The Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a trade, with right-handed pitcher David Buchanan heading to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations, as reported by Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Although the trade deadline has passed, it only affects players on the 40-man roster. Trades involving minor league players who are not on the 40-man roster can still occur. With the Reds in need of pitching, they turned to the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system to find a solution.
Currently, the Reds’ rotation is down to just two starters, Julian Aguiar and Nick Martinez. Today, the team placed Nick Lodolo on the injured list, and manager David Bell indicated that Lodolo’s finger injury might sideline him for the rest of the season. Additionally, Andrew Abbott and Hunter Greene are both on the injured list. Even at the Triple-A level, the Louisville Bats only have three pitchers who have been making semi-regular starts. The Reds’ starting pitching situation is challenging at both the major and minor league levels.
David Buchanan, a 35-year-old pitcher, has had an extensive career, playing in various leagues around the world. He made 35 starts for the Phillies in the big leagues a decade ago. After spending 2016 in Triple-A with the Phillies’ Lehigh Valley team, he signed to pitch in Japan, where he stayed from 2017 to 2019. He then moved to Korea, pitching there from 2020 to 2023, before returning to the U.S. in 2024 and re-signing with the Phillies.
This season, Buchanan has mostly pitched in Triple-A with Lehigh Valley, where he recorded a 9-3 record with a 4.82 ERA in 16 starts and six relief appearances. Over 102.2 innings, he allowed 119 hits, walked 33 batters, and struck out 78. His last appearance for the Phillies organization was a spot start for High-A Jersey Shore, where he threw seven shutout innings.
Buchanan is known for being a groundball pitcher, though not an extreme one, with a 49% groundball rate this season (compared to the MLB average of 42%). He has shown significant home/road splits in terms of OPS and home runs, with opponents slugging .504 against him at home and .420 on the road. He gave up 10 home runs in 12 home games but only three in 10 road games.
Buchanan has a diverse pitching arsenal, featuring a 4-seamer, 2-seamer, cutter (his most frequently used pitch), changeup, curveball, and slider. His fastball averages around 91 MPH, with his cutter at about 88 MPH. His changeup and slider sit in the low 80s, while his curveball is in the mid-70s.
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