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Dodgers Outright Nick Ramirez

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Left-hander Nick Ramirez went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per the transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been outrighted in the past and will have the option to reject in favor of free agency. Even if he accepts the assignment, Ramirez can become a minor league free agent at season’s end.

The Dodgers acquired Ramirez from the Yankees back on April 2 in a deal sending cash to the Bronx. The Yankees’ DFA of the then-34-year-old Ramirez (who’s now 35) caught many off guard, as Ramirez had pitched to a strong 2.66 ERA in 40 2/3 innings with the Yankees in 2023. The soft-tossing southpaw had a below-average 16.3% strikeout rate last year in the Bronx but countered that with a terrific 5.2% walk rate. It had been a solid season, but Ramirez was nevertheless an early-season roster casualty.

He never made it to waivers following that Yankees DFA, but Ramirez has now twice gone unclaimed following a Dodgers DFA this season. He’s struggled in 13 1/3 big league innings, allowing nine runs on 18 hits and seven walks with only five punchouts. He’s fared better in OKC but hardly overwhelmed the league; in 31 Triple-A frames this season, Ramirez has a 4.65 ERA, 19.2% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate.

Brewers Activate Enoli Paredes From 60-Day IL

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The Brewers reinstated reliever Enoli Paredes from the 60-day injured list. He rejoins the bullpen for tonight’s game in San Francisco. Milwaukee optioned Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. To open a 40-man roster spot, the Brewers transferred southpaw Rob Zastryzny to the 60-day IL.

Paredes has been down since early July on account of forearm inflammation. Milwaukee moved the righty to the 60-day IL when they activated DL Hall last month. Paredes, who signed a minor league deal last November, has gotten good results in 14 appearances since the Brewers selected his contract in May. He’s allowed just two runs through 16 2/3 innings, although his 12:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t particularly encouraging.

That’s broadly in line with Paredes’ career work. He pitched with the Astros between 2020-22 and managed a decent 3.90 earned run average despite huge walk tallies. Paredes has been utterly dominant in Triple-A this season, striking out nearly 40% of opponents with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings. He’s out of options, so the Brewers can’t send him back to Nashville without running him through waivers.

Zastryzny has been out since July 25 with elbow tendinitis. The injury cropped back up when he tried to start a rehab assignment last month. Today’s transfer officially rules Zastryzny out until the final week of the regular season. It’s not clear if he’ll be healthy enough to return this year. Working mostly as an opener, the lefty has logged 7 2/3 frames of one-run ball since Milwaukee called him up at the end of June.

Dodgers Sign Zach Logue To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers signed left-hander Zach Logue to a minor league contract. He has been assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’ll make his organizational debut tonight (h/t to OKC broadcaster Alex Freedman).

Logue elected free agency a week ago after being waived by the Braves. The 28-year-old had spent nearly the entire season with Atlanta’s Triple-A team. The Braves selected his contract in July but never got him into an MLB game. They designated him for assignment on September 1 when they signed John Brebbia.

A Kentucky product, Logue was one of four players whom the Blue Jays dealt to the A’s for Matt Chapman shortly after the lockout. The southpaw pitched at the major league level with Oakland in 2022 and had a brief stint with the Tigers last season. Opponents hit him hard, as Logue allowed nearly seven earned runs per nine across 68 innings. He struck out a below-average 17% of batters faced and allowed home runs far too frequently (2.12 per nine innings).

While Logue has yet to fool MLB hitters, he has had a very nice year in Triple-A. He worked in a swing capacity with Atlanta’s top affiliate, starting 12 of 23 appearances. Logue worked 90 2/3 frames of 2.68 ERA ball — the best ERA of any Triple-A pitcher with at least 75 innings. He struck out a solid 23.5% of opponents while keeping his walks to a modest 7.4% clip. He also had a lot more success keeping the ball in the park, allowing just 0.79 home runs per nine.

