Reed was originally drafted out of Enka High School in Candler, NC by the Minnesota Twins.

He was chosen in the 11th round of the 1973 MLB draft, but did not sign, instead opting to attend Western Carolina University, where he threw the first no-hitter in the school's history.

He pitched another 7 games for the Phillies in 1982, then was traded to the Cleveland Indians with two other prospects (Wil Culmer and Roy Smith) in exchange for John Denny to boost the Phillies' September stretch run, which fell three games short of the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals.

Reed pitched a handful of games during the rest of September for the Indians, then returned to the minors for the entire 1984 season.

The Boston Red Sox were the next team to pick up Reed, but his ERA had ballooned to 4.80, and he was released in August.