The Cincinnati Reds have added rotation help as they desperately try to stay afloat in the playoff race.
The Reds are acquiring pitcher Zack Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a Wednesday night report from ESPN's Jeff Passan. Per Passan, the deal is a three-teamer; the Los Angeles Dodgers will get pitcher Paul Gervase, catcher Ben Rortvedt and pitcher Adam Serwinowski, while the Rays will get catcher Hunter Feduccia and pitcher Brian Van Belle.
Littell, 29, joins the Reds after eight years split between four teams. After years spent shuttling between the bullpen and rotation, the Burlington, N.C., native found a niche starting for Tampa Bay over the past two years.
In 2024, he went 8-10 with a 3.63 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 156 1/3 innings. In 2025, he has again pitched to a respectable ERA (3.72) and leads the majors with just 1.2 walks per nine innings, but also carries one significant blot on his Baseball Reference page—an MLB-high 26 home runs allowed.
Cincinnati is currently the only team within five or fewer games of the San Diego Padres, who hold the National League's last wild-card spot. The Reds are three back after both teams won Wednesday.
The Rays, on the other hand, are in the midst of a 2-8 stretch and trail the Seattle Mariners by 3.5 games for the last American League berth.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Reds Acquire Pitcher Zack Littell From Rays in Bid to Bolster Rotation.
