It was odd when the Cincinnati Reds ran up against the August 3rd trade deadline and decided not to move veteran righty Brady Singer. The innings-eating machine is set to be a free agent, after all, and had pitched at a well above league-average level for the better part of two months.
It was even more odd when word leaked that the Reds may even decided to issue Singer a Qualifying Offer at season’s end, the one bit of leverage teams can hold over free agents as a way of maybe, maybe keeping them
around for another year.
Well, the news that hit the wires on Wednesday afternoon may help explain both fractions of those decisions.
Hunter Greene, Cincinnati’s mercurial ace, has landed back on the 15-day injured list. The reason? Once again his troublesome right elbow, which once needed Tommy John surgery while in the minors with the Reds and just last March needed a further procedure to ‘clean up’ some things.
Veteran Reds beat Charlie Goldsmith reported that Greene will head to LA to get a ‘second opinion’ from veteran elbow-slicer Dr. Neal El Attrache, which is as ominous as it sounds. Apparently Greene felt discomfort after throwing a bullpen earlier in the week.
As for Singer, well, the Reds need rotation depth now. If this Greene news gets any more ominous, they’re going to need rotation depth next season, too.
Not to jump the gun too much here, but my goodness what a disaster this would be from a roster building perspective. It’s enough to make you wonder just what kind of Voodoo doll is running this franchise’s fortunes.
