Reds Get A Winner In Zack Littell, Who Shined With The Rays
It would not have come as a major surprise had Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and/or Pete Fairbanks been dealt at Thursday's trade deadline. All three, though, remain in a Tampa Bay uniform. It was surprising that the Rays traded Taj Bradley to Minnesota (for righthanded reliever Griffin Jax) even with the 24-year-old righthander having been sent to Triple-A Durham last week. He was the second starting pitcher the Rays traded this week. The other was the remarkably consistent Zack Littell, sent to Cincinnati on Wednesday evening.
Littell proved to be a tremendous bargain for the Rays in 2024 when he earned $1.85 million in his first season as a full-time starting pitcher, going 8-10 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He sparkled over the season's final two months, going 5-3 with a 1.83 ERA.
The righthander, who the Rays claimed off waivers from Boston in May 2023, parlayed his strong season into a $5.72 million reward for 2025 that he and the club agreed upon in the winter, thus avoiding arbitration. The Rays headed into spring training with a good problem on their hands, and that was a surplus of starting pitchers thanks to the expected return of Shane McClanahan following the lefty's recovery from Tommy John surgery. Given Littell was the highest-paid member of the rotation and a pending free agent, his name conveniently surfaced when it came to trade rumors.
As McClanahan progressed through spring in impressive fashion, Littell seemed to be more and more the odd man out as the Rays had no intention of going to a six-man rotation. Everything changed at the end of the Grapefruit League season, however, when McClanahan was shelved due to a nerve issue in his left triceps. He has yet to take the mound for the club this season.
Meanwhile, Littell continued to be an anchor in the rotation prior to being dealt to the Reds for a pair of minor league pitchers after throwing five shutout innings in the Rays' 4-3, 11-inning loss at Yankee Stadium. It was a defeat that continued a skid that has seen the Rays lose 21 of 29 heading into a weekend series against the visiting Dodgers. They are 10 games behind first place Toronto in the American League East and 3.5 games out of the third and final wild-card spot with four teams to hurdle.
'It's hard to put into words,' said Littell, during a postgame television interview when asked about his time with the Rays. 'I was a fringe reliever and getting the opportunity I had here truly has and will continue to change my life.'
Sure, the 29-year-old Littell has allowed an MLB-leading 26 home runs. At least the damage is limited in that 21 are of the solo variety and the other five are two-run shots. That is thanks to a BB/9 rate of 1.42 that is second in the majors to Detroit's Tarik Skubal. He arrived in the Queen City 8-8 with a 3.58 ERA.
Littell was not only an outstanding pitcher for the Rays, but a great teammate and a go-to guy for media members. Certainly, the Reds, 3.5 games out in the much less congested National League wild-card scene, will likely benefit having Littell around even if it is for the short term.
'There are (trades) that sting a little more than others, and this one stings a lot,' said Lowe, who has been front and center the past two seasons when it comes to trade chatter, to assembled media in the Bronx. 'Just the teammate that he's been, the friend that he's been and how close (our) families have gotten. So, it's tough to see him go and I wish him the best of luck."'
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