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Archives for August 2024

Rays Reinstate Drew Rasmussen

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The Rays announced that right-hander Drew Rasmussen has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Righty Joel Kuhnel was optioned to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. The club had a couple of vacant 40-man spots after their deadline dealings and their count in that regard now climbs to 39.

Rasmussen, now 29, has been on the IL all season after undergoing internal brace surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in July of last year. It’s not the first time that doctors have done work in that area of his elbow, as he underwent Tommy John surgery twice in college.

Those continual issues with his elbow have played a role in his circuitous journey. The Rays actually drafted him in the first round of the 2017 draft, between his two Tommy John surgeries, but didn’t sign him due to concerns in his physical. After he returned to college and went under the knife a second time, he was signed by the Brewers after that club selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.

He worked his way up through the farm and then broke into the majors as a reliever with Milwaukee in 2020 and 2021. It was in May of 2021 that the Rays traded Willy Adames and Trevor Richards to the Brewers to get Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen. Though the Rays had walked away from the chance to sign him a few years prior, it seems they kept an eye on him and were encouraged by his progress.

They stretched him out after that deal, giving him ten starts in the latter half of the 2021 campaign. He was then able to fully grab hold of a rotation job in 2022 by making 28 starts with a 2.84 earned run average, 21.4% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate. He kept things rolling with a 2.62 ERA in eight starts last year before landing on the IL and eventually requiring yet another surgery.

Coming back from so many operations will be a challenge but it seems he and the Rays will take it a bit easy by keeping him in a multi-inning relief role for now. He started a rehab assignment last month and made five minor league appearances, none longer than two innings. Earlier this week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Rasmussen would be coming back in a relief role rather than getting fully stretched out.

Despite recently trading away Aaron Civale and Zach Eflin, the Rays have a strong rotation mix that currently consists of Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell. They also have Tyler Alexander doing solid work as a bulk guy behind an opener. Ryan Pepiot is on the injured list with a knee issue but could be back shortly.

For now, the club will assess Rasmussen out of the bullpen and decide how to proceed. He is making $1.8625MM this year, his first arbitration season, and can be controlled via arb for two more campaigns after this one. Each of those aforementioned rotation options projects to be a part of next year’s rotation mix, when Shane McClanahan will also return from his own Tommy John surgery layoff.

The Eflin and Civale deals have shown that the club is not afraid to deal established guys and then replace them with their own internal options, as Baz and Springs were also coming back from surgeries as those deals were lined up. Whether they decide to move Rasmussen back to the rotation next year or not, it seems fair to expect trade rumors around their pile of potential starting pitchers this offseason.

Cubs Sign Adrian Houser To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have signed right-hander Adrian Houser to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He started yesterday’s game for Triple-A Iowa, tossing 46 pitches over 2 2/3 innings.

Houser, 31, started the year in the Mets’ rotation but was later bumped to the bullpen and eventually off the roster entirely. By the first week of May, he had made six starts but allowed 26 earned runs in 28 2/3 innings for an 8.16 earned run average. He then made two relief appearances before making his seventh start of the year, in which he allowed six earned runs in five innings.

He only pitched in relief from that point forward and had much better results. From May 26 to July 24, he tossed 31 2/3 relief innings with a 3.41 ERA. His 18.6% strikeout rate was low but his 6.2% walk rate and 51.6% ground ball rate were both strong.

Those numbers were roughly in line with his previous track record. From 2019 to 2023 with the Brewers, he made 120 appearances, 97 of those being starts. In that time, he had a 4.04 ERA, 19.2% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 52.5% ground ball rate.

That suggests Houser was more or less the same guy with the Mets this year, apart from the rough start to the campaign. Though he had gotten things back on track, the Mets were getting various injured pitchers back from the IL and needed roster spots, nudging Houser off.

Since Houser has more than five years of major league service time, he had the right to reject an outright assignment while retaining all that remained of this year’s $5.05MM salary. Since he was bound for the open market anyway, the Mets simply released him. That leaves them on the hook for what’s left of that salary while the Cubs will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Mets pay.

