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Jake Diekman Announces Retirement

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Jake Diekman announced his retirement in a lengthy social media post this evening. The longtime reliever appeared with nine major league teams during a career that spanned parts of 13 seasons. His announcement is worth a full read, as he went on to thank his former organizations, teammates, family, fans, representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council and more.

Now 38, Diekman entered professional baseball as a 20-year-old back in 2007. The Phillies drafted the lanky lefty in the 30th round out of a Kansas junior college. He’d been committed to attend the University of Nebraska the following spring but elected to sign with the Phils. Diekman moved to the bullpen a couple seasons into his minor league career and received his first MLB call in May 2012.

Diekman made 191 appearances over three and a half seasons for the Phils. Philadelphia was rebuilding for most of that run, but he was part of a combined no-hitter in 2014 and tallied a cumulative 3.84 earned run average. The Rangers acquired him alongside Cole Hamels in a massive 2015 deadline deal.

While that was primarily the Hamels trade, Diekman was a significant part of the Texas bullpen for the next few years. He tallied 124 1/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball over parts of four seasons as a Ranger. He appeared in the postseason in 2015 and ’16, firing six innings of one-run ball in his first October action during the former season.

Diekman was on the move at the 2018 deadline. Texas was headed to a 95-loss season and he was ticketed for free agency, making him an obvious trade candidate. The D-Backs picked him up for the stretch run, though he struggled during his brief stint in the desert. Diekman signed a one-year contract with the Royals during the winter. Kansas City flipped him to the A’s at the 2019 deadline, and he impressed the team enough to re-sign on a two-year deal the following offseason.

After three seasons in Oakland, Diekman firmly moved into journeyman territory for his final few seasons. He played for another four teams between 2022-24, concluding his big league run with 43 appearances for the Mets last year. The Nebraska native returned home on a contract with the independent Lincoln SaltDogs a few weeks ago, but he’s now decided to wrap up his playing days.

Diekman finishes with a 3.91 ERA in a little over 600 big league frames. He recorded 764 strikeouts, fanning almost 29% of opposing hitters throughout his career. He never had pristine command, but he reliably missed bats behind a fastball that got into the 97-98 MPH range at his peak. He recorded 187 holds, a mark topped only by Tony Watson and Adam Ottavino since his 2012 debut, and secured 19 saves in scattered closing opportunities. Baseball Reference calculates his career earnings north of $28MM. MLBTR congratulates Diekman on a strong career and sends our best wishes for his post-playing endeavors.

Rangers Place Chris Martin On Injured List

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The Rangers placed Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19, with shoulder fatigue. Righty Cole Winn was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in the corresponding move.

Martin was removed from Sunday’s game against the Astros after throwing one pitch. That was the result of shoulder soreness, though it came less than a week after Texas had sent him for imaging after he experienced elbow discomfort. Martin did not end up missing any time with the elbow soreness after testing came back negative. The team has downplayed their concern over the shoulder issue as well, but it’s sensible that they’ll give him a couple weeks after a pair of arm issues in such rapid succession.

This will also serve as a potentially necessary rest opportunity for the veteran righty. Martin has made 22 appearances this season, two off the MLB lead. He’d pitched five times between May 11 and 18 alone, including on three straight days from May 11-13. That’s a lot to ask of any pitcher, especially one who is a couple weeks from his 39th birthday.

It’s also a testament to Martin’s continued effectiveness. He has turned in a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Martin has punched out 23 of 77 opposing hitters (29.9%) while remaining one of the sport’s best control artists. He has only issued one unintentional walk all year. Martin has collected nine holds and one save without blowing a lead. He’s alongside Robert Garcia and Jacob Webb as Bruce Bochy’s most trusted setup arms in front of closer Luke Jackson.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the moves shortly before the team announcement.

Rangers Claim Michael Helman, Designate Jonathan Ornelas

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The Rangers announced that they have claimed infielder Michael Helman off waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock. The Bucs designated him for assignment last week. To open a roster spot for Helman, the Rangers designated infielder Jonathan Ornelas for assignment.

It’s the second waiver claim in a week for Helman. The Pirates claimed him from the Cardinals on May 14th but designated him for assignment two days later when they called up Nick Solak. Perhaps the Bucs were hoping to pass Helman through waivers and keep him as non-roster depth, but the Rangers have swooped in to prevent that from happening.

