Photo: Doug Gray
On Wednesday afternoon the Cincinnati Reds put a 19-2 hurtin’ on Team Cuba in an exhibition game as the latter got prepared for their World Baseball Classic opener on Friday. About two hours after the game ended the Reds front office completed a trade, sending #19 prospect Tyler Callihan to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas.
Both players were on their respective club’s 40-man roster, so it was an even swap in those terms and neither team has to make other moves to create a spot. And both players have plenty of team control before the two players would reach free agency as Callihan has just under a year of service time, while Nicolas has under two years.
In 2025 Tyler Callihan’s long journey to the big leagues ended as he made his debut with the Reds on April 30th. He had been selected by the team in the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Providence School of Jacksonville in Florida. He would play in 59 games after the draft, spending 52 with the Greeneville Reds before joining the Billings Mustangs for seven games (including the playoffs).
While that 2019 campaign wasn’t a full season, it only wasn’t because he wasn’t drafted until June. Callihan was healthy and on the field nearly every day once he signed. It would be the last time that was the case until four years later when he played in 131 games between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. The injury bug continued to get Callihan after that, too. In 2024 he only played in 73 games and then last year he managed just 28 games before he suffered a season-ending injury in Atlanta less than a week into his MLB career when he crashed into the wall in foul territory and broke his arm in multiple places and required surgery in early May.
When spring training began it appeared that Tyler Callihan would be competing for a spot on the bench. His versatility and ability to fill in at first, second, third, left field, or right field was quite useful from a defensive perspective. His speed could have been useful off of the bench, and he’s got enough pop in his bat to at least be a threat as a pinch hitter against right-handed pitchers.
He’s not going to get that chance with Cincinnati now that he’s been traded, but perhaps he can grab that spot with the Pirates.
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