Leake curious, but not worrying about trade rumors

CINCINNATI -- Reds pitcher Mike Leake knows he's in a situation that's not unique to his team -- or the starting rotation. Leake, who is arbitration-eligible for the third and final time, is one of four starting pitchers on the club who are a year away from becoming free agents.

It's not yet clear what the Reds might do. They would like to retain Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Leake and Alfredo Simon beyond 2015 but also know budget limitations might prevent it. Speculation has been that one or more of the four could be traded this winter.

"I'm curious. I check MLB Trade Rumors every day just to see what's new," Leake said on Saturday during a break from Redsfest. "There's nothing you can do about it. You sit and wait and see if your name is thrown in a trade."

Leake avoided arbitration last winter and signed a one-year, $5.9 million contract. Although he had an 11-13 record, 2014 was one of his best seasons. He posted a 3.70 ERA, and his 33 starts and 214 1/3 innings were both career highs.

Video: PIT@CIN: Leake fans eight over seven strong innings

As for whether he wants to remain in Cincinnati, Leake seemed non-committal.

"I'll be happy either way," he said. "I won't be upset if they choose to go a different route as an organization. I'll be happy if they have me in their plans. It's all in their hands. I guess I'm kind of kissing their feet right now, waiting for what their decision is."

There have been no talks as of yet between Leake's agent and the club.

"I haven't heard anything and I haven't tried to approach it," Leake said. "I think we're all kind of waiting on the [Jon] Lester thing and seeing what he does. Then I think it will start rolling."