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Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Cincinnati Reds should trade All-Star ace Hunter Greene
CLEVELAND – Hot off the presses from the Unsolicited Advice Dept. of the Press Box Wag: The Cincinnati Reds should trade Hunter Greene. No? He's the Reds' ace? He's an All-Star? He's only 25? He throws 100 mph? He's as good as any pitcher in the game? Hunter Greene had to leave the game after throwing two warmup pitches before the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves on May 7. Greene is on the injured list after being put on the IL on June 4. More: Cincinnati Reds' Andrew Abbott goes the distance in 1-0 win over Guardians Advertisement Yes, all of that. All of that is exactly why they should trade him now. And for anyone who wonders how the Reds might win without him: That's the point. Whatever they're doing these days, they're doing it without him. The Reds have a semblance of starting pitching depth, at least compared to having little to no depth just about everywhere else. And assuming Greene's latest IL stint for an apparent mild groin strain and bothersome lower back isn't serious, he could deliver the kind of bidding war that could return a package built around the impact hitter that the team didn't acquire in the offseason – presumably with multiple years of club control. Advertisement That could be the difference maker for a club that still looks a bat short. Never mind the other players that would certainly come back in a deal like that. What's more, it could be a buyer's win-now trade, no matter how much it might look at first glance like a seller's move. Greene, who has a 2.72 ERA in 11 starts this season following an All-Star 2024, is under club control through 2029 on a contract that has $40 million in 2026-28 salary left, in addition to what would be left of this year's $6.3 million plus a $21 million club option for '29. That's a potential bargain for a triple-digit All-Star starter and might even be less than Pittsburgh's budding superstar Paul Skenes makes in that same stretch by the time the Pirates (or whoever makes a trade with the Pirates) get done paying him arbitration salaries. Advertisement And that could make Greene the most valuable player available during this summer's trading season. If the Reds make him available. It's not that Greene isn't valuable to the Reds, too. But their competitive window to win a trophy more significant than the Ohio Cup is now. Their best chance anytime soon is probably these next two-plus seasons with Hall of Fame-bound manager Terry Francona running things. And Greene can't beat the Mets or the Yankees or the Dodgers if he doesn't pitch against them. When it comes to a player's health and injury status, it's not fair for anyone to play a doctor in the media, in the bleachers or in the locker stall next to the player and try to parse the reasons or severity. Advertisement It doesn't matter anyway. When Greene headed to Los Angeles this week to seek a second opinion after an MRI apparently revealed nothing more severe than the Grade 1 groin strain that sidelined him for 20 days in May (based on what team officials said), it all but assured he will fail to reach 30 starts in a season for the fourth time in four full seasons in the majors. His career high is 26 starts, last season, when he also reached a career high with 150 1/3 innings. If this stint on the IL stretches much beyond the minimum 15 requisite days, he might be hard-pressed to reach either of those figures this year. Advertisement On the other hand, if his injuries are not more serious than the initial indications, then the Reds should be able to leverage Greene's highest career value in a trade. Logo for Gordon Wittenmyer column Press Box Wag What will they do without him? Same thing they've done so far without him. Entering this week's series finale in Cleveland, the Reds are 14-10 when Greene has been on the IL. They're under .500 in their other games. And this: Veteran Wade Miley made his first start back from Tommy John surgery on Monday and earned his first MLB win since 2023 with five innings of competitive work. Wade Miley pitched five serviceable innings in his first start as a Red following his Tommy John surgery, a 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians June 9. 'To be fair to him, I think he has a chance to be better because he hasn't pitched, and his rehab was all over the map,' Francona said, referring to rainouts and pitch-count issues during Miley's stretch of minor-league games to prep for his big-league return. Advertisement 'He's shaking off some rust,' the manager said. 