1:00pm: The teams have announced the move. Atlanta also announced that Mike Foltynewicz is up from Triple-A Gwinnett, so he’ll take Gausman’s spot in the rotation.
12:25pm: The Reds have claimed right-hander Kevin Gausman off outright waivers from the Braves, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That’s not to be mistaken with the now-defunct revocable August trade waivers, to be clear. The claim means that Gausman is now a member of the Reds, who by claiming him are agreeing to take on the remainder of the right-hander’s $9.35MM salary — a sum of about $2.815MM between now and season’s end.
Cincinnati is obviously banking on a return to form following a change of scenery, as Gausman is mired in the worst season of his big league career. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Orioles, 2012) joined Atlanta last season in a deadline trade that saw Atlanta take on the remainder of Darren O’Day’s salary while also shipping out international bonus allotments and minor leaguers Brett Cumberland, JC Encarnacion, Bruce Zimmermann and Evan Phillips.
Gausman performed admirably down the stretch in 2018 and was a big part of the Braves’ rotation (2.87 ERA in 59 2/3 innings), but he’s been among the league’s least effective pitchers in 2019. Through 80 innings, he’s pitched to a 6.19 earned run average with 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a career-low 37 percent ground-ball rate.
There’s little denying that Gausman has had his share of poor fortune in 2019. His .345 average on balls in play is well north of both his career mark (.313) and the league average (.299), and his 59.3 percent strand rate appears fluky and due for some positive regression toward his lifetime mark of 74.1 percent. Fielding-independent metrics peg him as a candidate for considerable improvement (4.20 FIP, 4.40 SIERA, 4.47 xFIP).
Gausman’s average fastball velocity (93.8 mph) is down from its 95 mph peak, however, and he’s allowing line drives at a career-worst 24.7 percent clip. Opposing hitters are barreling up Gausman’s offerings at a higher rate than ever before, per Statcast, and the increased number of hard-hit balls in the air has come back to bite him.
The Reds don’t appear to have an immediate need for starting pitching, with Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood all in the rotation at the moment. It’s possible that Cincinnati could utilize Gausman out of the bullpen or deploy a six-man rotation to keep their arms fresh down the stretch.
The move could very well have been made with an eye toward 2020 as well — as was the case with their acquisition of Bauer. Gausman is controllable via arbitration for the third and final time this winter, although at present he looks like a potential non-tender candidate. Still, perhaps a strong showing to the season will convince the Cincinnati front office that Gausman is deserving of the $10MM+ salary he’d command in arbitration this offseason. If he is able to return to form, Gausman would slot in fourth behind the formidable trio of Bauer, Castillo and Gray.
Wow
when did he get DFA’d?! I completely glossed over ever seeing or hearing that…
He was never dfa’d. He was just straight up put on waivers
When did they do that though? I never saw any sort of tweet or press release even indicating he’d been placed on waivers.
I don’t think it’s commonly announced when players are put on waivers. Remember in the old August trade days, the waiver lists would occasionally leak (and people would overreact). Teams were never announcing outright when players were listed.
I’d prefer they trade both him and Folty. Ain’t nobody got time for that….
Hard to trade after the deadline
Well, this is interesting. In for results.
Why would the reds do this?
Bullpen is a dumpster fire and Garrett is due to go on 8 game suspension soon
How.has that suspension not taken affect yet? Does it really take a week to appeal it
8 games isn’t even enough. should have started at 15 then reduced to 13
No way Garrett deserved more than Kela
If you give Garrett 13-15, Kela should’ve gotten no less than 20
appeal
Who threw the first punch? If Garrett does nothing, then nothing happens. He started it!
No Dietrich admiring home runs several times started this. You can argue the unwritten rules all you you want whether it’s appropriate or not. Dietrich was plunked once earlier in the year for it and still decided to admire more of his home runs after he was plunked, so Pirates went head hunting the second time around. That situation was escalated on both sides.
I’m not a fan of showboating, but Hurdle’s thuggery is going to get someone killed. No reason, EVER, to be throwing 95 mph fastballs at someone’s head.
MLB needs to intervene before it’s too late.
What do they have to lose?
Holy Cow is what I can say
Jim Palmer said Gas Man had the best arm in the Orioles staff when he was there and now he is on skid row or at least he was until the Reds claimed him. I am not completely stunned he was always inconsistent and gave up way too many home runs. I am surprised though the Braves could not convert him to the bullpen. He was really good there at one time
We are trying to make the bullpen better. How many more failed starters can we roster? ATL freed up much needed roster spots last year with the Gausman trade, while also taking a chance on Darren O’Day (which has really not worked out).
