MLB Rumors: Hunter Greene, Reds Agree to 6-Year, $53M Contract Extension

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly have their ace for the foreseeable future.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the National League Central team agreed to a six-year, $53 million contract extension with right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene. The contract, which features a seventh-year option, is the first guaranteed deal on the books for Cincinnati beyond the 2023 campaign.

Passan explained the new deal buys out two years of his free agency and, if the Reds pick up the option year, means he can hit the open market following his age-29 campaign.

The long-term commitment from this front office in particular is notable.

After all, Cincinnati is 26th overall in the league in 2023 payroll with the retired Ken Griffey Jr. as the team's fourth-highest-paid player going into the new season. The National League Central may not have a number of powerhouse teams in it, but that is not a recipe to seriously contend over the course of a long year.

With the 23-year-old Greene in place for seasons to come, Cincinnati can now focus on surrounding him with more talent in an effort to advance past the National League Division Series for the first time since 1995.

The Reds selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft, but it was far from a smooth path to the major leagues. He underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2019 season and then spent 2020 at the team's alternate site. His major league debut came last year after he spent 2021 in the minor leagues.

A fastball that can reach triple-digits stands out, but Passan suggested his slider "may be his most effective pitch."

The dominant results haven't come yet, as Greene finished the 2021 campaign with a 4.44 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 164 strikeouts in 125.2 innings. However, he has flashed his potential a number of times and earned the Reds' Opening Day start this season.

Through four starts this year, he has a 4.24 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 24 strikeouts.

Cincinnati will surely expect Greene's numbers to trend in the right direction over the course of the contract extension, but it finally has a long-term deal in place as it looks to move to the next step of its rebuilding process.