expensive to retain, very fast.

Abbott ranking 35th should also make you feel good. While the definition of an "ace" is somewhat subjective, if you use it as a means to refer to a No. 1 starter, his ranking shows he pretty much fits that bill. There are 30 teams in the MLB, so Abbott could already be a No. 1 for a handful of clubs, and he's likely only ascending from here.

When you consider the potential of top prospects Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder, it's not unreasonable to believe that one or both could break through these rankings in the next couple of years. That's the game-changing piece for the Reds.

Cincinnati is already holding three ace-like cards, and with more potentially coming down the pike, the future of the starting rotation is enormously bright and should have fans feeling good about 2026 and beyond.