Look at how much Darren O’Day and Mark Melancon are making relative to the rest of the pitching staff.
We traded nobody on the 25 man roster for gausman maybe one guy on the 40. The Duvall trade gave us more roster flexibility we traded 2 guys that were floating between the 25 and 40 man
But weren’t we going to run into problems trying to roster guys in lieu of the Rule 5 Draft? I was thinking that Evan Phillips was one, but maybe I’m misremembering it.
I remember last year he attributed his success in Atlanta to analytic information he didn’t get from the Orioles, which led people around the league to criticize the O’s for still being in the dark ages (and rightly so, to be fair). So, what happened? Did the Braves stop giving him information? Did Gausman stop using it? Did he just revert back to being the same potential-laden but inconsistent pitcher he was with the Orioles, where all the information in the world can’t help him if he throws a hanging curveball on an 0-2 count?
I think a lot of the reasoning stemmed from the fact that (I believe) Newcomb was the only optionable pitcher left in the bullpen after the recent additions. They couldn’t just move him to the bullpen. From my understanding he had also essentially became a 2 pitch pitcher who threw a fastball almost exclusively. Combine the limited arsenal with limited movement this season and the hitters are just teeing off on his offerings. It was hoped that his time in Gwinnett would yield better execution on an expanded arsenal, but when he was promoted back to the majors it seems (for one reason or another) he ditched the pitches he worked on in AAA.
Atlanta couldn’t afford to keep him on the major league roster while they are competing. Good luck to him.
Lol, we in ATL never got to see gausman throw a curve, he only threw a 4 seamer and a split finger. No matter how much info you are given, it is hard to only have 2 pitches in MLB.
Unless you’re Mo Rivera.
It wasn’t hanging curveballs that killed him. It was his career long reliance on fastballs in the strike zone and split fingers that were not. So what would anyone expect the results to be ? Wait for a fastball in the strike zone. Pretty easy to predict. He rarely ever threw a curveball or slider. He insisted that he couldn’t throw them and yet when he did they were effective. Odd right ? So my thinking was that this guy is incredibly hard headed or stupid. Not sure which. My god it’s not hard to figure out, at least throw something else up there to mix it up. I think a pitchers greatest weapon is not stuff — it’s the ability to fool hitters.
DJ will fix him, Might be a little before we see results, My guess is that he is tipping one of his pitches but I can’t say that for a fact, But if DJ does then It’s a solid pickup for this and next year.
Dunno bout that one Chief
Fine with me. Give folty another shot and if he struggles move him to pen. Bring up Anderson and see how he does in the show
Anderson is not ready no need to rush him
Hey they turned around Sonny Gray
Is he a free agent after this year ???
At least it’s money off the books and he has not been very good
This probably brings back Folty to the bigs
Hopefully he turned it around down in AAA
Sonny Gray signed an extension when he was traded over from the Yankees. He’s good through 2021 I believe.
Not Gray I was asking if Guasman was a FA but I stopped being lazy & looked it up
He is Arb 4 eligible
Gray’s extension looks amazingly cheap considering his year now…
Considering Gray’s track record I don’t know that the Reds turned him around.
They did, He was reunited with DJ in Cincy, Who was his college coach and Vanderbilt.
Gausman has had a weird year. A lot of his peripherals look ok, but he’s still giving up runs. I thought he may do better in the pen, but guess the braves didn’t think so.
Sounds like David Hernandez 2.0
Look I know the Reds might be looking for pitching depth… but that is a lot of contract to assume for essentially hoping that last season was the real Gausman.
2.5 MM? Big deal. They saved more than that dealing Roark. They now essentially get another Roark esque -gamble for next season w/o giving up a prospect. Or they decide there’s no fixing Gausman after this year and they only are out the 2.5 MM. I like the gamble. It’s nothing but some cash for a ML team.
Exactly. Just cash.
But I see a guy who isn’t overpowering, and doesn’t fool many batters anymore. This might be a bad bet
This is a public service signing Reds did to give the fans in the LF seats more souvenirs. A pitcher prone to HR at Great American? Duck and cover.
1.35/9 is far from exorbitant. From a guy who I’ve personally seen pitch at Camden Yards at least a dozen times. This isn’t a bad gamble by any means
I misread the initial post and thought he was still owed $9 million and not just the remainder. You’re right.
