The Nationals announced today that they have designated veteran righty Shawn Kelley for assignment. The club selected the contract of reliever Jimmy Cordero in a corresponding move.
This stunner of a move comes on the heels of a rollicking post-deadline victory that ended on a bit of a sour note. Kelley admitted that he “acted like a baby” in slamming his glove after giving up a home run in mop-up duty last night, but it was his evident glare into the dugout that seems to have caught the ire of the Nats’ brass.
Kelley, 34, had come up in some talks in the run-up to the trade deadline, though it seemed that the Nationals were more interested in moving salary than parting with the veteran reliever. Now, unless he’s traded or claimed, Kelley will collect the remainder of his $5.5MM salary (less any portion of the league-minimum if he clears waivers and signs elsewhere) and will be removed from a relief unit that also just parted ways with Brandon Kintzler.
There has been some chatter of late about supposed internal turmoil in D.C., though as ever it’s hard to know whether that’s mostly just reflective of frustrations with a season that has fallen shy of expectations. Still, this move certainly sends a message. After deciding to roll the dice on a turnaround, ownership and upper management obviously isn’t interested in further public displays of discord.
Of course, Kelley’s work on the hill is also a factor. He’s carrying a 3.34 ERA through 32 1/3 innings on the year, a vast improvement over his disastrous 2017 season, but is still surrendering nearly two home runs per nine innings. And though Kelley has a quality combination of 8.9 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9, his swinging-strike rate has plummeted to a 11.2% figure that sits well below his recent levels.
It’s still tough to imagine that the Nationals prefer to part with relief depth at this stage of the season, but Cordero had been forcing his way into the picture. As J.J. Cooper of Baseball America recently tweeted, the former Phillies prospect — originally added in a swap with the division rivals in the fall of 2016 — has shown impressive stuff this year at Triple-A. He’ll now head up for his MLB debut after throwing 43 innings of 1.67 ERA ball at Syracuse, where he posted 9.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 along with a 52.6% groundball rate.
Uh, this is interesting. Shawn Kelley has a 3.34 ERA, 8.9k/9 and 1.4bb/9 this year for the Nats.
He also threw a fit on the mound last night pitching the 9th in a (then) 25-1 game, including throwing his glove to the ground after giving up a HR, staring down someone in the dugout, and arguing with multiple umpires.
thanks for summing up the above
Ted’s ability to rephrase the original without adding anything original makes him qualified to work for Cliff’s Notes. He can occupy the cubicle next to A. Sapoznik.
Kudos Ted….. you’re being called out
DFA candidate most of the year…. Finally had a good stretch recently.
Guess the FO was fed up enough of him after sticking with him so long while he was terrible to show up the team like he did in the ninth last night.
Punish him…trade him to the Mets
That’s a harsh sentence!
they may just claim him or sign him if he gets released haha
They’ll trade him to the Royals for an Alex Gordon jock.
If he goes to the Blue Jays he can room with Ken Giles.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
Haha. I like the Mets idea. 😉
Your mean!
From ESPN:
“Leading 25-1 in the ninth, the Nationals still hit a little speed bump at the end. Reliever Shawn Kelley gave up a home run to Austin Jackson, wound up and flung his glove to the ground.
The homer came after Kelley, working quickly, had been told to slow down by the plate umpire.”
I thought MLB wanted faster games?? What’s the problem?
The 2B umpire told the hitter to get back in the box as well. Very bizarre final inning.
I’m so sick of some of these umpires!!
The only thing I can think of is that Kelley was working faster than the batter was comfortably able to get ready for..Leading to a form of quick-pitching, which if you’re an umpire, you can nix if you think the hitter isn’t getting a fair chance to see the pitch and hit the ball…
It happens ALL the time in lower levels of baseball, because of the variations in talent and the variation in the amount of time it’ll take certain pitchers and hitters..In MLB pitchers and hitters generally take about the same amount of time to get ready, so you don’t see this problem as much..Especially because, you’ll know which pitchers like to work quickly going into the at-bat..
He was working too quick for the home plate ump it even seemed like. Ump was telling him to slow down, and after Kelley barked back, it became a brief shouting match.
I just read at ESPN that the home plate ump was telling him to speed up. The second base ump was telling him to slow down.
If true, then it’s the game from hell.
Biggest news here … Austin Jackson hit a homerun.
Good – I saw Kelley’s tantrum live on tv last night and it was embarrassing. Kudos to the Nats for having principles and making this move, which is wholly unrelated to performance.
