The Pirates have announced that they have traded a relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas to the Reds for a left fielder/second baseman Tyler Callihan. Both players were on the 40-man roster, so there are no corresponding moves.
A trade of talented but largely unproven players among NL Central contenders. Nicolas, 27, has the most valuable MLB experience of the two. A second-round pick by the Marlins in 2020, he was traded to Pittsburgh as one of two Gold Glove prospects next year. Jacob Stallings. Nicolas was a first baseman at the time but he was always second guessing the future of the Bulls due to his spotty command.
Nicolas was first called in September 2023. The Ball State product opened the next two seasons in an option assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. Nicolas has posted below-average numbers at the MLB level but remains an intriguing depth piece with big upside.
In 98 MLB innings, Nicolas owns a 4.68 earned run average. He struck out a league-average 22% of batters while issuing walks at a career-high 12.2%. He split his time evenly between the majors and Triple-A last year. While allowing nearly five earned runs per nine at the MLB level, he posted a 3.79 ERA with an excellent 31% strikeout rate against minor league opponents. Nicolas has walked more than 12% of Triple-A opponents and has posted double-digit walk rates in nearly every stop of his professional career.
The order will probably keep Nicolas free. He could have some raw material to put in the back of the bullpen if he can find a way to land some strikes. Nicolas sits at 97-98 mph with his heater and has fastballs: a 90-91 mph slider and a mid-80s curveball.
He also uses his 6’3″ frame to get off the mound and create a lot of extension, though the long strides have also seemed to hinder him from finding consistency in his delivery. Nicolas drove the ball better last season. He only walked 8.4% of opponents while posting a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings after the All-Star Break. It’s a small sample but perhaps something he’ll build around as he tries to earn a permanent bullpen spot.
Nicolas has a little over one year of service time. He has at least two years left on the deal and five years left in free agency. He has one minor league option remaining, so the Reds can send him to Triple-A Louisville without clearing him from waivers. Nicolas threw two scoreless innings this spring before joining Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. (He’s from Ohio but has a family link to Italy that made him eligible to participate.)
Cincinnati doesn’t have much roster flexibility in the bullpen, where six of its relievers can be optioned. Graham Ashcraft has options but the key to starting the season is in the late innings. Except for the Reds going forward Sam Mollthey will have only one place for the bull available between Nicolas, Luis May, Connor Phillips again Zach Maxwell. The final four pitchers all have big arms but come with questions about throwing strikes.
The Pirates emptied their bullpen to find an intriguing hitter who didn’t find the position. The 25-year-old Callihan was signed as a third-round pick out of high school in 2019. Scouts praised the lefty hitter’s offensive ability while also being defensive. The Jacksonville native has a career hitting .262/.332/.417 in six minor league seasons.
Callihan’s performance in the minors was less consistent. He put up better numbers as he moved up to the minor leagues. Callihan hit .271/.345/.413 in Double-A the past two seasons and was .303/.410/.528 in starts over 24 Triple-A contests last year. The Reds called him at the end of April.
Unfortunately, Callihan didn’t get a chance to prove himself as a rookie. He suffered a serious injury just six days into his major league career.
Callihan was playing left field against the Braves on May 5. Matt Olson hit a line drive from him down the left field line. Callihan slipped trying to catch the ball and was unable to steady himself before hitting the wall with his outstretched glove hand. The collision broke his arm and forced him to undergo season-ending surgery. (Adding insult to injury, Olson spun around for an inside-the-park home run because Callihan had touched the ball in the right spot.)
That ended his first campaign after six at-bats, where he collected his first hit and a run scored. Callihan entered Spring Training unrestricted and has entered seven contests, going 2-9 with a home run.
Baseball America ranked Callihan the #20 prospect in Cincinnati’s system during the offseason, while Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him 29th in the organization. Callihan has improved his plate behavior and has above-average raw power, but his strikeout rate has risen in the minors.
He is a below-average outfielder at second base who might be a better fit in left field or first base. There are some similarities to last winter Spencer Horwitz in that regard, though Horwitz had a much longer hitting record in Triple-A than Callihan.
Callihan has less than one year left in his career and has two minor league options remaining. He will struggle to work off the bench in camp but it looks like he could start the season in Indy. He can play as a bat-first type throughout the season if he hits well in the minors.
Image sequence by Jordan Godfree and Sam Greene, Imagn Images.
