The Padres are set to release righty Paul Clemens, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). It’s not apparent whether the organization has an immediate, corresponding 40-man move in mind.
Clemens, 29, entered the spring out of options, meaning he had to crack the Opening Day roster or face the waiver wire. Instead, the club has made up its mind early, with Clemens now set to head to the open market.
The Friars added Clemens last summer on a waiver claim after he struggled with the Marlins. He ended up providing 61 1/3 innings of 3.67 ERA ball, with 6.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. Clemens managed only a 39.8% groundball rate and 6.6% swinging-strike rate.
That showing was reasonably promising, all things considered, though it didn’t do enough to move the ball on Clemens’s overall trajectory. He owns just a 4.89 career ERA over 169 1/3 major league frames. And Clemens was off to a rough start this spring, with ten earned runs and 15 hits charged to him over a dozen frames, over which he has just six strikeouts to go with seven walks.
While it seemed there was a reasonable chance Clemens might crack the Padres’ rotation at the start of the offseason, San Diego added four starters over the winter. It seems the club has other plans with its fifth and final rotation spot; Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects lefty Christian Friedrich to take that job.
Why release him? At least try and sneak him through waivers so we can stash him in AAA or so we don’t have to pay him if someone else claims him.
Because he is horribly bad at pitching and shouldn’t be anywhere near a MLB roster. Let him play in Japan or Indy ball whatever. He’s like, really really awful at pitching and he’s never been good even in the minors. He has a 7.50 ERA this spring, it’s buh bye.
None of that matters. The Padres had nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying to sneak him through waivers. Best case scenario he gets claimed and we don’t have to pay him. Worst case scenario we have him in AAA as insurance in case injuries decimate our rotation. Now we are likely going to be paying him to pitch in AAA for someone else.
You don’t think the Padres didn’t do their due diligence and tried to trade him first? I’m guessing no one had enough interest to give up something when they knew he was out of options. No one is going to give up something for someone they are not sure will make their ML roster and have to pass through waivers to get to AAA.
Who said anything about that? I was talking about trying to sneak him through waivers and stash him in AAA which I’ve already proven would have been better than releasing him.
Maybe tuck him in the minors
Not a guaranteed contract. He gets 30 days termination pay if released if released 16 days before the season starts. Wait a couple more days and it would have been 45 days pay, or about $40k more if he makes MLB minimum. That’s the old CBA, but it probably hasn’t changed (I’m not nerdy enough to have checked).
The team has to place him on waivers first. If he passes through waivers then they can give him his unconditional release. If they release him today, they save about $450k. They will still have to pay him one month of termination pay or about $80k.
I imagine it goes to Blash
They still have Erlins spot for grabs
Only rea was taken
Blash is an outfielder isn’t he?
Yup
And Dickerson is hurt
Sneak him into the street
This guy will be off for greener pastures in Japan or Independent Ball.
The Pads have a ton of these AAA quality arms. Makes sense to just cut him loose since there’s no room for him in SD or El Paso.
Just too much talent in that Padres rotation race.
Blash stinks