The first three two and a half weeks of August yielded only a few minor trades, featuring pickups by the Mariners (Arquimedes Caminero and Pat Venditte), a swap of veteran infielders (Erick Aybar and Mike Aviles) and the Marlins adding some left-handed depth to their ’pen (Hunter Cervenka). Since that time, several names have changed hands, though, including Carlos Ruiz, A.J. Ellis, Dioner Navarro, Jeff Francoeur, Daniel Nava, Marc Rzepczynski and Erick Aybar. A trade sending veteran outfielder Coco Crisp to the Indians should be announced on Wednesday as well.
Before diving into the names, a few items bear repeating. The majority of Major League players will be placed on trade waivers this month, with most instances going unreported. There are undoubtedly players (quite a few of them, most likely) who have already cleared waivers but have not been reported to have done so. Players can be traded into September, as well, but only those traded on or before Aug. 31 will be eligible for the postseason with their new teams, so there’s some urgency for contending clubs to complete deals by month’s end. And, of course, for those who aren’t familiar with the inner-workings of waiver trades, MLBTR published a full explanation of how August trades work earlier this month. Onto the known names…
- Ryan Braun (link): Although Braun has slashed an excellent .315/.377/.551 with 24 homers and 14 steals through 454 plate appearances this season, his pricey contract enabled him to slip through waivers. Braun, 32, is owed $76MM through 2021, and any team acquiring him would likely need Milwaukee to pick up a sizable chunk of his contract, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. That doesn’t seem to bode well for the possibility of a trade this month.
- Ervin Santana (link): Santana, 33, is due $13.5MM per year through 2018, which makes him a fairly expensive investment, but he’s in the midst of another fine season. The righty has been among the few bright spots for the last-place Twins, having recorded a 3.54 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 2.38 BB/9 in 147 1/3 innings. Given that he cleared waivers, the Twins might have to eat some of Santana’s contract if they wish to move him for a decent return. However, Minnesota reportedly needed to be “overwhelmed” to deal Santana in July, and it’s doubtful their bullish opinion of him has changed since then.
- Ryan Howard (link): It seems as if any possibility of a Howard trade has gone out the window with his time with the Phillies drawing to an increasingly pleasant end. But he does still deliver more pure power than most hitters — albeit almost exclusively against righties — with 19 long balls in less than half a season worth of plate appearances.
- Matt Wieters (link): Not only is Wieters expensive ($15.8MM salary this year), but he’s also underperforming both offensively and defensively. Thus, with fellow backstops Kurt Suzuki and Brian McCann having already cleared waivers, it’s no surprise that Wieters did, too. Regardless of his struggles, Wieters is the starting catcher for a playoff contender with no better in-house option in place, making a trade involving the impending free agent all the more unlikely.
- Scott Kazmir (link): Kazmir is owed $16MM in each of the next two seasons, but he has the ability to opt out of his deal after this year. Kazmir’s run prevention (4.41 ERA) has been a letdown in 132 2/3 innings this season, although he has recorded an outstanding K/9 (9.02) to go with a 3.32 BB/9 and a superb 15.2 percent infield fly rate. The positives weren’t enough for anyone to claim Kazmir, though, and it’s doubtful the injury-riddled Dodgers will move out a healthy starter in the middle of a playoff race.
- James Shields (link): The right-hander was previously a high-end option that every team would’ve loved to slot into its rotation. At 34, he’s now pitching like a DFA candidate. The White Sox, who acquired Shields from the Padres earlier this year, owe him $10MM per season through 2018. Thanks largely to a plummeting strikeout rate and a propensity for allowing HRs, Shields has run up a 7.62 ERA in 69 2/3 innings with Chicago. Overall, he has a 5.98 ERA in 137 frames this year. While Shields is on track for a 10th straight 30-start season, there’s no point in trading for someone who isn’t at least keeping his team in games every fifth day.
