Reds Continue to Bolster Bullpen, Acquire Mychal Givens From Rockies

Image credit: Mychal Givens (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

The Reds bullpen has an MLB-worst 5.36 ERA, but the club still finds itself in second place in the National League Central and within striking distance of a wild card spot.

The Reds bolstered their bullpen— and by default, their postseason chances—by acquiring righthander Mychal Givens from the Rockies on Wednesday in exchange for minor league righthanders Noah Davis and Case Williams. It is the second trade the Reds made for relief help in less than two days after they acquired righthander Luis Cessa and lefthander Justin Wilson from the Yankees for a player to to be named later on Tuesday.

 

 

ROCKIES ACQUIRE

Noah Davis, RHP
Age: 24

Davis ranked as the Reds No. 15 prospect entering the year and posted a 3.60 ERA in 13 starts for High-A Dayton. He is an athletic 6-foot-2 righthander who had Tommy John surgery in college but returned with his stuff intact. His fastball sits 93-95 mph with solid carry and his sharp slider flashes plus with exceptional movement, although his command of the slider can be inconsistent and he is prone to hitting lefthanded batters in the foot with it. Davis’ fastball and slider give him promise, but his changeup needs to improve for him to remain a starter. It’s a fairly straight pitch at 85-88 mph that doesn’t have a ton of deception or separation from his fastball. His control has also been below-average. Davis has only 107.1 career innings under his belt due to his Tommy John surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season, so he’s less polished than most pitchers his age and still has room to improve. In addition to his Tommy John surgery, he battled shoulder soreness at instructional league last year and has had blister issues this season, so his health is a concern. Davis has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if his changeup and control improve and he is able to stay healthy. Otherwise, his fastball and slider combination should play in relief.

Case Williams, RHP
Age: 19

The trade represents a homecoming of sorts for Williams. The Colorado high school product was drafted by the Rockies in the fourth round last year and traded to the Reds after the season in the deal for Robert Stephenson and Jameson Hannah. Now, eight months later, the Reds traded him back to Colorado. Williams struggled to a 5.55 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) at Low-A Dayton this year and generally underwhelmed. His fastball sits 90-91 mph, touches 93, and is very hittable. His slider is fringy and his changeup is almost non-existent. He had nearly as many walks (33) as strikeouts (34) in 47 innings, and he has a large frame that will require close monitoring to make sure he doesn’t get too big. The Rockies were higher on Williams than most teams in the draft, so they will try to unlock the potential they saw now that he’s back in their system.

 

REDS ACQUIRE

Mychal Givens, RHP
Age: 31

Givens fell flat after the Rockies acquired him at last year’s trade deadline, but he bounced back this season with a 2.73 ERA in 31 appearances. The seven-year veteran has a long track record of success as a setup man and excels in high-leverage situations. He primarily pitched in the seventh and eighth innings for the Rockies this year and should fill a similar role for the Reds. He will be a free agent after the season.