Could Greene's days in Cincinnati be numbered? He doesn't think so

CINCINNATI -- An anticipated marquee pitching matchup between Hunter Greene and Paul Skenes wound up having both stars experience trouble finding grooves early. By the time both pitchers were finished for the night on the way to a wild 8-7 Reds win over the Pirates, only one question really mattered for the time being.

Will Greene get to make another start in a Reds uniform?

In recent days, buzz has increased about Greene ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. With so few elite pitchers seemingly on the market, he has become an attractive option because of his talent, but also because he's under contract for two more seasons at a reasonable cost.

Shaky in the opening two innings, Greene finished six innings in a no-decision, as he allowed four runs and seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Did he think it could have been his last outing for Cincinnati?

“No, I don’t," Greene replied. "I have nothing to say about that. I have no control over any of this. I’m not on the business side.”

Greene is due to make $15 million in 2027, $16 million in 2028 and has a $21 million club option for 2029 with a $2 million buyout. As he noted, he lacks control of the situation. But is that in itself something difficult to deal with?

"No. Because I can’t do anything about it," said Greene, who was the second overall selection by Cincinnati in the 2017 Draft. "Obviously, I’ve grown to have a strong connection with the city, with the fan base, with my teammates here, with the staff over the years. But to rack my brain over something I can’t control and to put energy and put stress into it? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Greene's top of the first inning saw him throw 22 pitches, but he threw equal amounts of balls and strikes (11 each) and while he didn't seem sharp, neither did his defense. After a one-out single, second baseman Matt McLain briefly bobbled a Bryan Reynolds grounder. McLain got the force play, but an inning-ending double play wasn't turned.

Greene walked Esmerlyn Valdez before Ryan O'Hearn grounded behind first base. Greene didn't cover the bag in time and O'Hearn beat Sal Stewart there for a single. That set up Nick Gonzales for a two-run single to center field and a 2-0 Pirates lead.

Stewart later helped the Reds win with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, before hitting a game-tying two-run single and scoring the winning run in the eighth.

“I was late getting over to first," Greene said. "That put [Stewart] in a sticky situation when trying to feed that ball to me. I’m just really happy and proud of him, continuing to stay in the fight and be productive.”

The Reds lineup took advantage of a very wobbly four-inning, five-run performance from Skenes to keep Greene in the game.

“It was a rollercoaster ride from the first pitch to the last pitch," Greene said. "The boys did a good job of continuing to fight in their at-bats, continue to push.”

Greene surrendered a two-out solo homer to right field on a first-pitch slider to Jake Mangum in the second inning, but then retired seven of his next nine. Greene saw his lead shrink after a double and single to open the fifth inning led to a Valdez sacrifice fly, but he retired his final six batters in a row.

“I thought he was real good. In fact, I thought about sending him back out for the seventh," manager Terry Francona said of Greene. "I just thought with a one-run lead, if the first kid gets on -- Mangum -- I don’t want him to face [Brandon] Lowe. If we do that, then [reliever Sam] Moll has to face their cleanup hitter.”

Greene, who turns 27 on Thursday, didn't debut this season until July 4 after he had March arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Instead of an anticipated turbo boost for Cincinnati, the results have been mixed. He is 2-2 with a 6.83 ERA in five starts, but with only two quality outings. His second start of the season was his best with seven scoreless innings and 12 strikeouts in a win over the Cubs on July 10.

Interested contenders will have to weigh that ability to stifle opponents with his recent inconsistency and concerns about durability that he's shown since his 2022 big league debut. Meanwhile, the Reds must weigh whether they can return to contender status in 2027 with Greene part of their rotation or aim for a strong enough trade return that helps them achieve their goals.