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Reds Need Starting Pitching: Could the Mariners Be a Trade Partner?
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- Reds Need Starting Pitching: Could the Mariners Be a Trade Partner?
(Stephen Brashear IMAGN IMAGES)
The Cincinnati Reds badly need starting-pitching help. They are down two starters: Hunter Greene's injury will force him to miss most of 2027, and Brady Singer, now a free agent, is gone. The Reds need to add innings to their rotation.
The starters going into next year are Chase Burns, Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder, with left-hander Brandon Williamson also a candidate to slide into the rotation.
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Luckily for Cincinnati, the Reds have a few possible trades to add more starting pitching. The Seattle Mariners have shown interest in trading away starting-pitching depth to add infielders, which is their need right now, and the Reds have plenty of options that could interest them.
The three most likely candidates the Reds could trade for are George Kirby, Emerson Hancock and Logan Gilbert.
Kirby would be the biggest addition, expensive price tag could very well price him out of a potential trade to the Reds. That salary would make him the Reds' highest-paid player in 2027. He also had a down year in 2026 with a 4.33 ERA.
Gilbert would also be a big addition, but he doesn't make much sense as a one-year rental in 2027. It's unlikely the Reds will go all in during the 2027 season, so even if there is a 2027 season, he wouldn't make much sense for Cincinnati.
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Hancock makes the most sense for Cincinnati in terms of price and role. He is under contract through 2030 and had a big 2026 season, posting the best ERA on the starting rotation at 3.57.
He threw a career-high 138 2/3 innings in 2026, after not topping 100 innings in any season from his 2023 debut until then.
Hancock doesn't have an ace ceiling, but he could be a valuable middle-of-the-rotation piece who could take a step forward at just 27 years old.
What the Reds would send in return is what makes this deal very possible. There is a litany of options that make sense for Cincinnati if it wants to make a deal for Hancock.
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Edwin Arroyo is a name that pops out initially. He deserves more opportunities at the big-league level after not impressing in his first stint with the Reds in 2026, when he hit .223 with a .530 OPS. Cincinnati likely would have to add another piece to get a deal across the finish line, but it wouldn't have to part with Steele Hall, Justin Lebron or Tyson Lewis.
Carlos Sanchez, who is outside the Reds' top 10 prospects, has been tearing it up in the Arizona Fall League and could be a name to monitor in a potential deal with the Mariners . It's also worth considering Matt McLain, who could benefit from a change of scenery. McLain and a middle-of-the-road prospect would be an interesting package for the Mariners.