Could be a block to another team too…don’t forget the Brewers and the Cardinals both need SP right now.
You may be on to something there
He is arbitration eligible for next year so they claim him give him some time this year to see if he is worth turning it around and then will be able to have him under contract next year or non tender him if they think he can’t
Not a bad pickup for the Reds
Makes total sense for the Reds. They haven’t shut the door on this year, so this helps in that regard.
But, he’s also the type of pitcher they might target in free agency to be a #4 for next year. Why not bring him in for an audition and see if he fits the clubhouse and coaching staff?
EDIT- I see above that he’s still under control for 2020. Makes even more sense in that case.
Surprised he got that far
well the 10 teams below the Reds are pretty bad…
didnt know atl released him
Waivers
Reds willing to potentially eat some money to see if they can turn him around. Hes still got big league stuff. This fits right in with the Wood and Roark pickups.
I don’t think Wood was a guy they needed to “turn around.” When healthy, he’s always been one of the best LH starters in the game
If they could re-sign Wood, Gausman would be an excellent low cost risk as a #5. Acceptable as a #4 if Derek Johnson can extract something from him.
Braves gotta be happy to lose that couple million
Not like they gonna put it to use though
I am sure AA booked a nice getaway for all his former Blue Jays buddies he brought over last year
High 5’s in the office as we speak
Vacation in November booked
Feel free to send him back.
More than a few would be very happy with that. Many, also, not so much. What don’t you like?
I didn’t like the Donaldson signing. It has worked out but that was a big gamble. I thought Camargo was just fine there and that money coulda been better spent on our major weaknesses at catcher, bullpen & rotation.
He totally neglected the bullpen over the offseason and the couple opportunities he had to improve the rotation he hasn’t pulled the trigger.
I understand he signed Kuechel in the middle of the year but I believe that was out of desperation because of how bad Folty & Guasman had been.
Here in NY Cashman said that Kuechel is in Atlanta because he wants to be in Atlanta. Meaning they offered more money but he came here for his own personal reasons.
I didn’t like how he fired the scouts that Coppy & Hart worked so hard to bring back after the Frank Wren fiasco.
I didn’t like how long it took him to hire a pitching coach. Did he do the right thing & hire the right one. I don’t know the jury is out but again to me that was luck that he was able to get him at that point.
Just not impressed with his body of work thus far. But the jury is still out and he is here so I will ride with his decisions. But places like this give me the place to vent that I need.
I can even take it back to Realmuto trade
But I also understand why they didn’t make that move because you would want them to sign him to an extension for the talent they would have to give up.
Seriously, STILL complaining about the spending of Atlanta? Come on.
It’s not like they can make a trade and add money. I suppose if someone sliipped through for a waiver claim, but it’s unlikely a serviceable player would make it that far.
They just took on $$ in trades for bullpen arms, they signed Donaldson to $23mm for 1 season, give it up already.
We were told they were able to shop in any aisle yet he let Greinke slip thru our fingers
Stroman as well
Especially Stroman I still can’t see how or why he didn’t blow that offer out the water
Now he is in the division for next year
Greinke was the ACE this team needed and he wasn’t a long term obligation this year & 2 more
Now what will he sign MadBum for the 6 years he will be looking for ???
But in my opinion now that’s what he has to do this young staff needs an ACE
Stroman’s not an ace.
A 2 0r 3 maybe and he won’t be as tough as you think, having to rely on that infield D. If that changes and they can take advantage of his GB rate ….
The ask/demand on Greinke likely included a player or two that AA didn’t want to part with. It’s an all-in move, no doubt with a price tag to match, and not ignoring ongoing salary obligations. He’s seeing how his past deals have handicapped the Jays. I think AA learned from Toronto
Ok and our infield defense is extremely better and a ground ball pitcher should thrive behind it
But all that doesn’t even matter the point is for the price how did we not get him
He is better than what we got after Soroka but how many innings does he have in him the rest of the year
Fried as well for that matter he has already pitched more than ever
If you don’t think Stroman would have helped than you must not watch the games
How does Greinke’s deal constitute an all in move ????
He is signed for 2 more years at a price that available ACE type pitchers are going to demand but you could have him for less years. The exact same scenario he did for Donaldson who was coming off an injured season.
Now I wouldn’t mind MadBum for 6 years at whatever price he is going to command but I would rather Greinke at his. By the time he is off the books Soroka hopefully is the ACE and would start being paid like one. A contract like MadBum will tie the Braves hand for years.