- Nick Markakis (link): The negatives seem to outweigh the positives with Markakis, who’s on a $10.5MM salary through 2018 and doesn’t bring the offensive value to the table that he used to. Since leaving Baltimore for Atlanta last year, the right fielder has hit .285/.360/.384 with a mere 12 HRs in 1,200-plus plate trips. The average and on-base percentage are clearly pluses. Fact is, though, a corner outfielder who has little power, doesn’t grade well defensively and isn’t all that cheap isn’t too appealing.
- Mitch Moreland (link): Moreland is amid his third straight 20-homer season and isn’t overly expensive ($5.7MM salary) in the last year of his contract, so it wouldn’t have been shocking had someone claimed him. Instead, the lifetime .251/.316/.481 hitter got through waivers and looks likely to remain with World Series-contending Texas for the rest of the season.
- Matt Kemp (link): Once an MVP-level player, the 31-year-old Kemp has fallen off thanks to defensive issues and a decline at the plate. As a roughly league-average hitter on a $21.5MM salary through 2019, he was fully expected to go unclaimed had the Braves placed him on waivers. They did, and that’s exactly what happened. Atlanta’s on the hook for $18MM per year of Kemp’s money for the duration of his contract. The Padres, his previous team, make up the difference. For any deal to happen, the Braves would likely have to eat a hefty portion of that cash.
- Joakim Soria (link): The 32-year-old Soria has become increasingly homer prone and displaying some concerning control issues in 2016, so it’s not surprising that no team risked claiming the remaining $19.72MM that he is owed through the completion of the 2018 season. Soria’s 92.8 mph average fastball is actually a career-high, and his strikeouts and ground-ball rate both remain sound, so perhaps he could be moved if Kansas City were to eat some of the remainder on that deal.
- Eric O’Flaherty (link): Once a powerhouse out of the Braves’ bullpen, O’Flaherty’s second stint with Atlanta hasn’t gone nearly as well. He’s never fully regained his form after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013, and his ERA in 2016 rested just shy of 7.00 when word of his clearing waivers broke. His $1.75MM salary wouldn’t be prohibitive were he pitching well, but even opposing lefties have roughed up O’Flaherty this season, and he’s been positively obliterated by right-handed opponents.
- Kurt Suzuki (link): The Twins’ catcher was reported to have cleared waivers just yesterday. Unlike a number of players that clear waivers in the month of August, Suzuki is relatively affordable, making it something of a surprise that no teams placed a claim on him. While he’s not regarded as a highly skilled defensive backstop, he’s hitting .281/.321/.431, which is quite a step up from the league-average catcher (.242/.311/.380). He doesn’t walk much, but he’s also very tough to strike out (12.9%), and he was owed just $1.54MM through season’s end when he reportedly cleared on Aug. 16.
- Brian McCann (link): It’s no surprise that McCann cleared waivers, as he’s owed a hefty $34MM beyond the 2016 campaign. McCann’s offensive production has wilted a bit in recent weeks, and while his .232/.333/.404 batting line and 15 homers are still solid marks for a catcher, it’s tough to imagine the Yankees moving him without absorbing a fair amount of the money that remains on his contract. Also standing in the way of a potential deal is the fact that teams looking for catching help beyond this year have a fair number of choices on the upcoming free agent market.
One final note: outfielder Jeff Francoeur (link) and catcher Carlos Ruiz (link) were both reported to have cleared waivers as well, but each has already been traded to a new team, with Francoeur going to the Marlins and Ruiz going to the Dodgers.
Pet writing peeve time. The relative pronoun “who” is reserved for referencing people; “that” is available for all other things. This isn’t a strict rule of usage, but I’ve often wondered why the human relative pronoun has almost completely fallen out of use when it’s such a handy way of distinguishing between people and things. Okay, that’s it. Back to baseball.
Unless you get paid to write for this site, stop. Otherwise, you’re looking like a pathetic loser with nothing else to do.
The quality of writing here is actually a cut or two above average for online content. But the nasty attitudes of some posters just are what they are.
Good post! You’d think a Cubs fan would be satisfied and happy with the world for a change….lol
Yea, BlueskyLA. Your right.
This comment made me smile
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is trying to populate Mars.