Helman, who turns 29 on Friday, has a very limited big league track record. It consists of ten plate appearances with the Twins last year. He got three hits but also struck out three times. The Twins traded him to the Cardinals for cash in February.

The Rangers are presumably more interested in his minor league work, which naturally provides a larger data sample. Over 2023 and 2024, Helman stepped to the plate 480 times in the minors. He hit 21 home runs and hit a combined .282/.356/.507 for a 121 wRC+. In addition to that offense, Helman has played every position outside of the battery in his minor league career, meaning he provides lots of defensive versatility.

His 2025 hasn’t gone well so far. He produced a .185/.260/.292 line over 73 Triple-A plate appearances. Perhaps that’s why the Cards and Pirates each took a chance at trying to run him through waivers, but without success. The Rangers will send him to Round Rock and see if his bat can bounce back. He has a full slate of options, so they can theoretically afford to be patient with him if he continues hanging onto his 40-man spot.

Ornelas, who turns 25 next Monday, is in a different position. Though he’s far younger than Helman, he is in his final option year. The Rangers added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

He had put up some decent numbers in the lower levels of the minors but hasn’t done much at the upper levels or in the majors. He has 54 big league plate appearances so far with a 37% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and .184/.245/.224 batting line in those. Since the start of 2023, he has 1,006 Triple-A plate appearances with a .247/.348/.333 line and 78 wRC+.

Given that performance and the fact that he’ll be out of options next year, it was going to be hard for him to cling to a roster spot going forward, so the Rangers have swapped him out now for Helman. Ornelas will be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Rangers could spend five days trying to trade him. He has stolen a few bases in the minors and bounced around the diamond. He has played the three infield positions to the left of first base and all three outfield spots.

Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images

Rangers Place Evan Carter On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rangers placed outfielder Evan Carter on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 17) due to a right quad strain.  Fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar has been activated from his own stint on the 10-day IL to take Carter’s place on the active roster.  Texas also made two more roster moves, optioning right-hander Cole Winn to Triple-A and calling up righty Caleb Boushley.

Carter has a Grade 2 quad strain, as manager Bruce Bochy told the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland and other reporters.  This means that Carter’s absence will stretch well beyond the 10-day minimum and he is likely facing several weeks or even months on the sidelines.  The injury apparently surfaced yesterday, as Carter was a late scratch from the Rangers’ starting lineup for their game with the Astros.

The quad strain continues Carter’s injury-riddled pro career.  Carter missed a good deal of the 2021 minor league season and most of the 2024 MLB season due to back problems, and arm problems also kept him on the minor league IL for about a month in 2023.  Carter did get healthy in time to make his big league debut in September 2023, and he quickly lived up to his top-prospect status by tearing up the league in both the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason, as Texas went on to win the World Series.

Just when it looked like Carter was a breakout star, however, his bad back limited him to 45 games of action in 2024.  He began this season in the minors and was recalled a couple of weeks ago for his 2025 debut, and Carter has hit only .182/.270/.273 in 37 plate appearances before going on the IL.

In part due to concerns over Carter’s health following his lost 2024 campaign, the Rangers added Pillar as a depth option on a minor league contract back in January.  Pillar made the Opening Day roster and hit .237/.237/.289 over 38 PA before going on the injured list due to lower back inflammation earlier this month.  He’ll return to the roster after missing 15 days of action.

Rangers Release Adrian Houser

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Righty Adrian Houser was granted his release from his minor league contract with the Rangers, the team announced. Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports reports that Texas hopes to bring him back (presumably on a fresh minor league deal), but he’ll have the opportunity to explore other offers.

Houser signed with the Rangers during the offseason. He has worked out of the rotation at Triple-A Round Rock, tallying 39 1/3 innings across nine appearances. While his 5.03 earned run average is pedestrian, that’s not all that uncommon in the Pacific Coast League. Houser has stronger peripherals. He’s striking out a decent 22.8% of opponents while running an excellent 57.3% grounder rate.

Ground balls are Houser’s speciality. He has gotten grounders at a near-52% clip over parts of eight seasons in the majors. That was up in the 58-59% range during his best seasons with Milwaukee but has been down to a more normal 46-48% mark over the past few years. That caught up to him last year, as he allowed 5.84 earned runs per nine across 69 1/3 frames with the Mets. Houser had begun the season in New York’s rotation but was kicked to the bullpen after seven starts.

