Reds acquire Hoffman from Rockies for Stephenson

The Cincinnati Reds acquired right-hander Jeff Hoffman and pitching prospect Case Williams from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Robert Stephenson and minor-league outfielder Jameson Hannah on Wednesday.

Hoffman, 27, was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 and was later dealt to Colorado as part of the Troy Tulowitzki trade. Hoffman came up as a starter but has recently transitioned into a bullpen role. For his career, he is 10-16 with a 6.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 7.7 K.9 in 230 2/3 innings across five seasons.

Williams, 18, was selected in the fourth round of this summer's draft.

Reds general manager Nick Krall said Hoffman could compete for a spot in the rotation as the club's No. 5 starter or be deployed as a multi-inning reliever, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cincinnati was also planning to draft Williams this summer before the Rockies snatched him up, Nightengale notes.

Stephenson, 27, was selected 27th overall by the Reds in the 2011 draft and was one of their top pitching prospects. While he debuted as a starter in 2016, he's pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since 2019. He struggled in 2020, allowing 11 earned runs and eight home runs in just 10 innings of work, but he was quite effective in 2019. He posted a 3.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 64 2/3 innings of work.

Hannah, 23, was listed as Cincinnati's 15th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline in 2020. In 2019, he hit .274/.339/.369 in Single-A split between the Reds' and Oakland Athletics' farm teams. Hannah was originally acquired from the A's in exchange for pitcher Tanner Roark.