CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall on Wednesday announced the acquisition of right-hander Kyle Nicolas from the Pirates in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan.
Nicolas, who turned 27 on Feb. 22, split the 2025 season between the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis, pitching to a 1-2 record with a 4.74 ERA in 31 appearances with Pittsburgh and a 2-2 record with a 3.79 ERA in 30 games (1 start) for Indianapolis. He is expected to pitch for Team Italy in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Originally selected by the Marlins in the Competitive Balance B Round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Nicolas has pitched in 86 games across 3 Major League seasons with the Pirates (2023-25).
A native of Massillon, Ohio, Nicolas attended Jackson High School, where as a senior in 2017 was named Prep Baseball Report’s Ohio Player of the Year after pitching to an 8-0 record with 0.50 ERA and 78 strikeouts, helping the Polar Bears to a state title.
Nicolas, 27, was traded to Cincinnati in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan. The right-handed hurler spent parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh after making his major league debut in 2023. Over 86 MLB appearances with the Pirates, Nicolas posted a 4.68 ERA and struck out 96 batters across 98 innings of relief work.
Cincinnati plans to use Nicolas out of its bullpen, where his power-arm repertoire—including a fastball that can touch the upper 90s—adds valuable strike-out potential. The Reds have struggled with bullpen consistency early this spring, making the acquisition a timely move.
In return, Pittsburgh adds Callihan, a versatile 25-year-old utility player who appeared in four MLB games last season before suffering a left forearm fracture that ended his season. Callihan had shown strong offensive numbers in the minors and brings positional flexibility to the Pirates’ roster.
Callihan, 25, made his Major League debut with the Reds this past season, appearing in 4 games before suffering a season-ending, left-forearm fracture on May 5 at Atlanta. Originally selected by the Reds in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft, he entered the 2026 season rated by both MLB.com and Baseball America as the organization’s 19th-best prospect.
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