His results in relief were much better. Houser carried an ERA north of 8.00 as a starting pitcher but turned in a 3.28 mark across 35 2/3 relief innings. Texas seemingly preferred him as rotation depth, though it stands to reason he could find interest from other clubs as both a starter and reliever.

Poll: American League Playoff Outlook

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We’re now a little over a quarter of the way through the 2025 regular season. With Memorial Day fast approaching, it’s hard for struggling teams to continue arguing that it’s still early. That isn’t to say playoff positions are set in stone, of course; on this day last year, the Mariners and Twins were firmly in playoff position while the eventual AL West champion Astros were in fourth place in the division and seven games under .500.

If the season ended today, the Tigers, Yankees, Mariners, Guardians, Royals, and Twins would be your playoff teams in the American League this year. With four-and-a-half months left in the baseball calendar, which team currently outside of that group has the best chance of breaking their way into the mix?

Here’s a look at a few of the options, listed in order of record entering play today:

Houston Astros (22-20)

Houston’s first season in a post-Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman world has been an uneven one. Jose Altuve does not look like the difference-maker he once was in his age-35 season. He’s hitting .256/.302/.369 (90 wRC+) and has effectively played at replacement level. His batted-ball profile suggests he may even be a bit fortunate to have the modest rate stats he currently possesses. Yordan Alvarez is injured, Yainer Diaz is well-below average at the plate, and neither Christian Walker nor Cam Smith is producing the way Houston hoped.

On the positive side, Isaac Paredes (141 wRC+) and Jeremy Pena (139 wRC+) have both been excellent at the plate. Hunter Brown is looking like an early Cy Young candidate, and the late-inning duo of Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu is one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. If Alvarez can get healthy and the team can find some outfield help this summer, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Houston make its tenth consecutive postseason.

Texas Rangers (23-21)

Entering the season, the Rangers looked like they had an excellent offense that would be held down by questions about the pitching staff. The reality they’ve faced this year is the opposite: Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, Jake Burger, and Joc Pederson have all been somewhere between disappointing and terrible. Corey Seager has been injured, and Evan Carter started the year in the minors. Josh Jung, Josh Smith, and Wyatt Langford have been the only standout performers in the lineup so far this year.

That’s been offset by phenomenal performances in the rotation despite injuries to Jon Gray, Cody Bradford, and Kumar Rocker. Jacob deGrom is back and striking out a third of batters like it’s 2019, but he’s arguably the #3 starter in a rotation where Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle have sub-2.00 ERAs. Even emergency addition Patrick Corbin is turning back the clock with a 3.35 ERA across seven starts. If the Rangers’ vaunted offense can wake up a bit, it’s easy to imagine the 2023 World Series champs making a run.

The Athletics (22-21)

John Fisher’s aggressive offseason after abandoning Oakland for West Sacramento is paying off in the standings, though it’s mostly been due to young players breaking out. Jacob Wilson is looking like a unicorn in the mold of Luis Arraez. Tyler Soderstrom has emerged as a breakout slugger. Shea Langeliers is in the midst of a career year at the dish.

The pitching is cause for concern, but Gunnar Hoglund has looked good in his first taste of big league action, while both Luis Severino and Mason Miller have peripherals that suggest their results should improve with time. Three of last year’s most productive players — Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, and Brent Rooker — have taken steps backward, however. That will limit the club’s potential if they can’t get back on track.

Toronto Blue Jays (22-22)

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now in the fold for life, now all the Blue Jays have to do is win with him. The returns on that front are mixed. Veterans like George Springer, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt are doing their best to make everyone forget about their age, but the performances of longer-term pieces like Anthony Santander, Bowden Francis and Jose Berrios are deeply concerning. Jeff Hoffman has been among baseball’s best closers so far and Bo Bichette is an above-average hitter again, but Alejandro Kirk has been pedestrian at the plate and Guerrero’s 131 wRC+, while terrific relative to the rest of the league, represents a major step back from last year’s 165. A healthy and effective return from future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer would go a long way to stabilizing the rotation, but players like Santander and Berrios will need to get going if playoff baseball is to return to Canada this year.

