The Cincinnati Reds signed an All-Star pitcher in a blockbuster deal.

 

 

Only three players from Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford, Connecticut, have ever been picked by Major League Baseball clubs. Rusty Brooder was one of them, and I’m pretty sure the name immediately flew to the top of my all-time favorite baseball names list.

However, only one Lyman Hall alum has ever made it to the big leagues, and it was not the aforementioned Rusty Brooder. P.J. Higgins, a former 12th round choice of the Chicago Cubs out of Old Dominion University in 2015, is now officially a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization.

The team announced today that he was signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training in Goodyear.

Higgins was originally a catcher-only by trade, but the Cubs moved him all around the infield during his stint with the team, and he has 6 big league homers to his credit in 254 career big league PA. One of those came on June 30th, 2022, in a 15-7 victory over the Reds, a 2-run tater off infielder-turned-reliever Max Schrock in Chicago’s rout.

He has an outstanding (and even).900 OPS in 672 PA at the AAA level spread across four seasons (and two clubs), having spent the first half of the 2023 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being recalled by the Cubs.

 

 

He’ll be a depth component, which as a catcher always implies he’ll have a shot to play in the big leagues at some point. In the same 2022 season when Higgins homered against the Reds, Cincinnati relied on Aramis Garcia, Austin Romine, Mike “Soda” Papierski, Chris Okey, Mike Koloszvary, and Chuckie Robinson behind the plate as Tyler Stephenson battled ailment after injury.

Higgins, I should mention, was a teammate of Connor Overton at Old Dominion in 2014.

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Sam Moll’s 2023 Athletics Season in Review

Sam Moll entered the season as a vital piece of the Oakland Athletics’ bullpen. He pitched well enough that they were able to trade him at the deadline to the Cincinnati Reds for prospect Joe Boyle.

 

 

How was it obtained?
On July 2, 2021, the A’s acquired Moll from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for monetary considerations. At the deadline, Oakland sent him to Cincinnati in exchange for right-hander Joe Boyle.

Moll was expected to be the A’s top left-handed option out of the bullpen after a strong 2022 season.

Moll pitched in 45 games for the A’s prior to the trade, recording a 4.54 ERA in 37 23 innings. His 3.23 FIP, on the other hand, demonstrated that he had performed better than his surface metrics indicated. The Reds gambled and were rewarded, as Moll allowed only two earned runs in 25 games and 24 23 innings thrown the rest of the way. Moll was especially harsh on lefties, who hit.161/.217/.241 with a.206 wOBA over the course of the season.

Moll was excellent for the A’s and much better for the Reds after the deal. According to MLB Pipeline, the A’s acquired Joe Boyle in the deal, and he is presently their No. 21 prospect. Boyle has a high strikeout rate but has struggled with control throughout his professional career.

 

 

After the trade, he pitched well in Las Vegas and made three starts for the A’s, posting a 1.69 ERA and a 3.13 FIP across 16 innings. Moll aided the Reds, who were vying for a postseason spot, while Boyle might be a future A’s player. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both parties.

Moll turns 32 in January, but he will not be eligible for arbitration until after the 2024 season. He’s expected to play a significant role in the Reds’ bullpen again next season.