The Cubs’ major league rotation is in a decent spot, consisting of  Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad and Kyle Hendricks. But they have some starting depth on the shelf right now, as each of Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks and Hayden Wesneski are on the IL. Prospects like Cade Horton and Kohl Franklin are also injured at the moment, further thinning out the emergency options. Based on yesterday’s usage, it seems the Cubs will stretch Houser out and he will give them some experienced non-roster depth who can be called upon for essentially no cost at some point.

NL West Notes: Snell, Rushing, Senzatela

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Blake Snell’s free agency was one of the top — and most drawn-out — storylines of the 2023-24 offseason. After lingering on the market well into spring training despite having just won his second Cy Young Award, he inked a two-year, $62MM deal with the Giants that affords him the ability to opt out and return to the open market again this offseason (this time without a qualifying offer). Snell’s decision to eventually settle on a two-year pact with San Francisco came months after a reported overture from the Yankees, who pivoted to sign Marcus Stroman after Snell rejected a longer-term offer.

At the time, MLB.com reported that the Yankees had put forth a six-year, $150MM offer to Snell, which he purportedly spurned in hopes of landing a lengthier deal. Snell himself was asked about the reported terms in a recent appearance with hosts Scott Braun, A.J. Pierzynski and Cameron Maybin on Foul Territory (video link). While the two-time Cy Young winner declined to delve into specifics, he stated in no uncertain terms that the numbers which became public were not accurate.

“The deal that came out — that wasn’t what was offered to me,” said Snell. “I can say that. … What they offered wasn’t close to that.”

Snell understandably wasn’t keen on going into specifics, which is common practice for players and executives alike when discussing free-agent interest. (Although Teoscar Hernandez notably divulged the Red Sox’ offer to him in a recent interview.) At this point, the specifics matter little; Snell seemed like a long-shot to join the Yankees once they added Stroman and pushed themselves into the top tier of luxury-tax penalization, meaning Snell would’ve come with a 110% tax hit (thus making his current $31MM AAV an expenditure north of $65MM). He signed with the Giants, and after a disastrous and injury-marred start to his San Francisco tenure, he looks largely back to Cy Young form.

Snell’s upcoming player option will mark a fascinating decision. If he continues at his current post-IL pace or anywhere near it (33 innings, 0.55 ERA, 36.3 K%, 8.8 BB%), he’ll surely turn down that second year and look for a long-term pact. He’s recently blanked the Rockies while punching out 15 batters over six frames and, of course, threw a no-hitter against the Reds his last time out. However, if he begins to struggle or incurs further injuries, there’ll be more consideration given to the second season of the contract. Few finishes in baseball will be more intriguing to follow than that of Snell.

Some other notes from the National League West division…

  • The Dodgers recently promoted catching prospect Dalton Rushing from Double-A to Triple-A and his new team seems to come with a new assignment. Oklahoma City manager Travis Barbary says Rushing will exclusively be playing left field for now, per broadcaster Alex Freedman on X. The move is likely related to the fact that the Dodgers won’t have any playing time available behind the plate for a while. Will Smith recently signed an extension that runs through 2033. He’s essentially locked into the backstop role because Shohei Ohtani will be the designated hitter through 2033 while Freddie Freeman has first base locked up through 2027. Even after trading Thayron Liranzo in the Jack Flaherty deal, the Dodgers have two top 100 catching prospects in Rushing and Diego Cartaya, but Cartaya is considered the better defender with Rushing considered better at the plate. It’s been speculated that the club might deal from this catching surplus but it also seems they’re experimenting with Rushing at other positions to improve his chances of cracking the roster. He has logged some first base time as well as 35 innings in left field in Double-A and he now seems set to add to that total at Triple-A. Before the promotion, he hit 17 home runs in 77 Double-A games and drew walks in 11.4% of his plate appearances, slashing .270/.378/.512 for a wRC+ of 147. If he can generate that kind of offense in the majors or anything close to it, his bat will play at any position.
  • Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is going to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday, per Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball on X. The righty underwent Tommy John surgery just over a year ago, in July of 2023. His return won’t have a huge impact on this season as the Rockies are 42-72, ahead of only the lowly White Sox. But getting back on the mound before the offseason would be a nice development as the club looks to have a much stronger rotation in 2025 that could consist of Senzatela, Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner. Senzatela and Márquez both underwent Tommy John surgery last year and have missed most of this season while Freeland also missed a couple of months due to a left elbow strain. Márquez was reinstated last month but went back on the IL due to elbow inflammation.

