Is the Reds' rotation actually good?

Hope springs eternal...

I wrote my first column of the year over at Cincinnati Magazine this week as I begin my twelfth season covering the ol’ Redlegs for the Mother Ship. And I’ll go ahead and warn you: I got optimistic again.

It was inevitable, friends. It’s spring in Reds Country, so here we go again: We open our hearts to the possibility of a miracle…and brace for the heartbreak that inevitably arrives by the All-Star break. But let me say something I haven’t uttered in a decade: I’m legitimately excited about this starting rotation. Seriously.

Let’s start with the main event: Hunter Greene, your official 2025 Opening Day starter and the walking, talking embodiment of “next-level.” The kid — he’s still a kid! — can throw 102 mph, sure, but I’m not sure most Reds fans understand just how good he was last season — especially down the stretch. He found yet another gear on that already-jet-fueled fastball, and, for the first time, began to discover the magic behind his elusive splitter/doohickey/change-thingamajig. He was, as the kids say, calm-cool-collected in a rotation that’s mostly been panic personified since — well, has it really been since Johnny Cueto?

Greene also hints that the future should be about real wins, not moral ones. “I don’t need outside motivation,” he said at the end of last season, after finishing as one of the best second-half pitchers in the National League. “I’m working my tail off.” I dunno, when you’re an All-Star who can throw 102 mph and still talk about more work to do, I say that’s a kid with a sense of destiny. At the very least, he’s saying the right things. I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store. This could be the year. Cy Young Award, even?

If Greene is the blinding spotlight, Nick Lodolo is the quirky but beloved supporting actor — when he’s actually on the mound, that is. He spent much of last year either wearing down from a blister or battling an unpronounceable elbow strain (or was it the leg? the finger? the other leg?), all leading to too many days off. But dare I say that he looks pretty good this spring?

When Lodolo pitched in 2023, he was often unhittable, piling up K’s like my daughter racking up tickets at the Mr. Gatti’s Skee-Ball machine. In 2024, he flashed brilliance again before the injuries piled up. If he stays upright and throwing that wipeout curve, I’m just going to go ahead and say it: he and Greene could form the best one-two punch in the NL Central. (Mark that “IF” in bold letters, friends.)

Next, we have Nick Martinez, the newly minted $21 million man and walking advertisement for never giving up on your craft and for betting on yourself. I love this guy’s confidence in his ability. Martinez was so quietly excellent last season you might have missed it if you blinked around the sixth inning. He switched from rotation to bullpen and back again and still finished among MLB’s top pitchers in WAR. He’s got that wicked changeup, plus the kind of pitchability that coaches drool over.

Now that the Reds are letting him start full-time, no more of this half-and-half nonsense. I’m excited to see what he can do in his encore in Cincinnati.

The major new addition is Brady Singer from the Royals, who does two things very well: bury a sinker at the hitter’s shoelaces and fling a beautiful slider. The price was Jonathan India, a fan favorite, but the Reds were desperate for stable rotation depth (two words that haven’t paired nicely in Cincinnati for some time). It was an excellent trade, in my opinion.

Is he a future staff ace? Probably not. Is he more than a fourth starter? Probably yes. To me, he’s a superb mid-rotation anchor — someone who can break a three-game losing streak with a quality start. I’ll take it.

Photo: Chad Dotson

Now, for the final puzzle piece. There’s a crowd of suitors, and they all have at least one reason to grab your attention.

• Andrew Abbott: I can’t believe this is even a question after he compiled more than 6 bWAR over his first two seasons in the big leagues, but Abbott just made his spring debut. Still, he could conceivably be ready by the time the Reds need a fifth starter. He’s a University of Virginia product, so you know he’s a high-IQ pitcher, and I love the fact that he just throws strikes.

• Graham Ashcraft: I still want to love the guy. Think: bull meets freight train. Heavy sinkers, monstrous slider, but an iffy third pitch. I’m guessing he’s going to head to the bullpen if he can’t stick in the rotation. Or maybe he’s headed to Louisville, after showing up to spring camp in, um, not the best of shape.

• Carson Spiers: I dunno. He’s not on most top prospects lists, but the Reds like his ability to keep hitters guessing. He did not impress me in 22 big league appearances last year, but he’s had some moments down on the farm.

• Rhett Lowder: The first round pick in 2023 is dealing with an injury and destined for the IL, but I thought he looked extremely enticing in limited duty last year. Would not be surprised if he’s firmly entrenched in the rotation by season’s end, and maybe for many seasons to come.

• Wade Miley: Still recovering from last year’s elbow problem, but if he returns midseason, we know what he brings: craftiness, guile, and a thousand ways to make hitters look foolish without ever touching 90 mph. The wily professor. Count me in. How can you not love Wade Miley?

Look, I’ve seen the projection systems. They’re all shrugging their shoulders and saying the Reds will hover around — or below — .500, same old story. But it’s spring and I want to believe in the old baseball magic. A healthy Greene-Lodolo top of the rotation is fearsome. Then you add the rock-solid Martinez, the sinker maestro Singer, and a fifth spot that includes a handful of intriguing arms — get healthy, Abbott!. That inspires at least a little faith, right?

If nothing else, the Reds have a bit more depth in the rotation than they’ve had in recent years. Yes, injuries happen, run support can vanish at the worst times, and Cincinnati has broken our hearts more often than a cheesy rom-com. But if you can’t hope for something special in March, when can you?

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On the radio!

I joined Lance McAlister on 700 WLW this week to talk about the 2025 Reds and The Big 50: The Men and Moments That Made the Cincinnati Reds. After growing up listening to WLW night after night after night (including many late nights when the Reds were on the west coast and my mom thought I was asleep), I still get a little thrill every time I’m asked to do a radio spot on the station. Thanks, Lance.

Thanks to Lance, as well, for saying some really kind things about the revised, updated version of the book! You can listen to our conversation here.

And if you haven’t purchased it yet — surely you’ve purchased it already, right? — the book is available in all the finest bookstores, as well as online retailers. If you like it, I’d appreciate you leaving a review over at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It helps the algorithm direct us to more Reds fans.

(If you didn’t like it, kindly keep your mouth shut.)

Opening the box of author’s copies will NEVER get old.

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This week at Cincinnati Magazine: Did the Reds actually improve over the off-season?

Spring is here! It’s a sacred tradition, like the Opening Day parade, playing the first game of the season at home, and the annual heartbreak of believing the Reds’ front office might finally get it right. Most fan bases are well-versed in heartbreak, but Cincinnati sports fans have perfected the art of mixing heartbreak with an annual shot of adrenaline-laced hope. It’s in our DNA, right alongside the chili.

Last year, the Redlegs stumbled to a 77-85 record, the kind of middling, soul-crushing mediocrity that’s defined this franchise for far too long. The offense sputtered, the defense resembled a not-so-well-rehearsed comedy of errors, and the bullpen … well, the less said the better. But this offseason, Cincinnati did something radical: They actually tried to get better. Yes, really.

The most important move was firing manager David Bell. He doesn’t deserve all the blame for the club’s failures, but he did preside over too many basepath blunders and defensive misadventures. The Reds replaced him with Terry Francona, a genius move. Read the rest of this week’s Reds column over at Cincinnati Magazine.