Logue will make the jump to the Pacific Coast League for the final two weeks of the minor league schedule. He’s ineligible for the postseason but could be an option for a spot start or long relief work in the regular season — especially if the Dodgers secure a first-round bye and want to rest their presumptive playoff arms in the final weekend. Logue would qualify for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if the Dodgers do not call him up.

Guardians Place Alex Cobb On Injured List, Select Andrew Walters

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The Guardians announced Thursday that right-hander Alex Cobb has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to blisters on his pitching hand. Right-hander Andrew Walters has had his contract selected from Triple-A Columbus in his place. Cleveland already had a 40-man vacancy after recently outrighting left-hander Anthony Gose again.

It’s the second time since Cobb was acquired at the trade deadline that he’s landed on the 15-day IL due to a minor injury on his pitching hand. He was previously out from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1 with a fractured fingernail on his right hand as well. Though neither a broken nail nor a blister is severe in nature, both issues can prevent a pitcher from gripping his pitches properly — particularly a knuckle curve like the one thrown by Cobb.

Though he’s now twice been briefly shelved, Cobb has made three starts with the Guards: two of them excellent and one rather rocky. He surrendered four runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Twins in his team (and season) debut, but he’s since rebounded with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Cubs and six shutout frames against the Pirates. There’s still time for him to get back by the end of the season, and Cobb could factor into the team’s postseason plans as well.

Cleveland acquired Cobb from the Giants in exchange for a pair of prospects (Jacob Bresnahan, Nate Furman). The Giants had hoped he’d be able to return early in the season after recovering from hip surgery performed over the winter, but a shoulder issue and a separate set of blister troubles delayed his activation. From 2021-23, Cobb pitched 394 1/3 innings with a 3.79 ERA and quality strikeout and walk rates (22.8%, 6.8%) with the Angels and Giants.

Turning to the 23-year-old Walters, he’ll be making his big league debut barely a year after being selected with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The University of Miami product has pitched exclusively in relief this season and laid waste to Double-A and Triple-A lineups alike. In the first 50 1/3 innings of his professional career, he’s recorded a 2.32 ERA and whiffed more than 37% of his opponents, though some command troubles have cropped up in Triple-A in particular. He’s issued a free pass to 11.8% of his opponents this season, including a 13.2% mark in Triple-A. Walters has also plunked three hitters, meaning more than 12% of his opponents this season have reached base without putting a ball in play.

Control issues have been the primary knock on Walters since he turned pro. He boasts a mid-90s heater that can reach 100 mph and couples that with a slider that he barely used in college while focusing on a fastball-heavy approach. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen  gives him 30-grade command on the 20-80 scouting scale, ranking him 14th among Cleveland prospects and noting that he lacks feel for finishing and command his breaking ball. MLB.com tabs him 22nd in the system and notes that his command was sharper in college (evidenced by a 5.6% walk rate in the NCAA), voicing some optimism that he’ll be able to improve as time goes on.

Yankees Outright Anthony Misiewicz

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Yankees left-hander Anthony Misiewicz went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the club announced. He was designated for assignment when the Yankees reinstated utilityman Jon Berti from the injured list. Misiewicz will have the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he wishes, though he can also become a minor league free agent at season’s end even if he accepts, given that he has (exactly) three years of service.

The 29-year-old Misiewicz pitched just one inning with the Yankees this season, tossing a shutout frame on June 19 — though he allowed a pair of hits and a walk in that shaky outing. He’s spent the rest of the season in Scranton, where he’s pitched 54 innings of 3.33 ERA ball with a 29.9% strikeout rate and a 6.7% walk rate out of the bullpen. Misiewicz has pitched for five teams across parts  of five big league seasons, logging a collective 4.67 ERA with a roughly average 22.8% strikeout rate and a solid 7.6% walk rate.

Misiewicz doesn’t have standout run-prevention numbers in the upper minors, but he has a passable 4.47 ERA in 209 1/3 Triple-A frames. He’s been more impressive in terms of strikeouts and walks, fanning just over one quarter of his opponents there and limiting walks at a tidy 7.7% rate. The long ball has been an issue, though, evidenced by a career 1.42 HR/9 mark at the top minor league level.

