The Reds have added their third bullpen arm in the past 12 hours, announcing the acquisition of right-hander Mychal Givens from the Rockies. Colorado will receive minor league right-handers Case Williams and Noah Davis in return. Cincinnati also picked up Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson from the Yankees in a late trade last night.
Givens, 31, will join the Reds as a rental for the remainder of the season before becoming a free agent. He’s being paid $4.05MM this year and has about $1.48MM of that sum yet to be paid out between now and season’s end. The longtime Orioles righty landed in Colorado at last year’s deadline, and while he had a bit of a rough time in May before eventually landing on the IL with a back strain, he’s been sharp as of late.
Overall, Givens has a 2.73 ERA on the year, which he’s complemented with strong 27.4 percent strikeout rate but an elevated 11.3 percent walk rate. His 31.3 percent ground-ball rate is, as usual, well below the league average. Givens has always been more of a fly-ball pitcher, and while he managed to avoid many home runs early in his career in spite of that tendency (and in spite of the AL East), he’s been more homer-prone in recent years. Dating back to 2019, he’s yielded 23 home runs in 115 frames (1.8 HR/9).
Still, Givens is an accomplished reliever with a long track record of missing bats and performing in high-leverage situations. He’s posted a sub-4.00 ERA in six of his seven MLB seasons (2021 included) and fanned at least a quarter of his opponents in all seven of his seasons — even earlier in his career when the league-wide strikeout rate was demonstrably lower than in today’s Major League climate.
Bullpen help has been an acute need for Cincinnati for much of the season, as the Reds have dealt with injuries to key relievers Tejay Antone, Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Sims at various points. The Cincinnati bullpen ranks last in the Majors in ERA (5.36) and FIP (4.86). Reds relievers, to their credit, do rank sixth in baseball with a collective 26.7 percent strikeout rate, but they also have the game’s second-highest combined walk rate, at 12 percent. No team’s relief corps has surrendered more home runs than Cincinnati’s 66. Part of that has to be attributed to their homer-friendly home park, but it’s been an ugly year for Reds relievers on the whole.
Of course, much of those bullpen woes have been self-inflicted. The Reds traded closer Raisel Iglesias to the Angels in a salary dump that netted them right-hander Noe Ramirez and Leonardo Rivas. (Ramirez was released in Spring Training and returned to the Angels; he’s now pitching well for the D-backs.) Cincinnati also non-tendered Archie Bradley, their primary deadline pickup from last summer’s trade deadline. Bradley has spent much of the 2021 season on the injured list in Philadelphia but at the time was a rather surprising cut by the Reds.
The subsequent bullpen woes have no doubt played a role in the Reds’ seven-game NL Central deficit and the six-game gap they’re facing in the NL Wild Card standings. The quick flurry of bullpen strikes shows that they’re endeavoring to patch that hole and make a push for a postseason berth in the final third of the season. Given their “early” deals (relative to the rest of the league more so than the trade deadline itself, which is barely more than 48 hours away), it’s likely we’ll see the Reds continue to explore further upgrades.
Williams was the Rockies’ fourth-round pick in last summer’s draft, but he was traded to the Reds alongside Jeff Hoffman in the deal that brought Robert Stephenson and outfield prospect Jameson Hannah to Colorado.
Williams has spent the season with the Reds’ Class-A affiliate, pitching to a 5.55 ERA with nearly as many walks (33) as strikeouts (34) in 47 innings of work. The 19-year-old Williams has also hit six batters and thrown eight wild pitches.
It’s been a rough debut for Williams, but he’s about three years younger than his average competition in that league and is effectively jumping to A-ball after not pitching in more than a year due to last year’s scrapped seasons. The Rockies have seen a good bit of their front office and player evaluation team depart, so it’s perhaps not surprising to see them reacquire a player with whom they’re already rather familiar.
The 24-year-old Davis has made 13 starts with Cincinnati’s Class-A Advanced affiliate in 2021, pitching to a 3.60 ERA with a sharp 27.6 percent strikeout rate but a lofty 12.5 percent walk rate. He’s induced grounders at a 38.9 percent clip.
Davis relies primarily on a four-seamer and slider, per Baseball America, who ranked him as Cincinnati’s No. 15 prospect entering the year. He also throws a curveball that’s a bit behind those offerings. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen currently ranks him 36th in Cincinnati’s system, calling him a potential sixth starter/spot starter and noting that Davis had Tommy John surgery during his junior season at UC Santa Barbara.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported (via Twitter) that the Reds were nearing a deal to acquire Givens. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted that an agreement had been reached. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reported (via Twitter) Williams’ inclusion in the deal. Feinsand added that Davis was the second piece going to Colorado.
