GOODYEAR, Ariz. — When Hunter Greene’s name was brought up this offseason, it wasn’t about his performance on the field or his health, but trade rumors based on little more than speculation.

Greene, still just 26 years old, is entering his fifth big-league season. Despite signing a long-term deal with the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the 2023 season that has him under team control through 2029, he was repeatedly mentioned this winter as a trade candidate — not because he or the team has shown any displeasure in their arrangement, but because the Reds have pitching depth in the big leagues and the minors. A Reds trade of Greene may make sense in fantasy baseball, but not in reality baseball.

“We can’t go get those guys, and we know it,” Reds manager Terry Francona said about those rumors Thursday.

Greene was an All-Star for the first time in 2024 and would’ve been an All-Star last year had a groin injury not landed him on the injured list twice and kept him sidelined from June 3 to Aug. 13. MLB Network recently ranked him as the 10th-best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.

In the offseason, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall didn’t completely rule out the idea of trading Greene — or any player, including Elly De La Cruz — which made headlines. Yet, few either cared to listen to or believe his follow-up statement that it was highly unlikely.

When the Reds reported to Goodyear, Ariz., this week with a new player who hit 49 home runs last season, they did it without giving up Greene, who is expected to make his third Opening Day start in his five years in the big leagues.

“I don’t care about trade rumors, because that’s part of the game and I can’t control it,” Greene said Thursday. “That’s never bothered me. I’ve loved my time (in Cincinnati), and I want to continue to have a great time with the team and the organization, and hopefully it’s able to transpire into something longer.”

The offseason discourse relies on rumors, and the social media age not only means there are no longer gatekeepers, but that there are no longer gates.

“In today’s world, everybody thinks they have a platform and an opinion,” Greene said. “People are able to share that, and it gets legs and becomes a thing. But for me, I’ve never cared once about trade rumors.”

Since Greene signed with the Reds after being taken with the second pick in the 2017 draft, he’s said nothing nor done anything publicly to suggest he wants to play elsewhere. Greene hosted a free baseball camp with a mandatory education portion at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in January 2020 — more than two years before he made his first start a block away at Great American Ball Park. He’s continued to host charity events in his hometown of Los Angeles, and also in Cincinnati and other places. Greene doesn’t need directions to go to the Reds Urban Youth Academy in the Roselawn neighborhood of Cincinnati, and he’s visited local high schools ahead of Jackie Robinson Day every April.

Then there’s the contract. If Greene were hoping to get out of Cincinnati and get to free agency as soon as possible, he wouldn’t have signed when he did. Greene’s contract not only bought out his arbitration years, but also his first two years of free agency. The Reds have a $21 million team option in 2029, which is less than the team paid Nick Martinez last season.

Greene signed the deal before he was an All-Star, but well after he showed All-Star and Cy Young potential. Once a two-pitch pitcher, Greene has tinkered with his arsenal since reaching the big leagues and added a split-finger fastball over the last two years, which has helped complement the four-seam fastball and slider.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene went on the injured list twice last season. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Francona saw Greene pitch when he was the Cleveland Guardians’ manager before he took over in Cincinnati ahead of the 2025 season. Over the last year, he’s not only seen what Greene is as a pitcher, but also what he can become.

“Last spring, (Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson) was like, ‘he’s growing,’” Francona said. “I think with guys that are that age, that level of experience, they’re supposed to. He is doing that, for sure. I’d put (Nick) Lodolo in there, look at Andrew (Abbott) — they’re supposed to because they’re that age, but not everybody does it.”

The growth now depends on durability. Greene has appeared on the injured list in each of his four big-league seasons and has thrown at least 100 innings in each, topping out at 150 1/3 in 2024.

“I put my body in great condition, and there’s been obviously a lot of frustration in the past, like not being able to make 30 starts, which is difficult to do,” Greene said Thursday. “I think a lot of people make it seem like it’s easy to do. Most of those people don’t know the game, they never played it — especially in today’s game.”

Greene was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 2024 and 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA last season. When he’s healthy, he’s the best the Reds — or most teams — can hope to have on the mound.

“If we can keep him on the field — he has a big responsibility — we’ve got to keep an eye on him too. When you’re that good, you want them out there,” Francona said. “If he makes 30 starts? I think the numbers will be there.”