4:05pm: Martín Gallegos of MLB.com relays word from manager Mark Kotsay that Waldichuk will be starting Thursday’s game, making his major league debut.
1:10pm: The Athletics are planning on adding left-hander Ken Waldichuk to the team when rosters expand on September 1, tweets Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The southpaw is not currently on the club’s 40-man roster, meaning they will have to make a corresponding move of some kind.
Waldichuk, 24, was a fifth-round draft pick of the Yankees in 2019 who came over to the A’s a month ago in the Frankie Montas trade. He pitched in ten rookie ball games after his draft selection, but then the pandemic canceled the minor leagues in 2020. Returning in 2021, he began the year in High-A and utterly dominated, throwing 30 2/3 scoreless innings over seven starts. He did walk 11.5% of batters faced, though was able to avoid damage by striking out an incredible 48.7% of those who stepped to the plate against him. Based on that showing, he was promoted to Double-A. Of course, he couldn’t possibly maintain that kind of performance but still fared well after jumping levels. He registered a 4.20 ERA in 16 appearances, with a 31.8% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate.
After that strong campaign, Waldichuk landed on Baseball America’s list of top 30 Yankee farmhands for the first time, coming in at #10 on the 2022 version. FanGraphs had placed Waldichuk at #53 in 2020 and #45 in 2021, but jumped him all the way up to #15 going into this season.
Here in 2022, the lefty’s stock has been rocketing even higher. He began the year back at Double-A and made six starts, putting up a stingy 1.26 ERA along with a 41.1% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. He was bumped up to Triple-A and kept on rolling, registering a 3.59 ERA with a 34% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. Since switching organizations in the trade, he’s made four more Triple-A starts with a 3.38 ERA, getting his walk rate all the way down to 3.8% while still striking out 26.6% of batters faced.
Based on another excellent season, he has been shooting up prospect lists. BA recently placed him #5 on their most recent update of Oakland prospects, while FanGraphs is even more bullish, placing him #1 in the organization and the 35th best prospect in the entire sport.
For the A’s, they have clearly been future-focused for almost a year now. Their offseason primarily revolved around trading away their best and most expensive players for prospects. That continued up to this year’s deadline, including the Montas deal that brought Waldichuk over. Tearing down the roster has unsurprisingly resulted in poor on-field results, with the club’s 48-81 record the worst in the American League. They have already been using their season to audition young players, with Waldichuk the latest to step onto the stage.
The club’s rotation mix is fairly wide open at the moment, especially with Paul Blackburn and Daulton Jefferies both done for the year due to injuries. 28-year-olds Cole Irvin and James Kaprielian are the most veteran of the bunch and should hold down two spots the rest of the way. The other starting options on hand are all rookies: JP Sears, Adam Oller, Adrian Martinez and Zach Logue. No one in that group has made more than 12 starts while Sears, who has made six starts, is the only one with an ERA under 5.00 so far. If Waldichuk can get results resembling his work in the minors, there’s little standing in the way of him earning a spot in next year’s rotation.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Where’s Waldichuk?
With Oswaldo Cabrera.
if the A’s call a player up but there’s no one there to see it, does it even happen?
Also “wald” is German for “forest,” so this joke works on multiple levels
Good. Let’s see Waldichuk’s talent…
If you like Sears. You’ll love Waldichuk. He looks ready. Start getting excited A’s fans. Medina is like a year away. I would start Medina for now, if that doesn’t work out no worries he’ll be your future closer. I was really mad about giving him up. The dude throws 103 miles per hour.
I did not want the Yanks to trade for Montas since last year. Then Cashman gives up 2 really exciting young pitchers. I hope they both succeed for future years over there. Mateo is having a year, but definitely didn’t work out over there as planned. pitchers do fare better in that stadium anyway
I don’t like sears I prefer Walmart
Yep start getting excited for them to get traded in 2 years for the next rebuild
Beane took Cashman to the woodshed with that trade. Most Yankees fans knew it too. The really sad thing is that package would have been enough for Manaea. I had been hoping Cashman would bring Manaea in since last year’s deadline. Before you say anything check out his stats at Yankee giftStadium. He would have been the left hand compliment for Cole they have been searching for. Gave up a future #2 and a solid #4 starters for a packet of beans. I swear Beane must dose the other GM with some kind of stupid serum because he constantly gets the better trading GMs to make some questionable trades.