'But he's pretty good. I'm telling you, he competes. There's a reason he's still pitching.' In addition to Miley, top prospect Chase Burns – last year's No. 2 overall pick – just got promoted to Triple-A Louisville after dominating at Double-A Chattanooga, which puts him on the verge of a big-league debut. And even looking ahead, their No. 7 overall pick from 2023 – Rhett Lowder – could be back from an oblique injury by the end of the season. He had a 1.17 ERA during a six-start debut last season. As crazy as it might sound, the Reds might have enough pitching to reach the playoffs. Maybe do damage. Advertisement But they might not have enough of everything else. Which makes Hunter Greene a possible answer to the franchise's 30-year drought of postseason success. Just not the way anybody might have imagined when the season began. He said it 'You better believe it. Do whatever it takes, man. He was looking for a little help. I gave it to him. We're in this together, man. I'll do whatever.' *Francona, when asked after Monday's game if it was true he kissed the barrel of Christian Encarnacion-Strand's bat before CES delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly in a victory. The Big Number: 30 That's the number of fluid ounces the silver Ohio Cup holds, according to scientific experiments conducted by Reds players after reacquiring the coveted award for winning the Cleveland-Cincinnati season series. Advertisement 'It holds 2 1/2 12-ounce Coors Lights,' center fielder TJ Friedl said. 'You do the math.' The Reds, who hadn't possessed the traveling trophy since 2014, did plenty of the math after Monday's season-series clincher over the Guardians, judging by the empties on the table around the trophy. 'It was great when they rolled that trophy in here on that cart,' Friedl said. 'It was like, 'Oh, it's real. It's right there.' ' Did you know? When the Reds beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 in 10 innings in the opener of their weekend sweep at home, they secured not only their first victory in six extra-inning games this season but also their first extra-inning run. Advertisement Wow. One of those five extra-inning games before the DBacks game was an 11-inning affair, which means the Reds went six consecutive tries this year without scoring after starting a frame with a free runner at second. That's hard to do, considering runners at second with nobody out historically score more than half the time. Did we say wow? This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds should trade ace Hunter Greene | Press Box Wag
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Elly De La Cruz's solo home run (14)
Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson on winning Ohio Cup/Frank Robinson Most Outstanding Player Cincinnati Reds OF Will Benson, a 2016 first-round pick of the Guardians, went 9-for-19 with four homers against his former team to win Ohio Cup MOP. 1:30 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Will Benson wins Most Outstanding Player in Reds' series win over former squad
CLEVELAND — With his tongue firmly in his cheek, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona refers to the Ohio Cup as 'America's Cup,' to play up the meaninglessness of the trophy given to the annual series between the Reds and their in-state rival Cleveland Guardians. Francona has twice raised the Commissioner's Trophy, the award given to the winners of the World Series, so his six Ohio Cup victories may not make it to his plaque that will one day hang in Cooperstown, N.Y. Advertisement After the Reds clinched the Cup for the first time since 2014 on Monday, Francona joked that it was 'bigger' than the Stanley Cup. While the Guardians and Reds aren't exactly fierce rivals, it is a fun diversion during the season, a nice thing to have, but it's not like it means anything after the season. 'I think you try to make everything — not try — not that you want to be silly, but I think guys play better when they're enjoying what they're doing,' Francona said before Wednesday afternoon's Ohio Cup finale. 