Cincinnati Reds Taking A Chance, Extend Pitcher Hunter Greene’s Contract

By Jordan Long

The Cincinnati Reds stand at 7-10, 5.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for 1^st place in the National League Central Division.  They are going to finish up a 3-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight before heading on the road to take on Pittsburgh.  That series is a 4-game set starting  Thursday.  The Reds have agreed to a contract extension with pitcher Hunter Greene.

            Greene is in his 2^nd year with the Cincinnati Reds. Last year he started 24 games for the Reds.  His record was a disappointing 5-13 with an ERA of 4.44.  Greene kept throwing the ball where a hitter could smack home runs, giving up 24.  Those aren’t the best numbers but of course, he was learning how to pitch at the MLB level.

            The best part of Greene’s game was the fact he didn’t give up a lot of walks and struck batters out.  Greene gave up 48 walks and struck out 164.  This year the Reds were eager to see more improvement. Greene started 4 games. In those starts, he lasted 17 innings so far.  There hasn’t been much progress in his game to this point.  Greene hasn’t won or lost a game.  His ERA stands at 4.24.  He still isn’t giving up many free passes with 6 walks.  Greene to this point has more control of his pitches, giving up 1 home run.

            Even though it’s been a slow start for Greene, the Reds agreed to a 6-year, $53 Million contract extension.  He will be paid around $3 million this year but beginning in 2024, his salary increases to an average of around $8.833 million.  The deal also includes a club option for 2029 which could pay him $21 million before free agency.

            According to ESPN.com, Reds’ CEO Bob Castellini said, “The commitment we made to Hunter reflects his commitment to this organization and to our community. He is part of the foundation of young players who will continue to help us build a successful major league team.”

            The Reds are taking a risk on a young pitcher.  Greene is 23 years old.  Once this deal is up he will be 29, entering the prime of his career if he lasts that long.  The Reds are looking for him to become a star for them as a starting pitcher.  Greene needs to learn how to pitch to MLB hitters.  Greene has a lot to prove. At least he has 6 years to do so.  The worst case is he never develops into a better pitcher and the Reds trade him during this new deal.  The Reds are anticipating he becomes the ace of the pitching staff.  Time will tell and hopefully, he will become a pitcher the Reds can count on.