Updated

Updated · ESPN · Aug 13

Hunter Greene Undergoes Second Tommy John Surgery, Threatening Reds Starter's $53 Million Deal

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Aug 13

Hunter Greene Undergoes Second Tommy John Surgery, Threatening Reds Starter's $53 Million Deal

Q: With a second Tommy John surgery, is Hunter Greene's massive $53 million contract the biggest financial trap in modern baseball?

No. Hunter Greene’s six-year, $53 million deal looks painful now, but calling it the biggest financial trap in modern baseball overstates it. The immediate reality is bad for Cincinnati. Greene has now had a second Tommy John surgery, is expected to miss the rest of 2026 and likely all of 2027, and may not return until 2028. He is still owed roughly $34 million guaranteed beyond this season, plus the balance of his 2026 salary, and the Reds must carry that cost while replacing his innings elsewhere. But “biggest trap” is a relative term, and Greene’s contract is modest by current MLB standards. At $53 million total, it is far smaller than many modern long-term deals that have gone badly for clubs. The Reds also still control the downside somewhat: the 2029 year is a club option, not a guaranteed salary, with only a buyout attached. There is also a baseball case for why Cincinnati made the bet. Before this setback, Greene had produced an All-Star season in 2024, finished in Cy Young voting, owns a career 117 ERA+, and has elite swing-and-miss stuff when healthy. The contract was widely viewed as team-friendly because it bought out prime years at below-market rates for a frontline starter. What has changed is the risk profile. Greene has never topped 150 1/3 innings in a season and now has an extensive injury history, including recurring elbow trouble. That makes the deal one of the Reds’ most difficult obligations, but not modern baseball’s biggest financial albatross.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 13

Thursday's operation will sideline Hunter Greene for the rest of 2026 and could also cost the Cincinnati Reds right-hander the 2027 season.
Aug. 4 soreness during a side session led doctors to repair a ligament in Greene's right elbow, days after the team disclosed he would need surgery.
Greene had already opened 2026 on the 60-day injured list after March surgery to remove bone chips from the same elbow, then posted a 2-2 record and 6.83 ERA in five starts.
The 26-year-old also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and has battled repeated injuries since, including elbow soreness in 2024 and two IL stints last year with a groin issue.
Cincinnati kept Greene despite trade interest this summer, but the six-year, $53 million extension he signed in 2023 now faces another long interruption.