The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring starting pitcher Zack Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Littell, 29, has started 50 games over the past two seasons and holds a 3.72 ERA across 128 1/3 innings in 2024. He’s set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall spoke to reporters Thursday night and confirmed that Littell will step into the starting rotation. As a result, Nick Martinez will transition to a bullpen role.
Martinez thrived as a reliever last season and has made a few relief appearances this year as well. His move back to the bullpen gives the Reds a flexible arm capable of handling multiple innings.
Rather than going after a traditional reliever at the deadline, the Reds took an unconventional approach—adding a starter and shifting one of their own to bolster the bullpen.
Littell now joins a Reds squad with a 57-52 record, sitting third in the NL Central. They trail the division-leading Brewers by 7.5 games and the Cubs by 6.5. In the National League Wild Card race, they are currently three games out of a spot.
You can find Charlie Goldsmith’s full breakdown of Krall’s comments in the post below.
