Reds Trade for Lefty Eric Lauer, Lose Hunter Greene

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The Cincinnati Reds just got tough news on their star-pitcher Hunter Green.

The all-star right-hander needs arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow and will miss

time until July.

Fans knew about his injury history, but losing one of the top arms in the National League

for the first half of the season still hurts.

With Andrew Abbott and Nicoladolo leading the rotation, the Reds lack real depth beyond

that.

Their top option right now is Chase Petty, who struggled in his early big league outings

last year.

To fix this, experts suggest a straightforward trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The deal would send reliever Graham Ashcraft to Toronto in exchange for lefty Eric Lauer.

Cincinnati knows Lauer from his days in the National League Central.

He posted a solid 3.18 earned run average over 104 innings last season, working well

as both a starter and reliever.

For the Reds, Lauer is a perfect swingman upgrade who eats innings without costing much.

Ashcraft throws hard with great metrics in the bullpen, but Cincinnati has plenty of

right-handed relief options like Emilio Pagan and others.

Meanwhile, Toronto has starting pitching to spare with guys like Kevin Galsman, Dylan

Sees and Jose Barrios up front, plus depth pieces.

Lauer wants more starts and is unhappy after losing arbitration, so moving him makes

sense.

Ashcraft gives them a controllable late game arm who keeps balls on the ground, fitting

their strong infield defense.

Appreciation to our sponsor for backing this episode, Headphones in a Pillow.

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