Who else is available is Cole Hamels still an ACE ?
You really think Thor is getting moved ??? Especially to a team in the Mets division.
Bauer wouldn’t have been bad either but I don’t think we matched up in a deal for him.
With Bauer gone is Cleveland moving Kluber ???
Garret Cole ???? You will have to extremely overpay him to either leave Houston or not go to Southern California.
Blake Snell signed an extension probably be a year or 2 before they look to move him.
David Price ???? Possible
Chris Sale ???? won’t be til after next year if at all
Please somebody tell me who is a better or even a similar fit not even for this year but for next year so my blood pressure can go down
Toronto would want 3x what Stro is worth bc shatkins are pretty.
So they took pennies on the dollar ????
I can’t believe that they refused to trade with him. They are not in the same division not even in the same league.
Toronto is in the beginning of a total rebuild.
Maybe the GM’s around the league don’t look at the Braves prospects in the same light as the insiders or publications.
The prospect cost and cash were just to much for him to give did you want to give up Anderson Wright and waters plus more to get him for two years
Seriously still don’t know how the finances of the Braves work ???????
Research it
You act like AA is the one who pockets any leftover money. Liberty Media is the one who says yes or no to payroll additions, not AA. Good grief man, basically everything you post is asinine.
No they don’t I been over that on this site I don’t know how many times
It’s well documented Liberty Media has nothing to do with the day to day operations
They own the Braves for tax purposes only
Terry McGuirk runs a separate entity run thru only baseball revenue
nope, Terry McGuirk makes payroll decisions. LM leaves them alone. they run in revenue.
Thank you somebody else that actually knows what is going on
Only profits LM gets is when the tax credits expire and they sell the team
So give folty another shot on the rotation before moving him to pen and calling up Anderson ?
At least we don’t have to wait a few days to find out if he will or will not be on a new team anymore. We can enjoy our transactions the same day they happen now. Also I think this claim will benefit both teams.
Now the Gohara move makes no sense.
Gohara is already out for the rest of the season
They probably claimed him after the Braves had already had to make a decision for one of the new acquisitions
Can they pull Gohora back now ????
Fly ball pitcher moving to GAB in the middle of August…..
Bold strategy Cotton, let’s see how it works out for them.
Who cares? It cost them nothing
Well, over 2 million dollars isn’t nothing. And if they keep him next yr, probably another 10 mil in arbitration.
It cost them some games for sure…
huh odd. could be a nice arm out of the pen.
This is about shedding money to offset some of what they’ve added while freeing up a roster spot for an attempt to get a more effective SP.
This all happened so quick lol. It’s not like we didn’t see this coming and glad to shed that salary I suppose. Odd move by the reds but I mean, who else would take him? The orioles again? I guess as a brave, would have been nice to see him get flipped for something after he made that great start off the DL… I’m sure they tried, but still.
Maybe freed up some more to claim an OF who gets put on Waviers. But still should have Trade him to Reds for Puig.
Puig was part of a package for Bauer do you really believe Gausman could have got him ????
Reds were not chopping at the bit to get him the just claimed him cause they had interest
I doubt if it cost anything other than money they woulda pulled the trigger
Puig? No thanks!
I actually like this move. Gausman is a 2 pitch pitcher that struggles with control and homers. Him being gone will essentially cover Melancon’s contract next yr. Folty has much more upside than Gausman and seems to have figured things out down in AAA. It’s all good.
Who knows what they are doing
Well, waiting for the Pittsburgh talk show hosts to start whining that the Pirates should have claimed Gausman….No doubt the talking heads do not know how waivers work.
This is great news. Now lets get rid of Teheran in the off season.
you are a complete idiot. Julio Teheran has been a very solid number three for us this year. I’m not saying that he’s an ace, but he has done very well this year.
Ok enjoy your #3 who can’t get past 5 innings. Please wear your Teheran jersey when he gets shelled in the postseason (if they even make it).
No reason to move Julio he does what he is suppose to pitches everyb5th day and gives a chance to win
He is a great 4/5 starter to have
Problem is we need a 1/2
Time to see if we get last year Folty back
If Folty comes back effective, it will be a huge addition. I root for him, but an not very optimistic.
Pitching coach Derek Johnson has done an exceptional job with Reds pitchers this year. As he did with Brewers pitchers last year…..who are now – as a group – doing poorly.