MLBTR Podcast: Fallout From The Trade Deadline And Mike Trout Injured Again

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

The Opener: Miller, Freeland, Doubleheaders

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Here are three things we’ll be watching around baseball today:

1. A’s to activate Mason Miller:

After missing a couple of weeks with a broken pinky finger in his non-pitching hand, Athletics closer Mason Miller will return to the club’s bullpen tonight. Manager Mark Kotsay shared the news with reporters yesterday (including Jessica Kleinschmidt). Kleinschmidt noted on Monday that Kotsay himself stepped in to face Miller in live batting practice, and the young hurler reportedly felt great.

The A’s have been playing surprisingly well as of late, but they’ll surely be glad to have their closer back in the fold. The team went 10-6 in July before Miller’s injury, and they have gone 7-6 since. Miller has been, arguably, the most dominant reliever in baseball this season, with a 2.21 ERA and 1.67 SIERA in 40 2/3 innings pitched.

2. Kyle Freeland exits with blister on pitching hand:

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland exited in the fifth inning of last night’s contest against the Mets. After the game, he explained to reporters that he developed a blister in the fourth, and it became a problem in the fifth, causing too much discomfort for him to throw his curveball properly. The southpaw was unable to say if he thinks the blister will affect his next start; he has dealt with blisters in the past, but “this one got pretty big on [him]” (video on X via Christian Saez of DNVR).

While a blister does not sound like a particularly serious injury, it’s not unheard of for a pitcher to require an IL stint while a blister heals. The Rockies, who already have one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball by almost every metric, will be in an even worse position if Freeland misses a few starts. Freeland has a 5.65 ERA but a career-best 4.24 SIERA in 12 outings this season.

3. Two doubleheaders on the docket:

Fans will get a little extra baseball today, with 17 games on the schedule. After a couple of rainouts on Tuesday, there will be two doubleheaders this afternoon and evening. The Guardians and Diamondbacks will kick things off at 12:10 PM CT, with Brandon Pfaadt set to take the mound for Arizona against Cleveland’s Ben Lively. In game two, Eduardo Rodriguez will make his 2024 (and his Diamondbacks) debut, while Carlos Carrasco will take the ball for the Guardians. The Guardians will look to slow down a red-hot D-backs team that has not lost a series since June. Meanwhile, with a pair of wins (and a Padres loss), the Diamondbacks could move into sole possession of the top NL Wild Card spot.

The Yankees and Angels will play the second doubleheader of the day, with game one starting at 3:05 PM CT. Luis Gil of the Yankees is lined up to face Davis Daniel of the Angels. In game two, New York will send Will Warren to the hill against L.A.’s Carson Fulmer. The Yankees are hoping to hold onto sole possession of first place in the AL East, which they reclaimed when the Orioles lost to the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Royals Release Tyler Duffey

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The Royals have released right-hander Tyler Duffey, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided this afternoon. Duffey pitched out of the club’s bullpen earlier this year but was outrighted off the 40-man roster back in May.

The 31-year-old is a veteran of 10 big league seasons who first made his debut with the Twins back in 2015. A starting pitcher back then, Duffey impressed in ten starts with Minnesota in his rookie season as he posted a 3.10 ERA and 3.24 FIP in 58 innings of work down the stretch. Unfortunately for Duffey, he struggled badly in his first full season in a rotation role as a big leaguer. The righty made 26 starts for the Twins in 2016, but he posted an atrocious 6.43 ERA with a lackluster 4.73 FIP in his 133 innings of work. That performance ended his days as a starter pitcher, but after some mixed results early in his move to the bullpen he emerged as a steady contributor in the Twins’ relief corps.

From 2019 to 2021, Duffey posted an excellent 2.69 ERA with a 3.16 FIP while striking out an excellent 29.8% of batters in 144 innings of work. Those impressive numbers led the Twins to bring Duffey back in 2022 on a one-year, $3.8MM contract signed just before the non-tender deadline, but that move did not end up working out well for Minnesota. Duffey wound up regressing significantly as his ERA ballooned to 4.91 in 44 innings of work while his strikeout rate plummeted to just 21.1%. Duffey’s struggles eventually proved significant enough that the Twins opted to part ways with the righty entirely, designating him for assignment in early August of that year.

