Reds Could Trade Hunter Greene, Why Nationals Should Go All-In to Acquire Him

Just imagine this for the Washington Nationals starting rotation: A former first-round pick with big-time stuff who is ascending in his career followed by another former first-round pick with big-time stuff who has been one of the game's most dominant young pitchers the past couple of years.

Based on some new information that has come out from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) leading into the trade deadline, the Nationals could make that a reality.

That's because the insider reported that the Cincinnati Reds are considering trading right-handed starting pitcher Hunter Greene. While the Reds "aren't particularly motivated to trade" Greene, Rosenthal stated that they might feel like that is "their best chance to make an impact at the deadline."

Nationals Should Absolutely Be Interested in Hunter Greene

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If that's the case, then Washington should immediately contact Cincinnati to hear their asking price.

Greene is a star, and at the age of 26, pairing him up with Cade Cavalli -- who is 27 years old -- and Connelly Early -- who is 24 years old -- would give the Nationals one of the most talented trios of starting pitchers in baseball.

For those unfamiliar with Greene, he was taken No. 2 overall by the Reds back in the 2017 draft out of high school. He immediately was considered a top 100 prospect in the sport the following year, with MLB Pipeline ranking him No. 21 overall. But he suffered a UCL injury and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. And because the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to COVID-19, his career trajectory was stunted a bit by those two events.

Still, Greene arrived to The Show in 2022 and immediately started flashing his high-end talent. Following some gaudy strikeout numbers during his first two years in the majors, he then put together two dominant seasons in 2024 and 2025 with ERA figures of 2.75 and 2.76, respectively. That earned him an All-Star selection and an eighth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting in 2024.

Beyond the results on the mound, what should make Washington jump at the opportunity to acquire Greene is the team-friendly deal he's currently under. In April 2023, he signed a six-year, $53 million extension with a $21 million club option for 2029. This season, Greene only costs $8.33 million, so the Nationals wouldn't be taking on a ton of overhead for the rest of the year if they traded for him. And when some serious payroll comes off the books following this season, that aligns perfectly with Greene being owed an average of roughly $15.8 million per year across the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

Simply put, Greene not only fits what Washington is trying to do from a win-now perspective this year, but he also is the perfect long-term piece to this puzzle when it comes to how president of baseball operations Paul Toboni should build this roster going forward to improve their starting rotation.

Nationals Would Have to Overlook Injury Concerns

But, it also has to be pointed out that there are some injury concerns with Greene, which is something the Nationals have to weigh when deciding if they are going to ship out the capital that it would take to land someone of his magnitude.

That's because, following his Tommy John procedure in 2019, the injury bug hit Greene again during the 2025 campaign. He dealt with a strained groin that caused him to make only 19 starts over the course of the season. And prior to this campaign getting underway, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs and loose bodies in his throwing arm, which resulted in his first start this year coming on July 4.

Perhaps that has scared Cincinnati. His ERA sits at 7.06 through four starts this season, and knowing they have another young ace in Chase Burns to lead their rotation, the Reds could now decide to move Greene before some more severe issues pop up down the line.

The good thing for Washington is that they have someone on staff who has worked with Greene, as pitching coach Simon Mathews was within Cincinnati's organization for five years, first as a minor league instructor before getting promoted to assistant pitching coach ahead of the 2025 season. That familiarity could be a factor in how the Nationals potentially view Greene, as Mathews has firsthand experience with the Reds star.

Which Prospects Nationals Might Have to Part Ways With

If everything checks out and Washington is interested in acquiring Greene, it's not going to be cheap to pry him away from Cincinnati.

Like Rosenthal reported, the Reds aren't necessarily shopping Greene, but it sounds like he's moveable for the right price. And based on what the Nationals now have in their pipeline, they should be able to catch the attention of Cincinnati.

First, it has to be pointed out who's untouchable. And based on everything surrounding Eli Willits and his ascension to top five prospect status in the sport, he fits that bill. But who else falls into that category isn't clear.

Infielders Ronny Cruz and Devin Fitz-Gerald had sensational starts to the year, but have cooled off. Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are their two-best pitching prospects, but both are out due to injury. Seaver King appears destined for an MLB callup soon, but he's also just one season removed from being considered a disappointment. Gavin Fien has dealt with injuries and has already changed positions. And there is plenty of relief risk when it comes to their other top 30 pitchers.

That's not to say Washington doesn't have star prospects, but it seems like the only slam dunk prospect at this stage of his career is Willits. Because of that, Toboni should consider parting ways with some of his minor leaguers to get an ace like Greene. But beyond that, what the Nationals really should do is trade from both their farm system and their big league roster.

With the Reds set to lose third baseman Eugenio Suarez and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to free agency, would they be interested in a package that lands them Brady House and Luis Garcia Jr.? That would give them two controllable players who could help them win in 2027. Throw in some future talent like right-handed pitcher Landon Harmon (No. 13-ranked prospect), shortstop Coy James (No. 18-ranked prospect) and outfielder Sam Petersen (No. 21-ranked prospect), and that might be enough to get this deal over the finish line without Washington gutting their pipeline.

It's not clear if Cincinnati is truly interested in trading Greene, but if they are, then that is a player who the Nationals should be aggressively looking to acquire before the deadline.

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