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Zack Littell (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With the Reds seeing a very high price for relief pitching, the team instead added a starter, acquiring veteran Zack Littell from the Rays.
With Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott and Chase Burns in the rotation, and Hunter Greene close to a return, the addition of Littell could allow the Reds to slide Nick Martinez back to the bullpen where he’s been quite effective in the past.
The deal proved to be a complicated one, as the Dodgers got involved, receiving a pair of promising arms (the Reds’ Adam Serwinowski and the Rays’ Paul Gervase) and a backup catcher (Ben Rortvedt). The Rays received Hunter Feduccia, who may become one of the team’s likely catcher options for 2026 and beyond, as well as swingman Brian Van Belle.
REDS RECEIVE
Zack Littell, RHP
Age: 29
Littell was a prospect traded at the trade deadline way back in 2017 when he was sent from the Yankees to the Twins for Jaime Garcia. He’s been well-traveled since then, but since the Rays claimed Littell off waivers in 2023, they have helped him emerge as a reliable starting pitcher. He’s 19-24, 3.73 with a 4.27 FIP in 371.2 innings with the Rays.
Littell doesn’t throw hard (91-92 mph), but he gets plenty of chases with his split and slider, and he has plus-plus control.
RAYS RECEIVE
Hunter Feduccia, C
Age: 28
The Dodgers took Feduccia in the 12th round of the 2018 draft out of LSU. He’s wound his way slowly through Los Angeles’ system and has spent parts of the last four seasons at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He made his big league debut in 2024 and has gotten into a pair of games with the Dodgers this season.
Feduccia is blocked by both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing in Los Angeles, so the move to Tampa Bay—which also acquired Nick Fortes this week—gives him a better chance at playing time. He’s shown the ability to hit for both average and power in the minor leagues, but he’s caught just 9% of attempted basestealers this season with Oklahoma City.
Brian Van Belle, RHP
Age: 28
Van Belle was one of many non-drafted free agents in 2020 because of the shortened five-round draft. The Miami product reached Triple-A in 2023, and he’s spent the last three years in the International League. The Red Sox added him the 40-man roster in June, but just two days later, they designated him for assignment and the Reds claimed him, acquiring him for cash considerations.
Van Belle has well below-average velocity, but he mixes four other pitches to keep hitters off his mid-80s changeup. He also throws 88-90 mph two and four-seam fastballs, a low-80s curveball and a mid-80s slider. He’s a fringe-of-the-40-man roster pitcher who can come up and down as needed in bulk-inning roles.
DODGERS RECEIVE
Adam Serwinowski, LHP
Age: 21
Serwinowski, the Reds’ No. 12 prospect, was an excellent draft find for the Reds. A 15th-round pick in 2022 out of Eastside HS in Taylor, S.C., Serwinowski had showed hints of premium velocity pre-draft. That velocity quickly ticked up in pro ball, as he started sitting in the mid 90s and touching 97 mph with above-average life.
This year, he’s added extension, which also helped flatten the plane on his fastball. His fastball is a potentially future plus pitch, and he has the makings of a quality breaking ball, but he has yet to figure out a consistent changeup. There are plenty of evaluators who believe he will eventually end up as a power reliever who could pitch in high-leverage situations, but there’s no reason to give up on his chances to start yet. Serwinowski is 1-7, 4.84 in 74 innings this year at High-A Dayton.
Paul Gervase, RHP
Age: 25
One of the tallest pitchers in the game at 6-foot-10, Gervase made his MLB debut in June, and he’s ridden the Durham-Tampa Bay shuttle since then. Pitchers ideally thrive if they are different, and Gervase is very different. He doesn’t have exceptional velocity—he sits 94-95 mph and he will touch 97—and his 85-86 mph slider and harder 89-90 mph cutter are average offerings, but he does get exceptional extension thanks to his massive length.
Gervase is 2-3, 3.12 over 40.1 innings out of the bullpen with a .186 opponent average for Durham this year with a 39% strikeout rate and a 7.4% walk rate. He originally a Mets 12th-round pick in 2022 out of LSU. He was acquired by the Rays for Tyler Zuber in June 2024.
Ben Rortvedt, C
Age: 27
Rortvedt fits the third-catcher profile. His plus blocking skills, above-average arm and solid framing make him a reliable call-up when a team needs defense behind the plate, but his bottom-of-the-scale bat keeps him from a larger role.
Rortvedt is a .186/.276/.265 hitter in 209 MLB games. And he’s a .240/.334/.415 hitter in Triple-A who was hitting .183/.315/.283 for Triple-A Durham this year. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in June, so the Dodgers will be able to send him to Triple-A and save a 40-man roster spot for now.
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