It's time to have a real conversation about Pirates fleecing Reds with Tyler Callihan trade

When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Tyler Callihan from the Cincinnati Reds in March for Kyle Nicolas, it looked like a minor depth swap. Three months later, Callihan helped lift the Pirates to a 9-4 victory over his former team at PNC Park and made Cincinnati’s decision to trade him look worse with every swing.

His three-run shot in the second inning gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead and immediately changed the feel of the game. It was his first home run since June 10, snapping a 14-game stretch in which his bat had cooled off. But even during that quieter stretch, Callihan’s value to the Pirates never disappeared.

Meanwhile, Nicolas is already out of the Reds organization. In fact, he was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, marking his second DFA in less than a month. That turns this from a quiet Pirates win into a trade that looks more lopsided by the day.

Tyler Callihan revenge game vs Reds made Pirates trade win impossible to ignore

Callihan is more than just a bench bat with occasional pop. He has already played six positions since making his Pirates debut on May 28. On Sunday, he was in left field. Earlier in his big-league stint, he cleared the deck against Shohei Ohtani for his first MLB homer. He has given Pittsburgh power, flexibility and legitimate lineup depth at a time when the Pirates desperately needed all three.

That became especially important after Oneil Cruz went down. Before his injury, Cruz was on pace for a historic 40-homer, 60-steal season. No one player was going to replace that — not Jake Mangum, not Esmerlyn Valdez, and certainly not Callihan.

But collectively, the Pirates have done a pretty impressive job patching together that missing production. Mangum has played nearly every day in center field and hit .328 since June 10. Valdez has brought real thunder to the lineup. Callihan has supplied power in the corners while moving all over the diamond. On Sunday, Callihan and Valdez combined for five RBI.

The Reds once viewed Callihan as a possible corner outfield option with a big bat, especially with Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz blocking parts of the infield. Cincinnati had already started moving him around the grass in the minors and the Arizona Fall League. The Pirates simply saw the same skill set and gave him a runway.

Callihan may not be a star. But he is exactly the kind of player winning teams need: cheap, versatile, athletic and capable of changing a game with one swing. And on Sunday, he changed one against the team that gave him away.

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