Hunter Greene Linked in MLB Trade Rumors amid Buzz on Yankees, Potential Landing Spots

The Cincinnati Reds' Hunter Greene might be on a growing list of starting pitchers the New York Yankees are considering targeting this offseason.

The Athletic's Brendan Kuty reported Thursday there has been "widespread interest" in Greene amid the Yankees' bid to add to the front of their rotation.

The report comes the day after The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon named the Yankees as one of the teams interested in the Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta.

The Yankees have also been tied to free agent pitcher Michael King, who spent five seasons with the franchise between 2019 and 2023. The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote back in November that bringing King back "is a real possibility" for the Yankees.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said in November that trading Greene was "not on the table" after the 26-year-old went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 19 starts and 107.2 innings last season.

The Yankees could potentially hope to change Krall's stance with a strong trade offer. Kuty noted "the Yankees have highly regarded pitching talent that could be used in a potential trade."

Four the Yankees' top prospects according to MLB Pipeline are pitchers, including top-100 prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez.

Yankees general manager general manager Brian Cashman said earlier this week, however, that the trade market has been "tough so far" this offseason.

"I don't like the asks coming our way, and I guess the opposing teams don't like what I'm trying to pull from them on the trade stuff," Cashman said Wednesday, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Cashman continued: "There's a lot of time on the board, and there's a lot of inventory still there. A lot of possibilities are in play."

The Yankees could use some rotation help given that Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole will all be sidelined for the start of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery this year.

The Yankess expect Rodon to return in April or May, and Cole to come back in May or June, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Schmidt is meanwhile aiming to return after the 2026 All-Star break next July.

Adding a pitcher like Greene or Peralta, each of whom have eaten more than 100 innings in each of their last three seasons, could be key to bolstering the Yankees rotation until their incumbent starters return.