Reds, Hunter Greene agree to 6-year, $53M contract extension

The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to give pitcher Hunter Greene a contract extension worth $53 million over six years.

The Cincinnati Reds and Hunter Greene have agreed to a contract extension, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. Hunter Greene's contract is worth $53 million over six years, pending a physical. The extension includes a seven-year option that the Reds can pick up for $21 million, according to Passan.

Greene's contract extension puts the pitcher under the Reds' control for two additional seasons. Before agreeing to the extension, Greene was under team control through the end of the 2027 season. The new contract gives Cincinnati the option of keeping Greene on the roster through the 2029 campaign.

Greene had a $730,000 salary for the 2023 season. Greene's extension, which features an average annual value of $8.83 million for the first six years, starts this season.

Hunter Greene’s deal is the first guaranteed salary for Cincinnati beyond the 2023 season. As the Reds’ rebuild kicks into gear, they’re locking in a core that starts with Greene. If the seventh-year option is exercised, Greene will reach free agency after his age-29 season.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 18, 2023

The Reds agreed to give Greene a new contract just 28 starts into his MLB career. The 23-year-old had a 4.44 ERA with 164 strikeouts in 125.2 innings during his 2022 rookie campaign. In four starts this year, Greene has a 4.24 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Cincinnati is hoping that Greene can become one of the best pitchers in baseball. The right-hander is the hardest-throwing starter in the majors. His four-seam fastball has an average velocity of 99.2 miles per hour in 2023, ranking first among all starting pitchers.

The Reds have the fifth-lowest payroll in MLB, according to Spotrac. Greene's contract gives him the second-highest AAV on the team. Joey Votto is the highest-paid player on the roster, by far, with a $25 million salary.

The Reds are 7-9 to start the 2023 season. Cincinnati went 62-100 in 2022. It's been 10 years since the Reds made the playoffs in a 162-game season. Cincinnati last won a playoff series in 1995.