'There's a difference between just showing up and being silly and having fun or trying to enjoy seeing how good you can be. That, to me, I get a kick out of that. Then, if you can lower the temperature sometimes, I think that helps.' The Reds hadn't won the Ohio Cup outright since 2014, when Francona was in his second season managing Cleveland. The Reds won five of their six meetings against the Guardians, falling 11-2 in Wednesday's series finale. The cup, which was at the center of the Reds' clubhouse following Monday's game, isn't the only trophy awarded in the matchup of the two teams. Also handed out is the Frank Robinson Most Outstanding Player Award, renamed after the Hall of Famer who started his career in Cincinnati and finished his playing career (and then began his managerial career) in Cleveland. Once the Reds won their fourth game in the series on Monday, it seemed safe to send the plaque to the engravers and get Will Benson's name etched on it, even if the actual plaque given to the MOP doesn't have the winner's name on it. In the first four games of the series against his old team, Benson was 8 for 15 with four home runs and eight RBIs. In the Reds' sweep of Cleveland at Great American Ball Park, he had a home run in each of the three games, including two in the finale. Monday, he was 2 for 3 with an RBI. And then Tuesday, Andrew Abbott threw the Reds' first nine-inning shutout since former MOP Wade Miley's no-hitter against Cleveland in 2021. On May 18 in Cincinnati, Abbott threw five shutout innings, allowing four hits and three walks with five strikeouts. With Tuesday's performance, Abbott went 2-0 with 14 scoreless innings, seven hits allowed, four walks and 11 strikeouts against the Guardians in two starts. Suddenly, there's a debate for the MOP. Advertisement The debate started among media members Wednesday morning (and would be settled by media members from Cleveland and Cincinnati on Wednesday afternoon by vote): Who was more outstanding in the series, Abbott or Benson? Player A threw 14 scoreless innings, helping the Reds win two games. Player B not only had four homers and went 9 for 19, but also drove in all three runs in a 3-1 victory in Player A's first start, and then scored the only run in Player A's 1-0 win Tuesday night. Benson scored in all five games he played against the Guardians. Neither Benson nor Abbott appeared in Wednesday's Guardians victory. Before the game, several players were asked which player deserved the MOP. 'Hitter,' Steer said before asking, 'who is it?' Steer added, 'Hitting is harder.' In the next locker, second baseman Matt McLain nodded in agreement. 'Abbott did win us a game single-handedly yesterday,' Steer noted. Around the room, most of the pitchers said they'd go with Abbott, as did catcher Jose Trevino and Nick Krall, the team's president of baseball operations. Tyler Stephenson, who caught Abbott's shutout on Tuesday, was conflicted. When Francona was polled, he said, 'Can you split it?' Reds starter Wade Miley, who owns a MOP plaque, asked the same thing. 'The biased part of me wants to say give that (award) to Abbott,' said Miley, who earned the win Monday. 'But (Benson), I was watching, and he was on a tear. I don't know, that's your decision to make. I don't think you can go wrong, I don't think anyone's feelings will be hurt.' Abbott, for his part, chose Benson, noting that if he'd gone at least six innings in the first start, he'd feel better about himself. 'You know what, I'm going to leave it to y'all to decide,' Benson said. 'There's no wrong answer there. Does the winner get something?' Advertisement A plaque, he was told. As Benson was being interviewed, Abbott walked by him and was told Abbott voted for him, so he said he'd throw his vote to Abbott. 'I want that playoff trophy,' Benson said. 'If it's a tradeoff, I'll give this one to Abbott, and then I'll take the (World Series) MVP trophy. If you guys vote on it… just let me know.' The media did vote, and Benson was the winner. Since the trophy was first awarded in 2008, Benson became the fifth recipient to have played for both teams, joining Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Trevor Bauer and Tyler Naquin. All five played for Cleveland first, and Benson and Naquin are the only ones to win it as Reds. Benson, who was traded to Cincinnati before the 2023 season, said he has no animosity toward Cleveland and is more grateful than anything that they sent him somewhere where he could play and continue to grow as a player. 'I've got some old friends, friends that I'll have long after this game is done,' Benson said after Wednesday's loss and official announcement. 'It's a blessing and honor to share the field with them and to put on a series like I did is just icing on the cake.'
