Headlines

  • Alex Reyes To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
  • Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time
  • Dodgers Extend Blake Treinen
  • Brewers To Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List Due To Shoulder Tightness
  • Mariners Sign Justin Upton
  • Chad Green To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Reds Select Nick Lodolo, Designate Riley O’Brien For Assignment

By Steve Adams | April 13, 2022 at 8:46am CDT

The Reds formally announced top pitching prospect Nick Lodolo’s widely expected promotion to the big leagues yesterday, and they’ve now officially added him to the Major League roster by selecting his contract from Triple-A Louisville. Right-hander Riley O’Brien was designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man move, and Cincinnati optioned righty Daniel Duarte to Louisville to open a spot on the active 28-man roster.

The 27-year-old O’Brien will now be traded or placed on outright waivers within a week’s time. An eighth-round pick by the Rays back in 2017, O’Brien came to the Reds in a 2020 trade that sent southpaw Cody Reed to Tampa Bay. He made his big league debut in 2021 but pitched just 1 1/3 innings in his lone start before being sent back to Louisville, where he otherwise spent the entirety of his 2021 season.

In 112 2/3 innings with Louisville last season, O’Brien pitched to a 4.55 ERA with generally similar marks from fielding-independent pitching metrics. He fanned a solid 24.7% of his Triple-A opponents and induced grounders at a similarly sound 45% clip, but O’Brien walked 11.2% of his opponents and plunked 10 more. O’Brien also walked three of the nine big league hitters he faced last year and allowed a pair of homers, illustrating that he’ll need to refine his command if he’s to find success at the big league level.

That said, O’Brien only turned 27 a couple months ago and has a pair of minor league option years remaining (2022 included). He’s shown an ability to miss bats in the minors and, as Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin wrote when ranking him 29th among Cincinnati prospects, he’s shown three pitches that have all, at times, looked like potential plus offerings: his fastball, curveball and changeup. A club with some 40-man flexibility and a need for pitching depth could certainly take him on as a project.

As covered in greater detail yesterday, Lodolo will join fellow top prospect Hunter Greene in a youthful and high-upside Cincinnati rotation. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Lodolo is widely considered to be among the sport’s 100 best prospects and will give Reds fans a pair of young hurlers on which to dream.

Lodolo, Greene, 2021 Rookie of the Year Jonathan India and promising young backstop Tyler Stephenson could well be integral parts of the Reds’ core moving forward, and the organization undoubtedly still has high hopes for former No. 2 overall draft pick Nick Senzel, whose career to date has been continually derailed by injuries. Cincinnati surely still hopes to contend in 2022, but in order to do so they’ll need big performances from several young players, as the club also subtracted a number of productive veterans over the winter while cutting payroll (e.g. Jesse Winker, Sonny Gray, Wade Miley).

Share 0 Retweet 5 Send via email0

Cincinnati Reds Transactions Daniel Duarte Nick Lodolo Riley O'Brien

Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Pirates
Main
Tigers Acquire Jamie Westbrook From Brewers
View Comments (16)

Comments

  1. gbs42

    1 month ago

    Lodolo and Greene – might there be better days ahead for the Reds?

    Reply
    • LordD99

      1 month ago

      Sadly, appears not.

      Reply
    • Alan Horn

      1 month ago

      They can’t hit nor driven in runs, so the offense looks bleak for the next several years. They won’t spend for FAs or trades so they will have to wait for the minors to produce hitters(which won’t be anytime soon).

      Reply
    • Raúl Paz

      1 month ago

      I guess there may be, a center line including Stephenson, India, Barrero and Senzel shall provide a good number of productive years, plus such a young rotation of Green, Lodolo, Gutierrez and Sanmartin has plenty of upside.

      Reply
      • Alan Horn

        1 month ago

        Barreo is unproven at this point. If his bat shows up like it did in the minors,,it would help replace some of the offense lost in Castellanos, Winker and Suarez. That is roughly 90 plus HRs and 300 RBIs. Senzel could take some of the load off if he can stay healthy.(there is a pattern there). There is still a lot of offensive addition needed.