How much wald would a Waldichuk…
But can Waldichuk chuck wood?
The Montas trade is going to wind up a disaster for Cashman. Waldichuk looks like he’s going to be a quality big league pitcher.
He does? I mean he might. I like him, but that’s a lot of projection in your statement.
It’s projection based off of my observations of Waldichuk in game action. I’m not saying he’s going to be a perennial Cy Young contender, but he appears to me to be a possible 3 or 4 in a rotation, or a really quality short reliever. Same with Sears.
Meanwhile, Yankees were able to keep their top position prospects
Following that logic, every team should never trade pitching prospects to address immediate needs to compete for a WS title. We should all just settle for a middling league where hovering slightly above a .500 record will earn a playoffs berth.
Bleacher Creature really thinks Montas is going to help the Yankees win it all lolz
we obviously don’t know the research that went into pulling the trigger. However, having missing on Castillo and Lopez asking price too steep, it seems has Cash was resorted to do ‘something, anything. I hope I’m wrong, I just wasn’t sold on Montas last year. probably just scarred on any pitcher coming from Oakland.
The Yankees had five — count them, five — shortstops among their Top 30 prospects and Cashman didn’t deal any of them. Instead he dealt away some of the most promising arms in the system. Shortstops man the most valuable defensive position other than pitcher and catcher. Teams can flip them in trade for other needs. Why did Cashman have to hang onto five of them instead trading from the surplus of shortstops he’d accumulated?
I’ve seen him too, and followed him in the Yankee system. In fact, I’m quite familiar with how the Yankees “manufacture” these guys every year now, then trade them at the deadline. Otto and Junk last year. Waldichuk and Wesneski this year. Next year? It’ll be Sauer and Warren. Not saying they won’t be major leaguers, but generally back-end types.
It’s good that Waldichuk is pitching in Las Vegas now for the A’s, because that will be his future MLB home too! Might as well get used to it.
I’m surprised that you talk about Waldichuk that way. He’s ranked the third-best southpaw starter prospect by MLB:
mlb.com/prospects/lhp/
JP Sears might be the next Greg Maddux tbh
Time will tell. If Montas helps them win a WS I bet Cashman will be okay with that. Yankees haven’t won it all in awhile
I’d rather have Sears and Waldichuk back than Montas. Montas is no better than Jordan Montgomery. Those trades didn’t improve the pitching of the Yankees.
With how fickle pitchers are, I really do not understand why the Yankees traded Montgomery. Just go with a 6 man to save wear and tear and if one pitches badly (like, Frankie Montas Sonny Gray) then just bench him in the playoffs.
Now you’re forced to pitch Montas knowing he’s actually a true #3, not a #1 or #2 and he will get creamed by good offenses if not on his game. To be fair, he has been beaten up by good offenses, its not like he’s totally lost. He will come back.
The Yankees FO has 1 ring after the 2000 season with unlimited money and resources for good reason – they are incompetent.
Because analytics indicate that power pitchers tend to do better against playoff quality lineups, Montas throws harder and has a better selection of out pitches, assuming he can stay healthy and get over his weak start in NY.
“analytics indicate that power pitchers tend to do better against playoff quality lineups” – factually untrue. Where did you hear this lie?
The only way Montas helps the yankees win the world series is if he was pitching for Houston
Yanks aren’t winning nothing this year. They’re playing like the worst team in baseball right now.
Dodgers wrecking everyone this year
Yep. I can’t believe Cashman let him go.
Jp sears has something to say about that.
Bravo cashman.
Waldichuk only has pitch under an ERA of 6 so far, to beat NY in the trade.
Yankees will get him back in free agency or in a trade as the A’s are in continual rebuild mode.
The A’s have made the playoffs approx 50% of seasons Beane has been in charge more or less, “continual rebuild mode”? Nah. They actually do contend and make the playoffs – please know ball
I have a feeling that we’re gonna regret trading this guy…
A’s got a lot of great SP talent, wonder if they will deal from it this offseason….
Cole Irvin
Paul Blackburn
JP Sears
James Kaprielian
Ken Waldichuk
Gunnar Hoglund
Ryan Cusick
JT Ginn
Luis Medina
Adam Oller
Zach Logue
Adrian Martinez
Daulton Jefferies
Jared Koenig
Jeff Criswell
Mason Miller
Joey Estes
Colin Peluse
Jacob Watters
Garret Acton
Eduardo Rivera
Hogan Harris
Kyle Virbitsky
That’s definitely a lot…..
