Reds make big commitment to young, flame-throwing pitcher 

The Cincinnati Reds believe that young starting pitcher Hunter Greene can help them return to relevance in the National League. They are backing up that belief with a significant long-term contract extension after just 34 starts in the big leagues.

The Reds reportedly signed him to a six-year contract extension on Tuesday that will guarantee him $53 million. It also contains an escalator and an option year that could make the contract worth as much as $93 million. 

According to baseball insider Jon Heyman, it is the second-largest contract ever for a starting pitcher with his level of service time. 

Greene is one of the most fascinating young pitchers in baseball, consistently throwing well over 100 MPH. He has already struck out 188 batters in only 142.2 career innings, averaging more than 11.9 per nine innings over the course of his young career. 

He has not yet put it all together and become a consistent top-of-the-rotation starter, but all of the talent and ability are there for him to do that. If he does eventually end up getting to that level he will not only be one of the key building blocks for the Reds, but he will also probably turn out to be a steal at that salary. 

In the short-term, there is somewhat of a gamble for the Reds, but the long-term reward is off the charts and makes it more than worth it. 

Signing young players to long-term deals is the best way for small-market teams like the Reds to keep their players for as long as possible. These types of deals are becoming more and more common across the league and it makes total sense for the Reds to go that route with the 23-year-old Greene.

He was selected by the Reds as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.