Reds Starting Pitcher to Move to Bullpen After Reds Acquire Zack Littell From Rays

The Reds are trading for Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Littell, 29, has started 50 games over the past two seasons. He has a 3.72 ERA in 128 1/3 innings this season. He's scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the year.

Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall spoke with reporters on Thursday night and said that Littell will slide into the rotation and Nick Martinez will move to the bullpen.

Martinez was dominant out of the bullpen last season for the Reds and has pitched in relief a couple of times this season. It gives the Reds a lot of versatility and someone who can toss multiple innings.

Instead of acquiring a bullpen arm, the Reds got creative and acquired a starting pitcher and moved one of their starters to the bullpen.

Littell joins a Reds club that is 57-52 on the season. They're third in the National League Central, 7.5 games behind the first place Brewers and 6.5 games behind the Cubs. They're also three games back in the National League Wild Card race.

You can see Charlie Goldsmith's full post below on Krall's comments.

Nick Krall said Littell to the rotation, Martinez to the bullpen. There’s depth and versatility with Martinez, Burns and even Littell available to be in multiple roles.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) July 31, 2025