This
On your high horse today Gabe?
Jesus, get a hobby.
I agree I can’t stand people always reading articles and than criticizing the writer as if they could do a better job. If you can do a better job than go freaking apply to be an online writer and get over yourself. Also, if you people don’t like nor agree with the articles. YOU DONT HAVE TO READ THEM
I agree I can’t stand people always reading articles and than criticizing the writer as of they could do a better job. If you can do a better job than go freaking apply to be an online writer and get over yourself. Also, if you people don’t like nor agree with the articles. YOU DONT HAVE TO READ THEM
You people whine and complain when the articles you want aren’t written and then when they are written you choose to explain why it shouldn’t have been wrote. Bunch of losers
Good for you for calling out the headline! — a longtime copy editor.
are you here to read/talk about baseball or are you here to teach an english class ? Chill out bro
‘Players’ is a thing – property owned by MLB teams and traded like cattle…or slaves.
Even then you are wrong with your correction, it would be “Players whom have…” so if you aren’t even going to correct right, keep it shut.
Um yeah….no. Just no. At least he was right with his suggestion. Your correction is so incorrect it hurts the eyes and ears. Watch The Office if you need to learn the right way to use “whom.”
Y’all know this “correction” happened over 2 weeks ago right?
My pet peeve is when one person tries to politely correct the grammar in an article and ten people flip their lids over it.
” There are undoubtedly players (quite a few of them, most likely) that have already cleared waivers but have not been reported to have done so. ”
Why is that the case? I would think the teams would publish which players have passed trade waivers as there is not really a downside to it. I think it is curious that even the obvious players that were put on waivers (Ryan Howard, Derek Norris, etc.) are not made public.
Two possible reasons:
1.) There are many players out there who have no reasonable chance of being moved, so why bother publicizing, and,
2.) For bigger name players, many will fall into category 1, but there’s also the potential embarrassment factor of not a single team in the majors valuing you as claim worthy (even if only to keep you from a rival team).
The new title of this app…. Trade Rumors and English 101.
Any idea if Clay Buchholz has cleared waivers?
You don’t like him do you by mention of his name hoping he would leave your bean town
I’m a Cub fan he would be a second best behind are rookie Wilson Contraras who should be withRoss not Miggy but next year Scwhaber and Contraras they got this and part of the best bench ever next year 25 deep I wish the league would go 26 to take stress of the players
I’m interested to see how the Cubs’ situation plays out, too. With Schwarber, Contreras, and Montero on the team next year and already too many corner outfielders (since Schwarber and Contreras can play outfield too) we’ll have to watch for some offseason trades involving those players.
Realize most players go through waivers. If claimed, they are pulled back.
This is so, other clubs do not know who is planning what.
When you are talking about Markakis you said he doesn’t grade well defensively. Go tell that to his gold glove awards
Gold gloves are overrated. You used to be able to win them because of stats like errors and fielding percentage. I think Matt kemp even has one. Markakis is a below average fielder now anyways
Markakis is horrible defensively. Matt Kemp makes me want to poke my eyes out. I don’t think I can take a full year of seeing both of them in the Braves OF next year.
Steve, I love the way you described EOF as being “positively obliterated by right-handed opponents.” It made me laugh.
Haha of I were you I’d worry about the fact that’s aubrun can’t play defense more so than Markakis. Markakis isn’t that bad. Just becuase he doesn’t live up to the Sabermetric standards that everybody gets so warm and fuzzy over doesn’t mean he is awful. I’ve watched him make some seriously great catches and plays this year. Of course he is gonna miss a few. Every outfielder does. Not every outfielder can rate as good as Mike Trout. im tired of people whining about “bad defensive stats” when the truth of it’ll the matter is that these defensive stats haven’t legitimately amounted to many extra runs. The pitching is what the Braves problem is. Even Kemp’s bad defense has been the reason for all the runs given up. Next people are gonna be blaming a players shoe size as a reason a team loses games or not. Like Said. You may want to worry about Auburns pitiful defense this year becuase defense matters so much more in football than it does in baseball.
