The Cincinnati Reds have dealt Tyler Gilbert, a left-handed pitcher, to the Philadelphia Phillies. It wasn’t actually a trade, at least not in the classic sense. Philadelphia is paying the Reds an unknown sum of money to purchase his contract. In baseball, that is considered a trade for whatever reason.
Tyler Gilbert was outrighted and passed waivers after the 2023 season with the Diamondbacks. He chose to become a free agent in November, and in January, the lefty signed a minor league contract with the Reds that included an invitation to major league spring training.
Gilbert’s spring training went well, statistically speaking. He appeared in five games and tossed 9.0 innings, allowing two earned runs, walking one batter, and striking out 11 of 41 batters he saw. That performance, however, resulted in his return to minor league camp on March 18th.
When the regular season began, the Reds assigned Tyler Gilbert to Triple-A, where he pitched for the Louisville Bats. He had three starts and four relief appearances, and to say things did not go well is an understatement. He had a 13.11 ERA in 11.2 innings, allowing 24 hits (but no home runs) and walking six hitters. That is a WHIP of 2.57. He would strikestrike out 13 of the 63 hitters he faced during him time with Louisville.
Gilbert, who delivered a no-hitter in his maiden big league start for Arizona in 2021 (after making three relief appearances earlier in the month of his rookie season), is now back with the Phillies. Philadelphia selected him in the sixth round of the 2015 draft, and he stayed with them in the minors until being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers following the 2020 season. Arizona then selected him in the minor league equivalent of the Rule 5 draft, and he spent most of the 2021 season in Triple-A before being brought up in August. Since then, he’s bounced between Triple-A and the majors, spending the majority of his time with the Diamondbacks until 2024, when he joined Louisville.