The righty briefly caught on with the Yankees and Rangers late in the year after being cut loose by the Twins but wouldn’t appear in the big leagues again until October of the following year when he was briefly brought up by the Cubs nearly eight months after he signed a minor league deal to pitch in the organization. While he managed just two innings of work in Chicago, Duffey posted a respectable 3.77 ERA in 45 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A for the club’s Iowa affiliate last year. That performance was enough to earn Duffey another minor league deal last winter, this time in the Royals organization.

Since signing with the Royals, 2024 has proven to be a rollercoaster year for Duffey. The right-hander underwent a procedure to treat melanoma during Spring Training after a cancerous mole was discovered during his physical after signing with Kansas City, and while he didn’t make the Opening Day roster he did get selected to the big leagues in late April. Unfortunately, the right-hander’s brief stay in the majors did not go well as he surrendered a 5.00 ERA in nine appearances and walked 19% of the batters he faced. Duffey was outrighted to the minors in late May and has pitched to an excellent 2.01 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work since his demotion.

He’ll now head back into free agency in search of an opportunity to crack a big league roster elsewhere. Given the righty’s track record and success in the minors this year, it’s certainly feasible to imagine a team being interested in bringing Duffey into the fold at least as a non-roster depth option, and it’s possible a team could even be willing to give him a shot at the big league level in fairly short order.

Mariners Sign Josh Fleming To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed left-hander Josh Fleming to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma, as relayed by Tacoma Rainiers broadcast Mike Curto on X (link). Fleming elected free agency on the day of the trade deadline after being designated for assignment by the Pirates the week prior.

Fleming, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Rays in the 2017 draft and spent his entire career in Tampa prior to the 2024 season. The southpaw made his big league debut back in 2020 and enjoyed a solid rookie season with a 2.78 ERA and 4.40 FIP in seven appearances, including five starts, that totaled 32 1/3 innings of work. Fleming struck out just 19.2% of opponents in that first season as a big leaguer but made up for that with an eye-popping 63.7% ground ball rate. Those strong results led the Rays to offer Fleming an expanded role the following year as he posted a career-best 104 1/3 innings of work in 2021. Unfortunately, the lefty struggled with the larger role and posted a lackluster 5.09 ERA, though it’s worth noting that his 4.27 FIP and 4.36 xFIP both indicate that he pitched better than that top-level run prevention number might otherwise suggest.

After his lackluster 2021 season, Fleming saw his role in Tampa reduced somewhat as he pitched just 35 innings for the big league club in 2022 followed by 51 2/3 innings of work in 2023. Once again splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation, Fleming pitched to a combined 5.40 ERA with a 5.16 FIP, a 13.8% strikeout rate, and a 7.9% walk rate. He continued to generate grounders at an impressive 61.4% clip in those years until his 2023 season ended early due to a bout of elbow inflammation. The combination of injury concerns and ineffectiveness led the Rays to designate Fleming for assignment, and while he was snapped up off the waiver wire by the Phillies the lefty became a free agent not long afterwards when Philadelphia non-tendered him.

The southpaw ended up remaining in Pennsylvania despite that non-tender, however, as he eventually signed with the Pirates on a split contract back in February. Fleming made the club’s Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and pitched fairly well for Pittsburgh over the first month of the season. Things took a sharp turn for the worse in May, however, as Fleming allowed nine runs (eight earned) in just three innings of work across four appearances before eventually being outrighted off the club’s roster. He remained with the Pirates in the minors and eventually returned to the roster in mid-June. He pitched well for the club following his return with a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings of work, though he did so with questionable peripherals as he walked more batters (five) than he struck out (four). That led the Pirates to DFA him once again, though this time he decided to return to free agency rather than remain in the minor leagues with Pittsburgh.

Now, Fleming will join a Mariners organization that currently has just one left-handed pitcher (reliever Tayler Saucedo) on the active roster. Gabe Speier and Jhonathan Diaz are both lefty options in the minors already on the 40-man roster, though each has struggled at the big league level this year. That could leave a clear shot at a big league job for Fleming if he can impress Mariners brass with his performance at the Triple-A level, where he’ll have to contend with the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Twins Sign Giovanny Gallegos To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed veteran right-hander Giovanny Gallegos to a minor league deal, per a club announcement. Gallegos has been assigned to Triple-A.