        Reply
        • Very Barry

          1 month ago

          You are in a rebuild right now. Be patient. Don’t worry about wins. Now is the time to lose, and secure a high draft pick next year to go along with this year’s high pick. Now, it is about seeing exactly what you have with your kids. Some studs will be duds and a dud or two will turn into productive big leaguers.

        • Alan Horn

          1 month ago

          That is the problem. The Reds have been in a rebuild mode since around 1990. There is a pretty good bit of evidence out there that they either don’t know how to rebuild or are not willing to spend enough to rebuild.. Getting all the top draft choices is good (and they have drafted wisely lately), but you have to add to that with astute trades and FA signings. Both trades and FAs require you to spend some money. That is the problem.

        • Very Barry

          1 month ago

          Now is the time to turn that trend around. If Greene and Lodolo are legit top of the rotation arms then it will save you a whole lot of $$$ down the road by not having to shell out top $$$ and years on free agent market. Worry more about being solid defensively than having a bunch of bashers on offense. Be careful of the Pirates. They have resources that are even more limited than the Reds. However, they are stockpiling young talent and could finally emerge in a couple of years with a nice core to get back to the glory days.

        • Alan Horn

          1 month ago

          Reds fans have been hearing that same spill for 30 years with no real results. Might as well try yet another rebuild.

  2. StudWinfield

    1 month ago

    Reds need to stop wasting all this service time when they have no shot at the playoffs.

    Reply
    • DHud

      1 month ago

      New CBA made service time considerations largely irrelevant

      Reply
      • Alan Horn

        1 month ago

        Agree. I would bet Stephenson heads home to Atlanta as soon as he gets a chance.. Likewise for India heading to south Florida.

        Reply
  3. jim stem

    1 month ago

    Lodolo’s stuff looks filthy. Watching him pitch reminded of Carlton’s slider. It starts middle of the plate looking like a fastball and disappears behind a right handed hitter’s back foot.

    With pitching prospects like Green and Lodolo, maybe the Reds rebuild won’t take as long as many of us thought? Add Santillan and Sanmartin with Art Warren…some really good young arms there.

    Reply
    • Cincyfan85

      1 month ago

      Watching him on the dance floor reminded me of Carlton’s dance.

      Reply
  4. Peart of the game

    1 month ago

    If they were trying to compete this year they would have kept both Miley and Winker. That said, maybe trading Gutierrez with Suarez would’ve been the better move overall.

    Reply
    • Cincyfan85

      1 month ago

      I don’t think Gutierrez has nearly the trade value that Winker had. I think Gutierrez is 5th man at best in a rotation on an ok team and not even in the rotation on a good team.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Alex Reyes To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

    Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time

    Dodgers Extend Blake Treinen

    Brewers To Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List Due To Shoulder Tightness

    Mariners Sign Justin Upton

    Chad Green To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Orioles Promote Adley Rutschman

    Luis Gil To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Carter Kieboom To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Cardinals To Promote Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore; Tyler O’Neill To IL

    Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

    Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

    Brandon Lowe Diagnosed With Stress Reaction, Shut Down For At Least Three Weeks

    DeGrom MRI Reveals “Continued Healing”; Still No Clear Timetable For Return

    Boras: Michael Conforto Not Ruling Out Late-Season Return

    Recent

    Pirates To Promote Cal Mitchell

    Astros Notes: Tucker, McCullers, Pena

    Alex Reyes To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

    Tigers Re-Sign Drew Hutchison

    Brewers Outright Dylan File

    Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time

    Yankees Notes: Donaldson, Andujar, Chapman, Sears

    Reds Select Aristides Aquino, Albert Almora

    Angels Designate Jose Rojas For Assignment

    Reds’ Connor Overton Diagnosed With Stress Reaction In Back

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Trevor Story Rumors
    • Frankie Montas Rumors
    • Michael Conforto Rumors
    • Arbitration Tracker
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • MLB Player Chats
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version