The 7th overall pick in 1972, Payne was drafted ahead of Dick Ruthven, Jamie Quirk, Scott McGregor, and Chet Lemon, among other 1st-round picks.
He progressed nicely through the Reds' system, going 13-9, 2.24 for Tampa (A) and Trois-Rivieres (AA) in 1973, 10-6 and 2.61 at Trois-Rivieres in 1974, and 9-12 and 3.16 for Indianapolis (AAA) in 1975.
This earned him a trip to Tampa and Spring Training with the Reds in 1976. But he couldn't crack the World Champions' staff and was sent back to Indianapolis, where he pitched increasingly poorly over the next three years, until getting released in '78.