Hence the old adage, ” Can never have ENOUGH pitching … “.
Pitchers drop like flies, it is Wise to have Depth.
mlb.com/prospects/athletics/
Who gets Bumped out of the Current rotation?
Irvin is a fixture. Sears, Oller and Martinez have pitched well recently. Good luck telling Kaprelian to move to the Bullpen. Maybe they are going to tandem Start a few pitchers, 4 innings each?
Next year, Blackburn and Jefferies return off the DL. A’s will have Quantity, not sure about Quality though.
Personally, would love to see what AJ Puk could do with a Rotation spot. Kaprelian has stayed healthy the whole season for once, maybe Puk can too?
Good call on Puk, I do believe the A’s brass were telling they wanted Puk to take the “Chris Sale route” of first becoming a dominant reliever before moving to the rotation. I think he’s the current closer as of right this second? He’s having a great year out of the pen. Add him to the potential rotation mix.
Who gets bumped? I’d guess Irvin and Blackburn get traded, possibly Kaprielian too. Lots of teams barking about trading from outfield and/or infield surplus for pitching, A’s certainly could use an everyday OF.
A’s are getting a look at all of their young SP.
Waldichuks a legit top piece. Can’t believe Yankees gave that up for Montas. Total fleecing
Waldichuk by himself will be better than Montas. When you consider the rest of their haul, the A’s won that trade big time.
So true. They would have been better just trying Waldichuk out as a starter
Other prospects in the deal are top 20 prospects also
A’s obviously know what they’re doing. They just got the Yankees actual top prospects for Montas
The best player the A’s got from the Yankees in the Montas trade was Luis Medina. The fans will go crazy over his arm, when this kid gets to the majors. That being said Waldi and Sears will be really good for the A’s, also. Definitely looking like they won this trade. It’s way too early right now to say so.
Medina is out of milb options next year, of course they could stash him as a reliever and let him learn at mlb level, but that’s not ideal
Sears has been absolutely filthy in MLB since coming to Oakland. He only threw 1 bad pitch to Judge but was dominant otherwise that game. Has a lot of Maddux about him for real.
Medina is definitely not better than Sears or Waldy.
Medina is going to be a lot better then Sears and Waldichuk. If I could get one of these prospects back it would definitely be Medina. If Medina is out of options next season, no worries he’ll make the team for sure. He’s super filthy.
I hope you are right but I don’t think so.
Cashman hugely overvalued Volpe and refused to give him up for Castillo, then turned around and traded their actual top prospects for Montas
@Camden453- not really a Cashman fan. One thing he did right though was not trading Volpe in a Castillo trade. I wanted Castillo a few years ago. The Yankees should of traded Peraza, Sweeney and Waldichuk for Castillo like 2 or 3 weeks prior to the deadline. The Reds would of done it.
He didn’t need to trade Volpe. He had four other shortstop prospects to choose from, and some scouts don’t think Volpe is going to stick at shortstop anyway.
Yeah from what was said is Sweeney will likely shift from shortstop to 3rd. Volpe will play 2nd, Peraza will man short, and Austin Wells will either be a catcher or a lst basemen. We’ll see.
I’m sure Beane’s jaw dropped when they actually agreed to those prospects for Montas
Cashman doesn’t get it
Mets got Bassitt for Ginn and Oller cheap because Alderson has a clue
You can tell which GMs have a clue and which don’t. Cashman is one of the ones that doesntt
So a small portion of u educated Yankee fans were crying that they needed to unload the farm and bring in Castillo or Montas. Well they pretty much unloaded the farm the past two years in Gallo trade, Montas trade, Rizzo, Benintendi, etc and now those same fans crying want Cashman fired for trading for Montas! What a joke. I truly believe they are not fans rather more like social media agitators, lmao.
Most fans on this site and NY sports websites wanted Castillo. I don’t recall more than a couple who wanted Montas. Most fans didn’t want Gallo, either.
Rizzo and Benintendi trades were fine by most fans. Trading Montgomery for an injured, glove first CFer was what perplexed most Yankee fans, including myself.