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Guardian's Carlos Santana delivers vintage blast to clinch Ohio Cup after 15 years of debut
Image Source: Getty Carlos Santana blew a memorable night for Guardians fans after 15 years since his Major League debut. The veteran first baseman slammed a third-inning grand slam to help propel Cleveland to an 11-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the final game—and bragging rights—of the 2025 edition of the Ohio Cup. Cleveland, now 35–32, was able to leapfrog other teams while Cincinnati dropped to 35–34. Carlos Santana's grand slam fuels explosive third inning The offense broke out after the Guardians were down 1–0, headed to the bottom of the third. Carlos Santana then stepped to the plate with a set of bases loaded and obliterated a grand slam, changing the course of the game in an instant as they put Cleveland ahead 4–1. On this 15th anniversary of his debut, his blast to right-center sent Progressive Field into a frenzy — a reminder of both his legacy and the value of his second act. Cleveland got another two in the fourth and four more in the sixth to complete the rout. The night earned Santana four RBIs, and all of them were delivered from that singular iconic swing. It was his first grand slam since returning to Cleveland this year and one of the oldest in franchise history to hit one. Cleveland Guardians dominate as pitching and hitting align The Cleveland offense battered Cincinnati for 13 hits and 11 runs, while their pitching limited the Reds to 5 hits and 2 runs. Cincinnati managed runs in the third and fifth innings, with no serious rally, however. The Guardians were equally as sharp defensively, not committing an error. This win not only broke a five-game losing streak against the Reds, but also prevented them from sweeping the Ohio Cup series. They were the kind of Guardians we saw basking in the glow of the postseason last year, relentless up and down the lineup, and a confident bullpen slamming the door shut by the end of the night. Also Read: MLB stars Carlos Santana, Julio Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, and Amed Rosario attend NBA match during the off-season Carlos Santana's grand slam wasn't just a highlight; it was a message. At age 39, and 15 years into his MLB journey, he remains a game-changer. For Cleveland, that's more than nostalgia—it's fuel for a postseason run.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
How Cincinnati Reds plan to seal Ohio Cup dominance with final win over Cleveland Guardians
Cincinnati Reds (Image Source: Getty Images) The Cincinnati Reds have a chance to wrap up their most overwhelming season series against the Cleveland Guardians in more than a decade on Wednesday, as the finale of the three-game set at Progressive Field also offers the chance to sweep the Guardians and win the Ohio Cup. Nick Lodolo, a left-handed starting pitcher, will get the ball to start the game on behalf of the Cincinnati Reds, and he will have a heavy burden to bear as his team tries to continue their astonishing five-game winning streak and, at the same time, make a statement by defeating the Cleveland Guardians, which would be their first season series win over them since 2014. Nick Lodolo faces crucial test against Cleveland Guardians offense Nick Lodolo faces crucial test against Cleveland Guardians offense (Image Source: Getty Images) Nick Lodolo will take the mound on Wednesday in the rubber match against the Cleveland Guardians with mediocre success, going 1-1 with a troubling 6.30 ERA in two career starts against their Ohio opponents. The left-hander has to snap his history of not performing well against the Cleveland lineup, especially with José Ramírez still in his stellar form as he enters the game with a 36-game on-base streak in which he has registered a .388 batting average with seven home runs and 18 RBIs since April 30th. On the other side, the Cleveland Guardians present Logan Allen, who also has a good morale in his last match against the Cincinnati Reds two years ago, where he pitched six shutout innings to claim the win. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Simple. Clean. Solitaire Play Solitaire Download Undo The fact that Allen is 3-4 with a 4.42 ERA this year indicates that he is vulnerable, and the Cincinnati Reds' offence will look to take advantage of that, given that Spencer Steer has been hitting in the clutch as of late despite his low season average of .230. Andrew Abbott 's dominance sets stage for Cincinnati Reds championship moment Andrew Abbott has become the face of the Ohio Cup effort by the Cincinnati Reds, and he has stampeded his way to the top of the contention for the Frank Robinson Most Outstanding Player Award with his perfect 2-0 record and 14 scoreless innings pitched in two starts against the Cleveland Guardians this year. The three-hitter he threw Tuesday night in a 1-0 win not only gave him his first career complete game, but also showed the depth in pitching that has helped the Cincinnati Reds to their present five-game winning streak. Psychologically, the effects of the masterpiece by Abbott could not be overstated because it was the first time the Cleveland Guardians were blanked 1-0 at Progressive Field since August 9, 2023, by the Toronto Blue Jays. That supremacy has seen the Cleveland Guardians lose back-to-back home series in the first since August 2023, piling more pressure on Stephen Vogt to ensure his team does not suffer the embarrassment of being swept in the season. Where to watch: Wednesday's series finale between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians will be broadcast live on Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Also Read: Yankees give big update on Giancarlo Stanton after injury kept him out all season It might not seem like much, but the quest of the Cincinnati Reds to win the Ohio Cup is not merely about bragging rights in the Buckeye State rivalry; it would also crown their most successful season against an American League Central Division team in a long time. With Terry Francona's team displaying championship-quality pitching and timely hitting in this series, the final game of this series on Wednesday will provide the dramatic finish that the Ohio baseball fans want, and it may also crownthe Cincinnati Reds as the best professional baseball team in the state.