Some Team will be desperate and try to get one of these guys and the Puig thing might be holding up on some of the Batters.
Daniel Nava had been previously outrighted off the 40-man so he didn’t need to clear waivers.
If the Braves are able to trade Kemp and eat some cash, he will be payed by 4 different teams next season 🙂
That should read ‘… paid by 4 different teams”
BTW, are there any other occurrences of a player getting money from 3 teams? I’m guessing it is pretty rare.
Erik Kratz I think did it this year, Jose Bautista did it back in his journey man days of 2004 going on 5 different rosters.
I meant Kemp will be paid by 3/4 different teams while playing for only one of them. As it stands right now, the Padres will pay $3M and the Dodgers $3.5M while he is playing for the Braves in 2017. If he gets traded from the Braves to another team and the Braves eat some of the remaining salary, that can go up to 4 teams sharing his $21.750.000 salary.
Bautista was claimed and traded, which means that another team picked up his entire (remaining) contract.
Kemp’s total contract is $21.5M/yr.
The money the Padres are sending to Atlanta is the money the Dodgers are sending to the Padres.
You are indeed correct. I misinterpreted baseball reference, which says ‘ $3.5M paid by Los Angeles Dodgers, $3M paid by San Diego Padres’ for 2016. I thought the Braves would thus be getting a total of $6.5M, but that is not true.
I think Vernon Wells pulled this off at one point while he was with the Yankees.
Pretty sure the money for Mike Hampton’s deal was paid by 3 teams at one point: COL (who originally signed him), FLA/MIA (who took him to facilitate dumping other money), and ATL (who took him from FLA).
IIRC, the FLA / ATL piece was a bit messed up though. The original deal had FLA paying all the $$ on the last 2-3 years of the deal but MLB disallowed it and said any money changing hands had to happen upfront. Hence, FLA paid all but $1-2M of the deal in years 2-3 then ATL took on all the responsibility in the final years.
I think Atlanta hangs onto Kemp. Trades Markakis instead. At least that’s what I’d prefer they do.
That wasn’t the point, but yeah, hanging on to Kemp for next year makes much more sense than dumping him now. He is still a big name player and if he rebuilds some value next season the Braves might get a decent prospect back in a trade.
Kemp’s salary would come from 3 different teams. The $$ SDP gave to ATL in that deal was the $$ that LAD gave SDP from the earlier transaction. Hence, SDP isn’t forking over any new money for Kemp.
Random ?: can a team claim their own player on waivers? For instance, say ATL puts Freeman on waivers then realizes they forgot to check the “revocable” box. Can they just put a claim in on him and act like the transaction never happened (well, outside of being out a little cash for the transaction fees)?
I know that this has happened in the Rule V draft and a team drafted their own player (IIRC, it was actually ATL) but waivers are a bit more mysterious…
Hey Steve, is it supposed to say “three two and a half weeks” at the top and is Erick Aybar supposed to be listed twice? Just wondering
I’m nitpicking, but the title should read “Players Who Have Cleared Revocable Waivers”, not “Players That Have…”
If Kazmir opts out of his Dodgers contract the Blue would be so lucky! He averages 3 stays a year on the DL. His ERA is always high (around 4.) and never averages more than 5 3/4 innings. So please Scott, opt out!!
What are people’s thoughts on Weiters clearing waivers? I’m not surprised, but do you think the O’s will be a bit more hesitant to hand out that QO? He and Desmond seemingly have gone in different directions with one accepting and one rejecting last years QO
The Braves can solve 3B problem by moving Swanson there. A.Seymour can play SS and Albies 2B. What speed they would have Inciarte,Seymour,Albies and Swanson. Trade M.Smith,Teheran,Herbert,and B.Davidson for Contreras and Soler. .
Shields need to go to a team he wants to pitch for. I think it is evident where Shields issue lay: his ego, he pitched just fine in his 4-5 starts before the trade deadline and once that passed the wheels fell off again.
Offseason Trade ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Markakis,Jenkins,Whalen,R.Sanchez and Ruiz for Profar and Matuella.