Marlins Designate Jonathan Bermudez For Assignment

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The Marlins announced a series of roster moves today, most notably designating lefty Jonathan Bermudez for assignment in order to clear roster space for righty Jeff Lindgren, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Jacksonville. Miami also placed righty John McMillon on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his right elbow. McMillon’s roster spot will be filled by righty Michael Petersen, whom the Fish claimed from the Dodgers earlier this week and who’ll now jump right onto the big league roster.

As Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald points out (on X), once either Lindgren or Petersen take the mound for the Marlins, the team will set a new major league record for most players used in a single season. They’re currently tied with the 2019 Mariners at 69 players. It’d be somewhat poetic if Petersen gets the distinction, as Miami announced he’ll wear No. 70 with the club.

Bermudez, 28, joined the Marlins on a minor league deal in April 2023. The former Astros draftee had been released by the Giants prior to that deal. He’s pitched 6 2/3 innings this season, his first career action at the MLB level, and allowed six runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. He’s had a rough showing in Jacksonville, too, logging a 6.46 ERA in 24 2/3 frames.

Bermudez has worked more in the bullpen this season than in years past. He spent the 2023 campaign in the Double-A rotation for the Marlins, where he made 18 starts and posted a 4.58 ERA in 94 1/3 innings. Bermudez punched out 26.6% of his opponents there against a 9.5% walk rate. The former 23rd-round pick (2018) briefly snuck onto the back end of Baseball America’s top-30 Astros prospects back in 2022, but he’s taken some steps back since that point.

Lindgren, 27, pitched seven innings for the Marlins last year in his MLB debut but was eventually removed from the 40-man roster. He’s been hit hard in the upper minors this year, combining for 75 2/3 innings of 6.19 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A.

Since he’s been working out of the Jacksonville rotation, he’s stretched out for multiple innings of relief if needed. The Marlins’ pitching staff is in shambles following injuries to Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, Ryan Weathers, Calvin Faucher and Andrew Nardi, among others (plus trades of Trevor Rogers, Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, Bryan Hoeing, JT Chargois and Huascar Brazoban). Lindgren can fill any role necessary down the stretch but will likely be removed from the 40-man once again at some point.

Blue Jays Claim Brett De Geus, Designate Yerry Rodriguez

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The Blue Jays have claimed righty Brett de Geus off waivers from the Marlins and designated fellow right-hander Yerry Rodriguez for assignment in a corresponding move, the team announced Thursday. De Geus has been optioned to Triple-A. Miami had designated him for assignment earlier this week.

De Geus, 26, only pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Marlins. He surrendered four runs on seven hits and two walks with four punchouts during that brief look. They’re the second team of the year for the former Rule 5 pick, as he also pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball with Seattle. He’s previously pitched with both the Rangers and Diamondbacks but sports an ugly 7.17 ERA in 59 major league frames. De Geus has fanned a well below-average 16.9% of his opponents in the majors against a 9.7% walk rate that’s about one percentage point higher than the average reliever.

Though he hasn’t had success in the majors or in Triple-A (7.09 ERA in 47 innings), de Geus has gotten looks from several clubs over the years. Teams clearly like his raw stuff. He sits 96.4 mph with his sinker, per Statcast, and regularly posts huge ground-ball rates because of that power offering and its movement. That sinker has still generally been hit fairly hard, but he has more intriguing swing data against his slate of secondary offerings: a cutter, knuckle curve and seldom-used splitter. For now, he’ll add a fresh arm to a Blue Jays bullpen that has been a major weakness this season.

As for the 26-year-old Rodriguez, he’ll now head to waivers. As with de Geus in Miami, he saw only a brief look with the Jays — and it didn’t go well. In 4 2/3 innings for Toronto, Rodriguez was torched for nine runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and a pair of walks. He punched out five of the 27 batters he faced (18.5%).