The veteran righty, 33 next week, began his big league career with the Yankees back in 2017. Gallegos made just 20 appearances with New York before being dealt to the Cardinals partway through the 2018 season in the deal that sent Luke Voit to the Bronx. Gallegos made just two appearances in St. Louis down the stretch with 1 1/3 scoreless frames but emerged as a key piece of the Cardinals bullpen the following year.

From 2019 to 2022, Gallegos pitched to a sterling 2.84 ERA with a nearly matching 2.83 FIP with 33 saves in 228 1/3 innings of work with an eye-popping 32% strikeout rate. That four-season stretch saw Gallegos emerge as one of the most dominant relievers in the game: among relievers with at least 150 innings of work in that stretch, the righty’s ERA and FIP both ranked eighth while his strikeout rate ranked 11th and his SIERA ranked tenth. As impressive as those numbers were, things took a turn for the worse during the right-hander’s age-31 season last year.

Gallegos’s ERA and FIP ballooned to 4.42 and 4.36 respectively in 2022, figures that were actually slightly below average by measure of ERA- and FIP-. Those middling run prevention numbers were caused by two main factors: the right-hander’s strikeout rate plummeted to just 25.8% after sitting well above 30% for his entire Cardinals tenure to that point, and his home run rate skyrocketed. After allowing home runs on just 8.6% of fly balls from 2019 to 2021, the 2022 season saw that number shoot up to a whopping 15.3%. Just ten qualified relievers allowed more home runs than Gallegos’s 11 last year, and the combination of diminished strikeout ability and difficulties keeping the ball in the park gave the veteran the look of a pedestrian middle reliever rather than the shutdown leverage arm he had been in years past.

Gallegos ended his 2023 season on the IL due to rotator cuff tendinitis, and while and the Cardinals were both surely hoping for a rebound in 2024 the season proved to be anything but for the veteran hurler. Continued shoulder woes cost the right-hander nearly two months earlier this year, but even when he was healthy enough to take the mound his results were nothing short of disastrous. The righty surrendered a 6.53 ERA with a nearly matching 6.36 FIP in 20 2/3 innings of work for the Cardinals this year. That’s the 11th-worst ERA in the majors this year among relievers with at least 20 innings of work, and Gallegos paired those lackluster results with a career-worst 22.6% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate that is not only the highest of his career but more than double his rate from just last season.

Those deep struggles led the Cardinals to designate Gallegos for assignment prior to the trade deadline in hopes of finding a team willing to trade for him, but no deal came together and he ended up electing free agency last week. Now, he’ll look to regain his previous form in a Twins organization that has struggled to get production out of the bullpen in recent weeks. Minnesota relievers have combined for a lackluster 4.60 ERA since the calendar flipped to July, and injuries to Brock Stewart and Kody Funderburk have further diminished the depth available in the club’s relief corps. If Gallegos can show improvement at the Triple-A level, it’s not hard to imagine the Twins believing in the veteran righty’s track record of success enough to give him a spot in the club’s bullpen over a pitcher like Josh Winder or Randy Dobnak.

Billy Bean Passes Away

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Former MLB outfielder Billy Bean, who has served in the commissioner’s office as senior vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as a special assistant to the commissioner, died at his home today following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia per an announcement from the league. The former Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres outfielder, not to be confused with longtime GM of the Athletics Billy Beane, was just 60 years old.

“Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known.” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement regarding Bean’s passing. “Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the enduring impact that Billy made on the game he loved, and we will never forget him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy’s husband, Greg Baker, and their entire family.”

Bean was first drafted by the Yankees back in 1985 in the 24th round, though he opted to return to Loyola Marymount University for his senior year and join the Lions for their participation in the College World Series rather than sign. He eventually landed with the Tigers after they selected him in the fourth round of the following year’s draft before making his big league debut in 1987 at the age of 23. Bean played for the Tigers until 1989 in an up-and-down role shuttling between the big leagues and the minors. He made just 97 plate appearances with the Tigers over his years in the organization but got a more robust opportunity after being traded to the Dodgers in July of 1989. He appeared in 51 games with L.A. down the stretch, though he hit just .197/.250/.254 during that time.

