Homer Bailey denies rumors that he wants out of Cincinnati

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that starting pitcher Homer Bailey wants the Cincinnati Reds to trade him on more than one occasion this offseason. Here, just ask him:

"Three times this offseason — from three different sources — I heard that Reds right-hander Homer Bailey wanted out of Cincinnati.”"

Doing his due diligence, Rosenthal then caught up with Bailey to ask about those rumors. He reports that Bailey said the following:

"“To say that I ‘want out of Cincinnati’ is not true…I have nothing but good things to say about ownership and management, and I hold a great relationship with the coaching staff.If I am in the organization’s future, my priorities are that things make sense for me on the business end, that we are a team that continues to be a highly competitive team in the league and a team that plays the game the right way.”"

The Reds still have a decision to make with Bailey. They are trying to negotiate an extension with the right-handed starter, to no avail thus far. If they do not sign Bailey, 27 years old, they might have to explore moving him at the trade deadline this season whether they are in contention or not.

Bailey had a stellar season in 2013, posting a 3.34 xFIP while pitching half of his games in the cracker jack box that is Great American Ball Park. He promises to land the Reds a pretty stellar package if they decide to trade him. With free agency on the horizon at the end of 2014, Bailey is going to get paid either way. The Reds just have to decide if they want to be the ones to pay him.