The Jays acquired Rodriguez from the Rangers in exchange for minor league righty Josh Mollerus earlier this summer after Rodriguez had been designated by Texas. The hard-throwing righty missed nearly a month of action in Triple-A on the injured list following the trade, and in five healthy innings there he’s walked nine batters. Rodriguez’s high-end velocity could hold appeal to another club, but he’s had a rough year both in Triple-A and the big leagues — his third season with some major league time. Overall, Rodriguez owns an 8.17 ERA in 36 1/3 MLB frames.

Guardians Release Scott Barlow, Outright Anthony Gose

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The Guardians released veteran right-hander Scott Barlow and outrighted lefty Anthony Gose to Triple-A Columbus, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Cleveland had designated both relievers for assignment in recent days. The Guardians announced that Gose accepted his assignment. He can be selected back to the big league roster whenever the team needs a fresh arm, and Barlow’s release creates an opening to do so rather easily.

Barlow pitched in 63 games for the Guardians this year. Cleveland acquired the right-hander in an offseason swap that sent Enyel De Los Santos to the Padres. It was a rare trade in which the Guardians took on a fairly significant salary — he ultimately settled on a $6.7MM deal for his final year of arbitration — to add the more established player. Barlow had been the Royals’ closer in recent seasons and worked in high-leverage spots with San Diego in the second half of last year.

That track record initially earned him important innings with Cleveland. Barlow had pitched fairly well through the season’s first few months. A tough second half had increasingly pushed him down the leverage hierarchy for skipper Stephen Vogt, however. Barlow has allowed nearly six earned runs per nine with a diminished 18.9% strikeout rate since the All-Star Break. He had fanned more than 32% of batters faced with a 3.52 ERA in 38 1/3 innings during the season’s first half.

Barlow’s overall numbers are passable. He has a 4.25 ERA with an above-average 28.2% strikeout percentage and a grounder rate above 47%. His 12.9% walk rate is high but not dramatically above last season’s 11.4% mark. The late-season dip in performance was concerning, though, and that’s especially true considering Barlow’s velocity. He had averaged 95 MPH on his fastball and 84-85 on his slider during his best seasons with Kansas City. Those respective marks dipped to 93 and 83 last year and are down further this season. Barlow’s slider has checked in around 81 MPH all year. His fastball had dipped to the 90-91 range in the last couple months.

The Guardians remain on the hook for the final few weeks of Barlow’s salary. He surpassed six years of major league service this season and would have been a free agent during the upcoming offseason in any case. Barlow could try to sign with another contender for the final couple weeks of the regular season, but he would not be eligible for postseason play. He may choose to look ahead to next offseason. Barlow could still find a big league deal going into 2025, though he’s unlikely to land the multi-year contract that seemed it’d be on the table a couple months ago.

As for Gose, an outright was the expected outcome after Cleveland designated him for assignment for the fourth time in the last month. The southpaw had the right to elect free agency but is clearly comfortable with the organization, as he either accepted an outright or re-signed on a minor league deal shortly after each of his previous DFAs. Gose has made three MLB appearances this season, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings. He carries a 3.27 ERA with huge strikeout (32.8%) and walk (14.7%) rates over 41 1/3 frames with Columbus.

Phillies Outright Nick Nelson

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September 11: Philadelphia announced this evening that Nelson again cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Lehigh Valley. There’s no indication that he’ll elect free agency, though he’ll be a minor league free agent at the end of the year unless the Phils call him back up.

September 7: The Phillies announced a quartet of roster moves in advance of their game with the Marlins, as catcher Aramis Garcia is joining the big league roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Right-hander Jose Cuas is also joining the organization on a waiver claim from the Blue Jays and has been assigned to Triple-A.  In corresponding moves, Philadelphia designated right-hander Nick Nelson for assignment and placed infielder Rodolfo Castro on the 60-day injured list.  Castro was first called up from Triple-A before the IL placement, and it was already known that his season would be over after he tore a thumb ligament at the end of August.