That would be Bean’s last MLB action for a few years. He put up solid numbers for the Dodgers in the minor leagues during the 1990 and 1991 seasons before splitting the 1992 season between the Angels’ minor league system and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Bean returned to the majors with the Padres in 1993 and enjoyed the best season of his big league career, slashing .260/.284/.395 while slugging five home runs and stealing two bases in 192 trips to the plate. He remained with San Diego through his retirement in 1995. Following the end of his playing career, Bean followed in the footsteps of former Dodgers and A’s outfielder Glenn Burke in 1999 to become just the second MLB played in history to publicly come out as gay. In an interview with Robert Lipsyte of the New York Times from that year, Bean discussed his life in baseball, the decision to remain in the closet throughout his time as a professional player, and his eventual decision to come out publicly.

After playing 272 games in the majors with three organizations across six years, Bean returned to baseball in 2014 when he was appointed as the league’s first ever ambassador for inclusion by then-commissioner Bud Selig. He continued to serve in the commissioner’s office under Rob Manfred and was eventually promoted to the senior vice president role he held until his death. In his role with the league, Bean worked with all 30 organizations and is credited with instrumental roles in developing education programs and expanding mental health resources available to players all across affiliated ball.

We at MLBTR join the rest of the baseball world in extending our condolences to Bean’s family, former teammates and colleagues, countless friends around the game and all those mourning his passing.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/24

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The frenzy of moves before the trade deadline always has ripple effects of players being nudged out of their roster spots. 15 players were designated for assignment on deadline day and several in the days leading up to it as well. That has led to many recent waiver claims, with the Marlins claiming seven different players in the past two weeks. But they can’t claim them all, so here’s a round-up of some guys who passed through unclaimed recently.

As a reminder, players can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if they have a previous career outright or at least three years of major league service time. Players need at least five years of service to both elect free agency and keep their salary intact.

  • The Diamondbacks released Miguel Castro, according to his transactions tracker on MLB.com. The righty signed with the Snakes heading into 2023 on a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2024. He reached 60 appearances last year and locked in a $5MM salary for himself in 2024. Unfortunately, his results have tailed off as he has a 5.93 ERA this year. That has come in just 11 appearances as he missed close to three months with a shoulder strain. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and keep all of his money. Another club could now sign him and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster with that amount subtracted from what Arizona pays. He has a career 4.20 ERA in 419 appearances with the Blue Jays, Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Yankees and Diamondbacks.
  • The Pirates sent Ryder Ryan outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his second career outright and he therefore has the right to elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. The righty has an ERA of 5.00 in his 18 major league innings. He has thrown 27 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 4.61 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.
  • The Mets sent catcher Logan Porter outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s his first career outright and he has just a few days of service time, so he’ll have to accept the assignment. The backstop was signed just a couple of weeks prior to the deadline after opting out of his minor league deal with the Giants, which had been acquired from the Royals. He was hitting .319/.428/.575 for the Royals’ Triple-A club before the Giants acquired him, but then his results tapered off. The Mets were still intrigued enough to give him a 40-man spot but the other 29 clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers.
  • The Dodgers sent left-hander Nick Ramirez outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has previous career outrights and therefore has the right to elect free agency. Acquired from the Yankees in early April, he spent most of the year on optional assignment. He logged 11 1/3 big league innings over seven appearances with a 6.35 ERA. In his 23 Triple-A innings since the trade, he had a 2.35 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate, 3.3% walk rate and 54.5% ground ball rate.
  • The Braves have sent right-hander Darius Vines outright to Double-A Mississippi, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his first career outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has a 5.82 ERA in 34 big league innings between last year and this year. His 2024 output at Triple-A includes 77 innings over 14 starts with a 5.14 ERA, 16.6% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40.3% ground ball rate.
  • The Cardinals sent right-hander Jacob Bosiokovic outright to Triple-A Memphis, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty had his contract selected at the end of June, his first time added to a big league roster, but was optioned a few days later without getting into a game. That means this is his first outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has 43 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year with a 4.15 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate, 13.4% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate.

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