Good bullpen depth for Cincinnati, especially if they want to make a second half push for division or wild card. It would be hard but anything is possible
I expect the giants to eventually end up the 2nd wild card team and they have a 12 game lead over all non division leaders in the nl ! It’s the nl central or bust
Giants may end up the 1st wild card lead but not the second, and if they get a front line starter, they will win the division.
Both Wild Cards are coming out of the NL West. The Reds only shot is catching Milwaukee which seems like a stretch but not impossible. Milwaukee has played above their talent level.
The Reds are closer to the WC spot than the NL Central spot.
I don’t expect that to remain the case when Padres add by Friday and a easy schedule through august I expect them to at least join giants and dodgers in separating from all nl teams including the brewers
Its good to see the Reds trying! Will they get a SS?
Got one in aaa better than anything they can get on the market. If we r going to keep making moves, get controllable pitching that can help us next yr too
Who in AAA is better than Trevor Story?
He’s referring to Jose Barrero fka Jose Garcia, the Reds presumed SS of the future. Yes, he isn’t better than Story at the moment and chances are never will be but bullpen is a far more glaring need for the Reds than anything.
They don’t need to give up quality, controllable youth in aaa when 7 back w 60 to go. He certainly can be as good as story in future too.
You act like 7 games back is an insurmountable amount and who says they’re giving up quality AAA talent with control in a trade. The Rockies aren’t ready to compete in the NL West anytime soon so high upside talent in A ball would be a better return for them.
I read yesterday teams are leery of Story because he’s having a bad season and issues with throwing. His value is tremendously dropping and trams don’t want to give up a lot for a declining rental player.
Story would be just a Rental and might cost more in terms of Prospects.
Story is nothing outside of Coors. This year he has a sub .200 average, sub .300 OB, and a .360 slugging. He isn’t much better in his career. Yes these numbers would come up as he plays more at proper altitude, but he isn’t the player he is with the Rockies and when you factor in cost to acquire and the fact that he wouldn’t return a comp pick I much rather run with Garcia or even Farmer.
Reds should check in on one of the Twins SS (Polanco or Simmons) Neither likely have the trade cost of Story and both would likely out produce him.
He’s not declining. Hurt, probably. Arenado was hurt last year and opposing fans said he wasn’t worth it. Now he’s on pace for close to 40 doubles, 30 homers and a 100 RBI, plus his quality defense. Story in Cincy will see better pitches and hit and if you could resign him he’ll return to mashing. He’s a stud.
They should probably call him up because being better than Baez, Turner and Story is pretty impressive for a AAA guy.
If I’m the Reds I’d break the bank for Turner. Give them one of Lodolo or Green along with another very good prospect if they take back Suarez or Moose
Plus, despite somewhat limited range, Kyle Farmer has been playing great. His hitting has come on. SS is not a great need for the Reds right now . they have a great candidate almost ready at AAA. They have recently added to the BP which is a huge need as well as 3B.
I’ve been saying they should try and pry a SS away from Cleveland.
Newman should be available for a random lottery ticket.
They have a shortstop. Here’s his July numbers.
KyleFarmer
SS
CIN 20 67 11 24 4 1 4 8 4 13 1 0 .358 .421 .627 1.048
I HOPE he can keep that up…but I highly doubt it.
No thanks. Farmer is not it. If they’re serious about pushing to win they can’t have all these light hitting defense first guys in their starting lineup. Farmer is a good IF backup.
Keep Farmer and get rid of Suarez. Third baseman hitting.170? Geez dfa hm
He’s having a nice run, but Farmer isn’t a starting SS. I should rephrase that, he shouldn’t be a starting SS in the MLB.
Farmer has been more than fine. He’s not losing games in the last three innings, David Bell and that bullpen are the problem
They don’t need a shortstop!
dude Reds, stop stealing all the RPs
They are actually doing something, the problem with the trade deadline is that all the teams just wait to see what other teams are doing. If you want someone make it happen! Lol
I second that because a team has a lot they want to try and move waiting to last minute might not get the guy or guys moved.
Even if it doesn’t always work out, it’s nice to see some front offices with a backbone. Reds and Padres are very aggressive with trading and it’s not like they are going to ruin their future if they lose their 25th best prospect in a trade. Try to win and move along. You get prospects for free every year in the draft, you can only keep so many.
They are six out of the WC and 7 out of the division. What are they doing?
Getting dirt cheap pen fliers
I’m guessing the PTBNL for Cessa and Wilson along with whatever Givens fetches is rather minimal. It’s worth a shot if they think they’re only a bullpen away.
