MLB rumors: How Reds could drop bomb on trade deadline with Hunter Greene blockbuster

With rumors surrounding the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the trade deadline on Monday evening, one player that has been getting a lot of attention is starting pitcher Hunter Greene. As the Reds have decisions to make when the trade deadline comes around, this MLB insider gives insight into the team heading into Monday.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic would touch on not only Greene’s chances of being dealt, but also star Elly De La Cruz, and while he believes it’s “difficult” to imagine the latter being traded, the 26-year-old pitcher “might be a different story.” Though emphasizing the word “might,” Green has been “drawing significant interest.”

“They aren’t particularly motivated to trade him, but barring a trade of De La Cruz, a move involving Greene might be their best chance to make an impact at the deadline,” Rosenthal wrote.

What makes Reds’ Hunter Greene “valuable”

Rosenthal would continue talking about the potential of the Reds trading Greene ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, saying that teams covet the years of control, as he’s under contract until 2029, with a team option.

Though up-and-down since coming back from elbow surgery this season (recording a 7.06 ERA in four starts), the insider mentions how his fastball averaging 98.4 miles per hour is an aspect other teams find “valuable.”

Still, Greene is seen at the top of Cincinnati’s starting rotation, as the last two seasons for the pitcher have been impressive, recording a 2.75 and 2.76 ERA, respectively, throwing a total of 301 strikeouts.

Also averaging a 2.29 ERA the past two seasons at Great American Ballpark, a ballpark that considerably favors hitters, the Reds would like to keep him, though the team finds itself last in the NL Central.

Rosenthal would say that while De La Cruz “almost certainly is not going anywhere” at the moment, a trade for Greene could “jumpstart the franchise,” depending on the package. At any rate, it remains to be seen what Cincinnati does at the trade deadline, as Rosenthal lists their best trade candidates with pitchers Brady Singer and Brock Burke, plus Tyler Stephenson,  Nathaniel Lowe, and Eugenio Suarez as options.

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