Garcia is back in the Show to give the Phillies some extra catching depth since J.T. Realmuto is a little banged up.  Manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that Realmuto will need “a couple of days” to rest up after fouling a ball off his knee in yesterday’s game, but the Phils don’t think Realmuto will need to visit the 10-day injured list.  Garcia and Garrett Stubbs will therefore handle catching duties for what the team hopes is just a short time until Realmuto is feeling better.

This is the second time this season that Cuas has changed teams via the waiver wire, as the Blue Jays claimed him off the Cubs’ roster back in June.  Cuas tossed three innings across four appearances for Toronto before the Jays DFA’ed him earlier this week, and the righty has a rough 7.71 ERA in 16 1/3 total innings this season with the Blue Jays and Cubs.  It has been a big step down from the 3.84 ERA Cuas posted over 103 innings with the Royals and Cubs during the 2022-23 seasons, and even that respectable number was undermined by some shaky secondary metrics.

Control problems have contributed to Cuas’ struggles in both the majors and minors this year, as he has a 6.67 ERA across 27 combined Triple-A frames.  Still missing a lot of bats despite those walks, the Phillies will take a look at Cuas and his plus sweeper, and Cuas will essentially replace Nelson as a depth arm.

Nelson was also designated for assignment last month before he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley.  This prior outright means that Nelson can now decline another outright assignment in favor of free agency, if he is perhaps looking for a fresh start after three seasons with the Phillies.  He pitched 68 2/3 innings over 47 appearances with Philadelphia in 2022 but he has made just five MLB appearances since, totaling 10 2/3 frames at the big league level.  A couple of injuries contributed to some of Nelson’s missed time on the Phils’ roster, but the club seemed to just view Nelson as a depth pitcher, first as a starter in 2023 and then back to relief work this season.

A’s Designate Jack O’Loughlin For Assignment

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The A’s placed righty Ross Stripling on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain and selected the contract of lefty Kyle Muller from Triple-A Las Vegas in his place, the team announced. In a corresponding move, left-hander Jack O’Loughlin was designated for assignment.

O’Loughlin, 24, made his big league debut with the A’s this year. The Aussie-born southpaw pitched 9 2/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen and yielded five runs on 13 hits and five walks with six strikeouts in his first look in the majors. That came on the heels of a 6.19 earned run average through 68 1/3 innings (10 starts, 28 relief outings) in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting where O’Loughlin fanned 22.9% of his opponents against a 10% walk rate.

It’s the first season in the A’s organization for O’Loughlin, who was originally signed by the Tigers and inked a minor league deal with Oakland over the winter. He fared better in 2023 in Detroit’s system, when he pitched a combined 124 innings of 3.99 ERA ball as a starter between the High-A and Triple-A levels.

Muller, 26, will get a second look with the A’s after being passed through waivers earlier in the season. Once a top prospect with the Braves, he came to the Oakland organization as part of the trade sending Matt Olson to Atlanta. The Athletics hoped to be getting a largely MLB-ready piece for the back of their rotation, but Muller struggled badly in parts of two seasons with the big league club, serving up a 6.39 ERA in 119 2/3 innings of work. The A’s tried him exclusively out of the ’pen earlier this year, and he did turn in a 4.22 ERA more than three runs lower than last year’s 7.60 mark, but Muller’s fastball sat at a career-low 92.5 mph even in spite of the move to short relief, which likely turned some clubs off.

Since going back to Triple-A, Muller has stretched out and moved back into a rotation role. He currently has a 4.76 ERA in 28 1/3 innings. His last appearance was his best yet, as he pitched seven innings and held the Rangers’ Triple-A club to three runs on five hits and a walk with six punchouts. The A’s could use Muller in a variety of ways, and if he can impress over the final weeks of the year, perhaps he can put himself back in position to stay on the 40-man roster and be an option for next year’s staff in some capacity.

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