I get it was 24-1 and the game was out of hand. But Kelley is blessed with the ability to have a job that most would give up their first born for. He clearly took that for granted – it’s a privilege not a right – and even worse, he showed up his own organization because he thought he shouldn’t have been there. That’s a big no no, esp when you’re clawing to get back in the divisional race.
I don’t wish any ill will towards him, but I hope he understands moving forward that every time he steps on the mound to pitch in a MLB game, it could very well be his last time doing so. Respect the game and respect your teammates. On that note, kudos as well to Brandon Nimmo for laying out for that line drive when Jose Reyes was pitching. Sure he missed it and the game was over, but that’s the type of effort your teammates appreciate and deserve – at all times.
well said
Don’t get it twisted! No way I give up my first born! But like the rest of your comment!
I’ll give up my first born for $20
^very well said.
here, here…. well spoken Bruce!
“Rule 6: there is NO Rule 6!”
What about a player that throws a bat in the dugout and hits himself in the eye needing stitches, causes bench clearing brawls, as well as fights with teammates?
While i dont condone what kelley did, but shouldnt the above be considered much worse? I think this is a bit of an overreaction by the player where he had a bad night as we all do. Should he be punished with some kind of suspension yes, but cutting him is a bit stretch when the above really got slaps on the wrist from the team and didnt get cut. Same rules should apply to all players.
I don’t necessarily disagree, but different scenarios necessitate different results. Was the bench clearing ball in order to protect a teammate after the other team was purposefully throwing at him? Was a fight between teammates just frustration boiling over as it commonly will over a 162-game season? It’s heavily fact dependent.
What didn’t help Kelley was his timing. He did this on the trade deadline, right after some anonymous source told Jeff Passan the clubhouse was dysfunctional and fractured. I’m sure management wasn’t pleased, and this set them over the top.
On this point, I think the most egregious thing Kelley did wasn’t the glove throw, but the look into the dugout and at his manager. You don’t show up a coach on a public stage like that, no matter the reason. The perception he put off was: “I’m too good to be out here, and this is BS.” That’s just unacceptable. And Davey did the right thing by leaving him out there to finish the game. Don’t acquiesce to it.
I won’t defend his actions, but saying he took his job for granted is ridiculous. If he was doing that, he wouldn’t care enough to get that wound up in the first place.
Taking it for granted would be relative to not caring at all. But that doesn’t suit your narrative.
So how would you characterize behavior that appears he assumes his roster spot is safe, he will pitch more MLB games after the blowout, and that this appearance when up 24-1 is unnecessary and pointless? (I.e. acting like a child out on the mound). How is that not taking your job for granted?
Taking it for granted is not synonymous with not caring at all. There are degrees of relativity, but not just in the passive tense as you imply. Aggressive actions (throwing your glove, big-leaguing your manager) can be just as telling as apathetic ones in terms of taking it for granted, and thinking you have the right to be out there.
But please, tell me more how that doesn’t suit my narrative. My guess is you just disagree with my main premise. That’s fine. But I’d be willing to bet Mike Rizzo feels a similar way as I do.
Jackson finally hit a bomb.
Now that he’s not on the Giants.
My biggest takeaway from this entire thread, too.
Good for the Nationals send a message to these guys you are being paid millions learn how to act and behave right. It’s a job grow up a little
Batters throw equipment all of the time…. but it’s not o.k. for a pitcher? His stare into the dugout, supposedly because Martinez didn’t support him when the umps were telling him to slow down, is what got him DFA’ed.
Trade with Boston?
Geez I hope not….. The last thing Boston needs right now is an unnecessary, self-inflicted drama situation
Actually, the Sox can use him.
He can room with Chris Sale.
Just keep them both away from scissors.
You don’t think he’ll learn? If Houston can take on a player who’s alleged wrong doing was far more severe, why not Boston here? Someone will give him another chance given his arm. Sad but true.
They need to select Chad Cordero.
This is a joke. People have done worse
I once saw a closer try to choke the teams best player in the dugout.
Or that same star player throw their bat at an umpire. Or the time he threw it at a wall and hurt himself. Lmao the nats are all types of dysfunctional
Robby Alomar always comes to mind.
That and Ty Cobb beating up a cripple in the stands.
I think that he could be a great seventh inning guy in Houston before Osuna. All Shawn Kelley did is throw his mitt on the ground. He would fly below the radar there.
For a team that is this loaded with talent, things seem to be imploding. Teammates fighting. Players getting benched for not hustling, pitchers throwing tantrums while up by 20 runs, etc. In a very winnable division, these guys are definitely the most disappointing team in the league to me. Only 5 1/2 out, so not dead yet, but they better hurry up and figure out what they are. It’s a shame that Davey Martinez inherited THIS Nationals team, instead of one of the last 3-4, but then again, maybe he might have something to do with it. ???
