CINCINNATI – The Trade Deadline is at 6 p.m. ET Thursday and the Reds have been seeking bullpen help and a power bat. However, they’ve now bolstered their rotation and defense with two moves.
The Reds made a second trade late Wednesday by acquiring starting pitcher Zack Littell from the Rays for left-hander Adam Serwinowski (the Reds’ No. 10 prospect) and 28-year-old right-hander Brian Van Belle, according to sources. The deal followed one earlier in the day that brought in third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pirates.
Cincinnati and Tampa Bay have not confirmed the deal. Littell will be a free agent after the season.
Both trades underscored the 57-52 Reds’ desire to stay in the postseason chase. After Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Dodgers, they remained three games behind the Padres for the final National League Wild Card berth.
Littell, 29, is 8-8 with a 3.58 ERA in 22 starts and 131 1/3 innings this season and has a 3.83 ERA in 224 career appearances (69 starts). He leads the Majors with 26 home runs allowed but his walk rate (1.28 BB/9) is second-best in the league.
Ironically, Littell’s penultimate start for Tampa Bay came against the Reds on Friday. In a 7-2 Rays loss, he allowed five earned runs and 10 hits, including two home runs. However, he followed that up with a strong outing Wednesday night, hurling five scoreless innings against the Yankees in the Bronx.
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