The article quotes a bunch of statistics that in some way are supposed to say that Mr. Gausman is not as bad as he’s been pitching……or he’s magically due for a dead cat bounce or something.
Sure.
I watched the guy pitch with both the Orioles in 2018 and the Braves in 2019 – it’s like watching a batting practice pitcher. Just hang around a bit and he’ll get tagged. Saying he stinks is an overstatement.
Now, maybe Mr. Johnson can do something with him. Trevor Bauer is happy to be working with Mr. Johnson – so who knows.
Do not underestimate teams that can teach pitching (Indians; Astros, etc.) or individual pitching coaches that if given the authority can turn around the pitching roster (Twins/Wes Johnson; Reds/Derek Johnson, etc.). In short – I’d look less at a pitchers stats, and more at what team he’s pitching for and the coaching he’s getting (as well as how the Catchers are handling him and how good or bad a defense is behind him).
was thinking myself maybe Johnson noticed something in Gmans delivery that he can work with when they played against ATL. I like the move.
I’d add that other starting pitchers on the team as potential factors can help (Gausman in this particular instance) a pitcher turn things around.
I know that sometimes talking with peers helps players realize something which really helps said player get going or back on track.
One example relating to this situation that popped into my head regards one of his new teammates. I’ve read that several of Trevor Bauer’s former pitching mates adopted some of his unique training activities and they credit those with helping them to become better pitchers.
I also remember Jonny Venters and some of the other bullpen guys giving a great deal of credit to Billy Wagner for helping them improve and become a dominant group of relievers way back in 2010.
Not saying he (Gausman) will do any better as a Red due to any specific team approach, coaches, players, etc. However, I know that little things have helped other pitchers in the past; so, perhaps you are correct in saying his new situation can help him do well.
Did no one tell Atkins — 1 year of control!!
Did no one tell you about how waiver claims work? Same league teams get priority over opposite league teams. Meaning EVERY NL team would have to pass before ANY AL team could even get a chance to claim him.
Relax, man. It’s a joke.
Ross has been selling 42 years of control on recent acquisitions as a key element of the deals. At the expense of actual player talent, it appears to some of us
Fair enough, but a lot of people around here don’t understand the waiver process either. Jokes are sometimes difficult to separate from ignorance without vocal inflection or emojis.
Shrewd move by the Reds. Costing a decent chunk so risky but the fact that they could get him next season around 10 million offsets. The Gas Man as he was known in Baltimore has a good arm but was just always inconsistent. He would have a great 3-4 starts and then would give up 6 runs in the first inning the next. Seems like a good move to put him in bullpen to finish season and if he is successful bring him back next season as a potential #3 or 4 starter with the idea that if he doesn’t do well resuming the starter role to put him back in bullpen. Kinda surprised Atlanta didn’t try him in the bullpen, I guess they assumed he would get picked up which relieves them of the remaining salary, but he could make a nice weapon in the bullpen.
Wish I could say that I am surprised, but I am not.
He has shown a lack of desire to take instruction, has shown disrespect to coaches and suggestions for improvement, has a zero personality, doesn’t act like he is happy to be where he is–and his play and demeanor show this clearly. Other than that, he’s a swell guy…
King of Zeroville…
Gausman was a good pitcher to gamble on considering they did t give up much but I think most people at least on the east coast knew how he was.
Not a bad move by the Reds. Their bullpen is exhausted and has been ineffective lately. I would expect them to release David Hernandez, who has been especially awful and is a FA after the season, anyway. They don’t really need another starter next year — Castillo Bauer Gray Desclafani Mahle — but it always helps to have a sixth guy in case someone goes down.
I’m a little surprised the Orioles didn’t pick him up, they’re starving for pitching, he’s familiar, and under a new GM and manager, who knows?
Either way, decent pick up for the Reds
He’s in the national league. The Orioles didn’t have a chance.
How in the world did the Rockies pass on this guy? He is a Colorado guy that grew up pitching in altitude. They unsuccessfully tried to trade for him several times when he was an Oriole. To be able to get him for basically nothing and to pass? I get that the season hasn’t gone as planned, but you get him next year too. Inexcusable.
Crazy what a fall for Gausman. Really liked him as an Oriole fan when he was with us and despondent after he was traded last year and was phenomenal with Atlanta. Really wonder if part of the struggles this year could have to do with the birth of his daughter I believe occurred early this 2019. Best of luck to him, his wife (total smokeshow btw) and his daughter in Cincy. Perhaps he’ll return to the Orioles in the future.