The Cincinnati Reds failed to add a needed starter at the '23 deadline and missed the playoffs by 2 games. Why they doubled down on that strength now.
Unable to find a trade they liked specifically for bullpen upgrades, the Cincinnati Reds doubled down on their starting rotation strength – and in turn made their bullpen stronger.
Soon after beating the Dodgers in this week’s series finale – and barely 18 hours before the 6 p.m. July 31 MLB trade deadline – the Reds landed right-handed rent-a-starter Zack Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays for two minor-league pitchers (including 10th-ranked prospect Adam Serwinowski).
How exactly does another starter fit an already full, five-man rotation that also has Hunter Greene due back from a groin strain soon?
That’s what team president Nick Krall called “the best of both worlds” in the deal that came nine hours after trading for Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
In the short-term, veteran swingman Nick Martinez moves to the bullpen to bolster that group as Littell joins a rotation that also includes lefties Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo and right-handers Brady Singer and Chase Burns.
“We looked at the relief market, where we could add to the bullpen,” Krall said. “This was the best of both worlds where we got to add some starting depth and also got to add to the bullpen by putting Martinez in it.”
Underscoring one of the reasons the Reds made Martinez a $21.05 million qualifying offer that surprised most of baseball, the veteran righty didn’t flinch when Krall raised the possibility even before Martinez pitched six strong innings in that 5-2 win over the Dodgers.
Martinez was informed after the start that the move would be needed.
“He’s one of the best teammates that you could ever be around,” Krall said, “and to offer it up, like, ‘Hey, I’ll do whatever’ – he just wants to do whatever’s best for the team.”
Greene, whose first rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday ended with cramps and hydration issues, came out of that start fine and is scheduled to start again August 2, Krall said.
Barring another setback with Greene’s injury, they’ll have another decision to make when he’s ready to return sometime later that month.
That’s where rookie Burns’ workload could come into play. The kid with the 100-mph fastball, better slider and three straight 10-strikeout starts also has reached his career-high at any level in starts and is one or two starts from a career-high in innings pitched – with two months left in his first professional season.
Burns could be a candidate for the bullpen at some point or being skipped on occasion in the rotation.
“We’re going to work through his innings and see where they all stack up and how we’re going to map that out to end the season,” Krall said. “The goal is for him to end the season playing, not get shut down.”
It’s also possible that Littell, a career reliever until two seasons ago, could go to the bullpen at some point down the stretch depending on how things shake out. But that’s not the plan for the 29-year-old right-hander (8-8, 3.58) who leads the majors in fewest walks per nine innings – and home runs allowed.
The only two things that seem certain at this point are (1) that the Reds have no plans for a six-man rotation, Krall said, and (2) they’ve learned if nothing else in recent years that they can’t stock up on enough starting pitching.
Pitching injuries in recent years waylaid their best chances for playoff runs, with 2023 standing out as their most failed trade deadline in recent memory for lack of adding desperately needed starting pitching and finishing two games short of the playoff field. The team that won the last National League spot that year (Arizona) played in the World Series.
“With Carson Spiers going down, I think it showed that we needed some starting depth,” Krall said. “So it was just best to use starting depth where we’ve got it at the big league level and have Martinez as that guy as opposed to having it at Triple-A.”
That minor-league depth included one of the players sent to Tampa Bay in the Littell deal: right-hander Brian Van Belle, who had been acquired June 14 from the Red Sox for cash.
Adding Littell added the prorated remainder of his $5.72 million salary, eating up most of the financial flexibility the Reds had left on the 2025 payroll budget as they approached the final 18 hours before the deadline.
“There’s a little bit there, but not a lot,” said Krall, who remained on the hunt for upgrades as deadline day dawned.
But he said he also felt good about what the club had done to improve its bullpen by way of adding the starter and the defensive improvement Hayes represents.
“You’d like to always add more if you can. And we’ve got to figure out what, and if, that is,” Krall said. “But if this is our group, we’ve got a good group and we’re excited about it.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Cincinnati Reds say trading for starter Zack Littell helps bullpen
Category: Baseball