There’s still 60 games to go and their bullpen has blown a lot of games. They’re doing exactly what they should be doing, being aggressive and trying to make a postseason run.
Not giving up. Making up 7 games in over two months is not impossible. It’s not even that unlikely. It’s a game a week. And the Brewers are not exactly a team without flaws.
The guys they got from the Yankees are controllable beyond 2021 so they add value even if the Reds end up out of contention this year.
Easiest remaining schedule in the NL
All of the above. They have an easy schedule. They’ve blown a lot of leads. They have tons of injured guys coming back especially on offense plus a ton of AAA talent. The SS thing is the biggest question now. That and maybe trying to unload Suarez from their lineup so Moose can take 3B.
Didi is available.
not a 3B, not a fit
Suarez is though. Get Didi and slide Suarez back to 3rd and Moustakas back to 2nd. Not a great infield but better than what they have now I think.
And what do you do with the likely NL ROY Jonathan India at that time?
Or go for Story or Turner.
Baez is clearly not an option.
Or go for Story or Turner.
Baez is clearly not an option.
Or go for Story or Turner.
Baez is clearly not an option.
Even if they did that, Moustakas won’t be playing 2B ahead of Jonathan India. India has played well this year and shown he belongs in the lineup everyday. They’d be better off sitting Suarez and his .175 average
works for me. they can have Didi.
Exactly BlueJaysFan. The Phillies could trade for Simmons as a transitionary piece.
Suarez has been back at 3B for a while now, with Farmer at SS. Honestly I think Farmer has been completely serviceable but if you want to see what Barrero can do offensively then call him up. I highly doubt they’ll acquire a SS.
Have you been keeping up? Suarez has been at 3B for a while and playing awful. Farmer has been at SS and playing very well India is a rookie of the year leader at 2B(why would you mess with him as he is playing great).. Moose might go to 3B but you have two rookies(Lopez and Schrock) who should get playing time before him. Plus, Moose has been out most of the season(and still is) with injury, so he isn’t available.
When do rosters expand? Next month isn’t it?
What about India? He’s done a fantastic job!
Say Didi 10x fast while pointing your fingers at someone.
Givens is a rental.
Rentals still aren’t free. It will cost something, but when the choice is to rent a car for two months or to walk and end up missing your meetings. I think the choice is obvious.
Will he close?
Can, but looks like a committee with Givens, Hembree, Garrett and Sims
Good on the Reds. Hopefully they can land story to plug their hole at ss
Exactly BlueJaysFan. The Phillies could trade for Simmons as a transitionary piece and improve one of their glaring holes on defense.
I wonder if he becomes the PTBNL to the NYY? Improbable? Impossible? Makes me wonder
Givens will join the Reds as a rental.
Reds built a nice solid bullpen in less than 24 hours. Now they need a real shortstop.
Farmer as SS is fine – hot hitter in recent weeks and better than average defensive metrics.
Pitching is sorely needed, and not the dumpster dive type….
This is just part of the puzzle. They have multiple injured relievers and position players plus MLB ready pitching and a SS at AAA.
Wow, a bit surprised that NY would give up Cessa because he was pitching well – 2.82 ERA over 29, and isn’t the BP where they – and everyone else – are having problems? Players TBNL? Not even a real name to be named. LOL
Case Williams is a decent prospect for the Rockies. Probably would have been drafted higher if not for the Pandemic shutting everything down. There is video of him at Driveline too that is impressive.
Interesting that the Rockies drafted him and traded him to the Reds and now they get him back!
That’s a very Rockies thing to do (they love their people and trading them is like giving away a child or something). Also, they don’t have a front office right now, effectively, and they knew Case Williams very well (he’s from Colorado).
Off-topic: Rangers have signed Leiter. The official press conference is in an hour.
He went to the Reds but joined the Rockies? I’m confused
In the off-season the Rockies traded Case Williams to the Reds along with Jeff Hoffman for Robert Stephenson and another player (can’t remember off the top of my head)
The Reds essentially sent him back to Colorado as one of the two pieces to acquire Michael Givens. Hopefully that helps make it a little less confusing.
really? DD couldn’t ya offer more?
Either the Rockies were desperate to get this Case Williams kid back, or the other teams are really lowballing their offers.
Nice for the Williams kid getting to go back home. It was probably kind of a bummer for him and his family when the Rockies first traded him away.
So Case Williams is traded before he ever plays and then once he plays and walks a lot of guys and has a high ERA the Rockies decide they want him back? I guess they needed a replacement for Riley Pint since he retired.