Most fans want Cashman fired because he’s become a slave to his anal-ytics department and he puts together the same type of team year after year after year… HR dependent, station-to-station, streaky hitters who can’t perform against quality pitching. But, man oh man, are their “peripherals” impressive!
“Most” fans don’t want Cashman fired. Overreactionary fans do however
Get a clue, Columbo
Cashman should have been fired long ago. I hear some other team would scoop him up quickly. If so, then so be it. Bye bye Cashman.
Lol your clueless
Bet if any of the young pitchers perform like their minor league numbers they will be in the rotation next year, not just Waldichuk.
Yankees delt the rest of their young SPs to the Royals for Benintendi, Sears and Waldichuk better prospects but they’ll regret that Royals trade more if they don’t win this season.
Montas can be a great pitcher, and they’ll have him next season, but they’ll have to pay Benintendi big bucks if they hope to retain him, and with Judge looking for a record setting deal, the Yanks will be hoping to sign Matt Carpenter.
Yankees went for it, and I like their rational, but they’ll need Bader to hit like Mays and run like Hayes for the ’22 deadline to have worked out in their favor.
This is just about right. Cashman misfired on the aggregate of his moves. Not each one was terrible, but in concert….
Montas got injured weeks before trade, his velocity looks fine but who knows
I find humor in the situation Hal Cashman have put themselves in……
Every year their baseball challenged fans think their players are the best, their prospects are all going to be stars any day now, that it’s only about spending money, and that for sure they’re going to the WS this year because……they’re the powerful New York YANKEES! All MLB players long to play for the Yankees, and Hal Cashman have money to burn – hefty long-term contracts that don’t work out are no big deal…..they’ll just get other players and eat the last group of guys salaries.
So where are we today?….
The team played out of this world from opening day until a few weeks before the All-Star break. So the fans that expect them in the WS every year have waiting through 12 long years, see this as the lucky 13th.
The team is being carried by Aaron Judge. After years of bothersome injuries and lack of concentration, he shows up to 2022 ST in shape, committed, and ready to play……because his contract is up? And lo and behold – he won’t sign the offer of a new contract that Hal Cashman made him. Hummmm….
So come September here’s Judge in line to break Roger Maris’ non-steroid HR’s in a season record. Wow! What an attraction Mr. Judge is!! And who are da Yankees bitter rivals? The Red Sox you say? Pshew! It’s the crosstown New York Mets. And their new owner is well into the process of making the Yankees as irrelevant as the Knicks, Giants, and Jets – whose fans have also been living in the past for decades. Now the new owner has lots and lots of money. He didn’t inherit his – he’s self-made. And he makes oodles of money every year without the Mets. What can he do to slam dunk his Yankee rivals? Why negotiate with Aaron Judges’ agents for a contract. How sweet! Imagine, he signs away the guy from the legendary team that just broke (or came close to breaking) the HR record. And Mr. Cohen can’t lose! If he signs Judge away what he did will be legendary in NYC baseball circles. And if he doesn’t get Judge he runs up the cost for Hal Cashman to sign him, and the Yankees won’t have the money to pay high salaries to players they’ll need because short of Judge, that’s a 4th or 5th place NL East team.
I doubt Hal Cashman are sleeping well, and might even be seeing one or more of NYC’s famous plethora of expensive psychological analysts to help them face reality.
This soap opera starts day one after the end of the WS.
Arguing “what trade will they regret in the future more” is the lowest tier discourse. Come on.
I went to school with this guy! Great to see San Diego talent go big.
You guys are called the Centurions because you beat us like once every 100 years! Haha cheers bud, love the handle. =)
This is good to see and I am looking forward to his start. The Yankee trade was very important for the A’s as the pitchers the A’s got in the Bassitt, Olson and Chapman trades that were thought to be big upside arms are all low level minors now. The A’s really had no starting pitching at the upper levels and certainly no depth. Sears and Waldichuk are big adds at that level. Someone earlier in the comments spoke of excess starting pitching depth and trading from it…..thats nutz. The A’s are a bad team right now and of all those pitchers listed best case is 10%-15% make it. Over the last few decades when the AZ’s have been good it is when they have good cheap(er) starting pitching and they build from there. This is the blueprint they are using again.. It makes sense to me.
Well, you know what they say: the Yankees are the farm team for the rest of the league (irony alert).
It’s actually the Dodgers and Astros who are everyone elses farm teams. Almost every team has a regular from one of those two teams, its crazy