The Cincinnati Reds may be a parody of themselves at this point.
The big news broke earlier this week that the Reds had agreed to a sizable new contract extension with ace pitcher Chase Burns. The righty Burns is getting a seven-figure deal to remain in Cincinnati through the 2033 season.
But the Reds apparently had a humiliating mishap with Burns’ physical contract. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports that Burns’ contract signing was held up a bit on Saturday morning after Reds GM Brad Meador spilled coffee on the document. As a result, the team reportedly had to print out a new contract for Burns to sign.
The 23-year-old Burns was Cincinnati’s No. 2 overall draft pick in 2024 and just made the first All-Star team of his MLB career this season. Though Burns has only made 26 big-league starts up to this point, there is little doubt that he is worth the investment given his sparkling 11-1 record and 2.54 ERA this season.
Burns’ new contract represents one of the biggest deals by total value in Reds’ franchise history. But apparently Meador, who took over the GM job in 2023, could not have been bothered to put a lid on his cup of joe before handling the precious document.
That seems to be par for the course though for Cincinnati, a team that is an NL Central-worst 44-52 this season, has not won a playoff game since 2012, and has not won a playoff series since 1995. Now in addition to the seven figures they are committing to Burns, the Reds will have to eat the cost of extra paper and printer ink as well.