Yeah, a 19 yr old kid whose SR. high school season AND his draft season was NONEXISTENT due to a pandemic struggling in Low A. Imagine that. Just saying…
I didn’t say there wasn’t a reason behind it, but there are a lot of 19 year old players that that statement applies to. Not all of them are walking as many as they are striking out.
One thing I find amusing is the two extremes of the word kid. When a 19 year old does something wrong, he’s just a kid. But when someone argues that high school seniors shouldn’t enter the NBA, they are not a kid, they are 18 and have a right to work for a living.
I’m pushing 50, so either way even though both the 18 and 19 yr old are truly adults I sometimes refer them as a kid. I used to think it was annoying when it was happening to me but now I’m doing the same thing.
Practically all 18-19 yr old baseball players are at least a couple of years from being truly ready to play in the Majors. The same is true for basketball players. Look at how many of the guys who get drafted every year make a real impact in the NBA and that’s if they make it that far. That’s why imo guys should have at least 2 yrs of college basketball (aka the milb of the NBA) to better prepare themselves.
100% agree here. If basketball had a tiered minor league system like MLB and NHL, then it would make sense for teens to go pro. But they don’t.
I think 3 years of college should be required. It is for football players because teenagers are not physically ready for the NFL.
I’m really not sure why so many seem so dead-set on us needing a big-name shortstop..or just a shortstop at all..Suarez is a far above average third baseman..Kyle Farmer has been surprisingly solid at short..definitely good enough to allow us to focus on bullpen help..hell, with the way India is playing (ROTY imo), I say let’s find out if anyone is willing to give up ANYTHING for Moustakas’ injured ass..I guarantee that with the right bullpen moves, this team is a strong contender!
Sory but Suarez is not a far above average third baseman check his defensive metrics on BR or FG. He is likely gonna sit anyways once Moose comes back.
Suarez won’t sit. He’ll shift over to SS, where he is truly awful.
Suarez’ only offering is his 17(?) home runs
19 homers, but yeah that’s about it. His offensive output has been atrocious this year.
Agree on Farmer, disagree on Suarez.. Moose is indeed coming back so if Suarez keeps floundering below the Mendoza line then I could see Moose getting starts, maybe a platoon situation. There is also the possibility that Suarez actually heats up and they just play matchups shuffling him between 3B and SS. I have zero complaints with Farmer though.
This trade was by no means a Givens!
Noah Davis is a decent lottery ticket. I had him as #22 in my midseason prospect list. Case Willams was #36.
Farmer has been playing well, but Trea Turner would be great if the Nats cut him loose. Castellanas will be leaving at end if year so get another bat now. We have waited on Garcia/Barrero enough.
How about Moustakas or Suarez plus Hunter Greene for Trea Turner? Nationals add 3B for next few years and get potential future ace. Reds unload a redundant player and solve SS through 2022.
Idk if the Reds have enough pieces to back up the truck with to get Turner. They’ve jettisoned a lot of prospect talent over the last couple years and I don’t think they’re close enough to make a big splash. Hunter Greene is going absolutely nowhere btw, he is a generational talent
In other words the Reds do have enough pieces (Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene among them) but maybe they aren’t willing to trade them for a year and a half of Trea Turner (plus QO).
The Reds have plenty of talent. The question is what they want to pay.
Castellanos is here to stay.
I hope so, but I’m not counting on it.
Also turner could play CF
I would not want to give up greene for just1 1/2 yrs of Turner
I would trade senzel and Aquino and prospect
Reds doing what the Halos should be doing rn smh.
Reds fans, prepare to watch Givens come in and throw his first pitch for a ball, arm side. Like clockwork. He has mostly managed to wiggle out of falling behind batters this season, but it can be excruciating to watch.
Michael Siani and Josh Osich to Cleveland for Amed Rosario. And Mike Moustakes to The Yankees for Aroldis Chapman. Reds pay the difference in salary to keep Yankees under the salary cap. Reds reunite with their former closer and get ss. Cleveland get speedy outfield prospect and bullpen lefthander . Yankees get 3rd basement or dh who’s close to coming off the injured list
Osich was dfa’ed today
Reds going all in. Now they just need an actual SS…
As long as the Reds continue to play Suarez, they simply can’t be viewed as being serious about winning.
Is Dave Dombrowski still awake ?
The Reds should have traded Suarez two years ago and they could’ve gotten a respectable king’s ransom (a young SS and CF at least to go along with India in the line-up today) but they lacked the stones to do it.
The Cincinnati Front Office knows the holes they have had to plug for the stretch drive of the season!!!! Impact players are who the they are picking up!!!! They don’t waste their money or their time on Low Hanging Fruit— hoping to magically catch lightening in a bottle such as the Cardinals practice continues to be.