If the Nats had any integrity they would have released Trea Turner for much worse behavior. But of course leadoff starting SS is more valuable than RP.
The Nationals simply won’t tolerate that sort of behavior – unless it’s from Bryce Harper.
Bingo. That’s the first thing I thought of: the next time Harper spikes his helmet after a called 3rd strike he doesn’t agree with, does this mean they release Bryce? The message isn’t as strong as some might think.
In no way is that a fair comparison.
Harper slamming his bat/helmet after striking out is completely different than Kelley throwing his mitt/glaring into his own dugout. One action is out of frustration with self, the other is showing up his manager/coaches for being called on to pitch in a game that was over by the second inning. The impacts on the clubhouse/locker room are not even relative. It’s entirely Apples to oranges.
I’m not sure how people don’t understand this.
Well obviously they don’t understand this because you are smarter than they are. At least that what I took from your soapbox rant.
You are calling someone for not being fair and then you state what each player must have been thinking in those situations that you were not a part of. How is that fair? You don’t know what was going through Harper’s mind. You also don’t know what was going through Kelley’s mind. Baseball players have a long history of being petulant and acting like babies. It doesn’t matter the reason behind that, the actions are definitely comparable.
My soapbox rant? It’s a question of analytical reasoning. I’m sorry if that offends you as a rant.
What I took – and still take – issue with is the ridiculous assertion that the Nats – or any team for any that matter – should release someone for throwing a bat/helmet after striking out. It’s not the same, not even close. And if it was a logical point, then 80% of all MLBers would be out of a job.
After striking out and throwing their gear, how many players turn to the dugout and glare at their hitting coach or manager for putting them in the lineup that day? I invite you to show me any examples.
My point is that when baseball players show frustration, it’s usually due to the fact that they are mad at themselves for not performing when their team needs them to. This is an entirely different scenario. Kelley explicitly gave the stank eye to his dugout, and clearly I’m not the only one who thought so. Ask Mike Rizzo what he thought. Ask Max Scherzer and Ryan Madson, who spoke with Kelley afterwards. And after you ask them how they took it, also ask why Bryce isn’t released when he throws his helmet for striking out.
marinest21, hiflew just verified your rightful concern. Some people just don’t care about logic, insight, and coherent argument.
Seems they’re the ones we see the most on these sites because they just have to feel that they’re right (talk about a soapbox…).
They also are the ones most likely to use name-calling and hyperbole (e.g., hiflew’s use of “soapbox rant”).
One example comes to mind. July 1, 2004 Nomar Garciaparra refused to play against the Yankees because the Sox refused to negotiate a new contract. I was at that game (Derek Jeter catch diving into stands). It was the final straw and he was then trades to the Cubs. Years later the team and he made up but it is similar in the opposite way.
I also don’t believe Harper would slam his helmet down when you’re up by over 20 runs. Guy thinks he’s “too good” to protect a 20+ run lead, that’s hysterical… especially after how terrible he was this year.
I think you’re missing my point, which is if Kelley were a star player or an essential one, he’d still be on the roster. This isn’t a comparison of acts, we all realize they’re not the same thing. You think if Doolittle did what Kelley did he’d be gone the next day?
Honestly, I can’t see Doolittle doing something like this. Don’t mean that to mean a cop out or anything, but there is a reason why certain players find themselves in these situations and others don’t. And I don’t think Doolittle is that type of player.
Agreed
“Verified [his] rightful concern”? What? What “rightful concern”?
Honestly I’d probably slam my glove down, glare a bunch & cuss as well if I gave up a HR to an atrocious hitter like Austin Jackson
This type of rash decision making just makes the Nats look more foolish for not selling. Sure the guy acted like an idiot, but lots of baseball players have acted like idiots without getting released. Carlos Gomez beat up a cooler like a three year old throwing a tantrum with no repercussions. In fact, he made a video making fun of it by comparing the cooler to a bettered wife or girlfriend and all was still well. That was far more embarrassing to the game than Kelley slamming his glove. An apology to his teammates and this incident should have just been forgotten.
110% ✓
Gotta admit, its crazy that they performed under Dusty Baker, who is one of the worst in-game managers of all-time but one of the most player-friendly managers of all-time, and how Martinez has never had any issues in the past and he cant take this team of studs and superstars to .500. Just another way baseball is unpredictable.
Oakland needs to swoop in and upgrade Hatcher off the team.