The Twins announced this morning that they’ve designated veteran right-hander Matt Shoemaker for assignment and selected the contract of righty Derek Law from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.
Shoemaker, 34, tossed a quality start in his Twins debut earlier this year, but it’s been all downhill from there for the most part. The former Angels and Blue Jays righty has been shelled for 53 earned runs in his past 54 1/3 innings and is sitting on an overall 8.06 ERA and 5.38 SIERA with just a 14.1 percent strikeout rate against a 9.5 percent walk rate. The Twins may have had some hope after a move to the bullpen produced moderately better results, but Shoemaker served up eight runs in 2 2/3 frames of mop-up work in last night’s loss.
Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal late in the offseason, Shoemaker was viewed as the likely fifth starter to open the season and a necessary depth addition in a season where workloads were expected to be monitored leaguewide. But his struggles, paired with those of fellow veteran J.A. Happ and fellow back-of-the-rotation option Randy Dobnak, have helped to dig the Twins into a sizable hole. Many of the organization’s top pitching prospects have been hit by injuries in 2021 as well, which pushed the team to continue trying to coax something out of Shoemaker rather than make a move earlier in the year.
The Twins will have a week to trade Shoemaker, pass him through outright waivers or release him. Given his struggles, it’s not reasonable to expect another club having interest in a trade or waiver claim. In all likelihood, today’s DFA will lead to a release. However, given his track record prior to the 2020 season, it’s possible another organization will take a no-risk look at the veteran righty on a minor league deal in hopes that a change of scenery can right the ship. Shoemaker has had myriad injury issues in his career, but he had a nice run with the Halos earlier in his career and, prior to signing in Minnesota, had pitched to a 4.12 ERA in his most recent 166 MLB frames.
As for the 30-year-old Law, he’ll return for a second Twins stint in 2021 in hopes of better results than he produced in his first go-around. Law appeared in five games for the Twins already, yielding six runs on 11 hits and six walks with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He’s been a bit better in Triple-A, where he has a 4.61 ERA and 12-to-4 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings. It could be another quick stint for Law, as the Twins called him up in part to get a fresh arm in the ’pen, but he’ll at least have another opportunity to show he can stick on the roster.
Law posted a 2.55 ERA in 55 innings as a rookie with the Giants back in 2016 but has never replicated that success. In 117 2/3 frames since that time, he’s been tagged for a 5.43 ERA with a passable 22.2 percent strikeout rate but an untenable 12.3 percent walk rate.
Giants will pick him up and he’ll pitch to a 3.83 ERA through the end of the season.
And no one cares!
Maybe a 3.83 HRPG average over rest of season.
Twins using the Jays castoffs.
Jays using the Angels castoffs.
Shoemaker was rocked by the ChiSox
last evening in a mop up role.
HR’s galore!
8 runs in 2 2/3 innings. 8+ ERA this season.
Why would anyone want him?
True. The sign of a good GM is making decisions based on one outing.
Arms are hard to find. Someone could just want another warm body, but based on your logic, everyone who has ever struggled should never be on a major league team again.
One outing didn’t give him a 8+ ERA !!!
I was hoping the Sox would face him again today!
Hopefully, the Sox will hit some bombs off Colome.
Did u bother to read the article?!
He has only had ONE GOOD outing all year.
Last night was not an anomaly.
Did you hear that? It was the sound of Steve’s post going over your head…
Do you comment on every thread involving a player the White Sox get a hit off of?
Someone will sign him for depth. Shoemaker is a pitcher who uses his defense and the fact the Twins 2B/3B/SS have 35 errors this season (7 from the usually sure-handed Andrelton Simmons) isn’t helping any of the Pitchers numbers.
Like Steve Nebraska said a team like the Giants will sign him and he will pitch like an all star the rest of the way
Errors don’t impact crappy P ERA’s!
Did Shoemaker molest you or something?
U must have a man crush on him.
Good luck with that.
So Shoemaker had a sole good outing, but since then has not been effective when he toes the rubber. He can no longer bring opposing batters to heel. The Twins have cut ties, making his recent appearance his last.
Well dome! His pitching has had me in knots. Hopefully he can get back on track and have a good run soon.
Sad story. Looked like he’d made the leap to a #2 years ago but a pair of freak injuries all but ended his career. Seems like a good dude too.
Mets should take a look
No thanks as a long time Mets fan; give Tropeano a look first!
I’ve got nothing against Shoemaker but I hated this signing for the Twins from the get-go. Sure he wasn’t too expensive but based on last year’s numbers and his injury track record I thought he had “minor league contract with spring training invite” written all over him. Maybe someone will give him a shot elsewhere and he can get it back together, he’s done it before, but I wouldn’t bet on it either.
Sometimes you get what you pay for.
He might fit in the Cubbies’ baseball budget.
Cardinals all day. He needs a good defense to succeed and they need innings, so why not
That’s not a bad guess at all. Switching leagues might help too, some opponents would be less familiar with him.
I agree!! I was just thinking this is a Mozeilk signing he will probably do!
Phillies will pick him up better than Neris and Perez and they really suck
Sounds like a perfect fit for the Angels.
They had luck with him along time ago even though he struggling they’ll pick them up hoping he will be good again
I’d give him a shot in the Angels pen in a second.
Hanging on to Shoemaker this long when he only had a $2MM salary was really the biggest mark against the front office.
Halos should definitely give Shoebacca a second look. Maybe a familiar set up can help get him back on track. Definitely not as bad as some arms we have had in the pen this season. Make it happen Perry!
If he goes to the pen, I’d love that. I’m sure the starters would love to have a pitcher come into the game and not have every inherited base runner score.
yes the Twins Front office AKA the Dynamic Duo…went Cheap this year, with genuine dumpster dives ( ALA the Terry Ryan) trying to cobble together some luck and refused to build a post season pitching staff … and it shows.. as i predicted before season..
How do you build a postseason pitching staff when everyone, including large market teams, are looking for starting pitching and will likely out bid smaller market teams?
Now if you are saying bullpen, I agree. Smart market teams can build a bullpen without breaking the bank.
The Twins are not a small market team. For whatever reason, this myth has been perpetuated for a long time now. I suspect it’s related to the seriously crippling contract with the previous stadium (Metrodome) which saw huge portions of revenue for all events funneled away to a previous Vikings GM.
The Twin Cities metro area is about the 15th largest in the United States, more populous than some other metros like Denver, San Diego and St. Louis. Minneapolis also has a similar population density as Los Angeles (about 8,000 per square mile). The Twins could easily handle a repeating $140-150MM payroll.
Regardless, you build a rotation the same way as virtually every team in baseball other than Tampa. You overpay. Either in prospects or cash.
Are they a large market team? Notice the word “smaller” market team.
They are a smaller market team to a big market team who will out spend smaller market teams when they want a pitcher,
How do the Ray do it.. They trade position players for it… I waned a Trade of Sano when they 1sy brought him up… Larnach.. should be trade bait… you pick off low level pitchers and develop them.. oh thats right the Current front office is just like the last one.. they haven’t developed pitching..
Future KBO player next year
Derek Law?
What a giant step up! This is like having a cancerous tumor removed with an aids infected scalpel.
I know the Tribe will be tempted, but avoid this guy at all costs.
Lord, 53 runs in his last 54 innings! Is that right! Wow!
Yeah, but he’s been hung out to dry 3 times where he’s allowed 8 runs as I recall. Like half of his runs are from 3 appearances. I don’t mean to make excuses for him, but he hasn’t been quite as terrible as it looks.
Tiger fans have begged to sign Shoemaker the past few seasons given he is a local boy and went to EMU. Given the lack of depth they have with starting pitching maybe they should sign him to a MiLB deal and see if he can work out his problems. Toledo not that far from home.
I doubt the Tigers will pick up Matt Shoemaker’s salary or give prospects for him either. They might give Nomar Mazara for him but I doubt the will even give poor performing Daniel Norris or Joe Jiminez to get him.
Reading the article might make a difference in your analysis.
It states clearly it is unlikely ANY team will trade warm bodies for Shoe, and take on the balance of his tiny contract. That means, after just a week in DFA waivers, the Twins will pay him off and cut him loose. That means ANY team—even your Tigers—can sign him to prorated MLB minimum salary, probably a quarter-million at this point.
Will they? Shoe is one of the best, nicest guys in MLB, but it is possible his body won’t work anymore to allow him to pitch at the majors level. His body has been through hell, nearly dying in the hospital after a line drive got him in the head, plus the broad assortment of arm and leg injuries. It’s possible he’s done. And if that’s the case, I hope he and his wife have a wonderful retirement. They’re both first-class folks.
Put a fork in Shoe.
Sorry, it’s the truth.
Unfortunately Shoemaker was done 2 years ago and called as such in these pages back then. It’s time for retirement or playing in another country not named USA or Canada[Buffalo].
Derek Law is an arm. Not a very good arm mind you. Imagine the the Jays traded Pillar for him? Dumb and at the time I said so.
This article shows us how desperate and wrong the MLB teams are in a search for pitching.
That’s evidenced by the fact that so many pitchers keep getting picked up off waivers, make like 2 appearances for the claiming team, and they get shuttled right back to the waiver wire. Look, if the guy sucked for the last 2 teams that had him this year, what makes them think anything is gonna change?
Shoemaker is better than Chatwood right now.
Wonder if the Jays will give Shoemaker another shot? Barring some trades for 2 or 3 relievers and/or a starter, what are they going to do?
The sportsnet koolaid is pushing the Jays are going to have a better 2nd half as all the injured return from the IL.
Those returning weren’t very good in the first place except for MerryWeather who is like glass and Borucki who chose to give up his muscle mass and his body can’t take the reps. Oh boy, Dolis or Milone is coming back! Maybe Cole and Edwards in 2 months!
They really need to workout Pearson as a closer. And get Hatch back in the bigs learning his craft in the bigs.
Shoemaker visited with and thanked as many Angel employees as he could find at the end of a season a few years back. One of the few to ever do so. Great down to earth guy. Hope he finds his way back to Anaheim.
Nice guys finish last. Sorry.
Welcome to the Phillies