Boston Red Sox (22-23)

After pushing in by adding Garrett Crochet and Bregman this winter, the Red Sox entered the year looking like one of the AL’s best teams. While they haven’t exactly been bad, the season certainly hasn’t worked out that way so far. Crochet and Bregman are both as-advertised or better, and Wilyer Abreu is looking like a bona fide lefty slugger to pair with Rafael Devers.

Kristian Campbell has begun to cool off after a torrid start, however, and the rotation injuries have begun to pile up. It’s anyone’s guess who will be playing first base on any given day. Triston Casas is out for the year. Romy Gonzalez is on the injured list. Devers doesn’t sound keen on another position change. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are knocking on the door in the minors, and perhaps their eventual debuts will be the spark this team needs to get back into the playoff mix.

The Rest Of The Field

The five teams mentioned above are all within two games of a Wild Card spot, but the rest of the AL can’t be counted out. The Rays will benefit from the eventual returns of players like Ha-Seong Kim and Shane McClanahan, but they need more offense from key pieces like Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, and Junior Caminero. The Orioles should have the lineup to compete, but they have some key bats struggling and will need to figure out their disastrous pitching staff to get back into the race. The Angels have faded after a hot start, but players like Luis Rengifo and Taylor Ward should start hitting eventually. The White Sox still have an abysmal offense, but the rotation has been surprisingly solid with Rule 5 pick Shane Smith in particular looking like a steal.

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Which of the teams outside of the AL playoff picture entering play today do MLBTR readers think stands the best chance of making it into the postseason? Have your say in the poll below:

Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List

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The Rangers announced Tuesday that they’ve placed shortstop Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list. The move is retroactive to May 11. Seager is again dealing with a right hamstring strain — the same injury that sent him to the IL from April 23 to May 3. Catcher Kyle Higashioka has been reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. He’d missed the previous 12 days with an intercostal strain.

It’s surely a frustrating situation for Seager and the Rangers. As mentioned, he only just returned from the IL barely a week ago, but it seems he wasn’t 100% healthy. He only played once in the past week and the club has now decided to put him back on the shelf.

Since the move is retroactive, he could potentially return in just over a week. Regardless, the Rangers will be without one of their better bats for a while. The club’s offense has scuffled enough this year to force various changes, including a coaching staff shake-up. Seager has not been a part of the problem when in the lineup. He has a .300/.346/.520 line and 143 wRC+ for the year. He’s one of just three players on the team with at least 100 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 113, with Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith being the others.

Despite that, the club has managed to stay afloat in the American League playoff race, currently sporting a 21-21 record. They will now have to try to keep things rolling without one of their best players.

The last time Seager was on the IL, Smith took over as the regular shortstop, though Smith is himself banged up. He missed Monday’s game due to back soreness and is out again today, with Ezequiel Durán covering short for those two games. Sam Haggerty might be the next line of defense at the position while Smith is out.

Assuming Smith feels better in a day or two, he would jump back in there. As mentioned, he is one of the Rangers having a great year at the plate, currently sporting a .316/.395/.474 line and 149 wRC+. Durán, on the other hand, is hitting .130/.160/.174.

Higashioka’s reinstatement will give the Rangers three catchers. When Higashioka’s injury popped up a few weeks ago, Tucker Barnhart was selected to the roster to serve as Jonah Heim’s backup. Heim is catching tonight with Higashioka in the designated hitter spot. Joc Pederson is often the DH but he doesn’t start against lefties, so perhaps Higashioka will take the small side of a platoon with him at times. The Rangers are facing southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Rockies tonight.

Teams are sometimes reluctant to use a catcher in the DH spot, as an injury to the player behind the plate would then force them to move the DH to the catcher position. Moving a DH into any defensive spot means a team forfeits its DH and puts the pitcher into the lineup. Having a third catcher on hand gives the club a chance to avoid that scenario.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Sam Haggerty

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The Rangers have selected outfielder Sam Haggerty’s contract from Triple-A Round Rock, the team announced. In a corresponding move, fellow outfielder Dustin Harris has been optioned to Triple-A. The Rangers had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Following five seasons with the Mariners, Haggerty moved on to a new AL West club after Seattle non-tendered him this offseason. He was a productive bat for the M’s from 2022-23, producing a .727 OPS and a 113 wRC+ in 309 PA, but he missed most of 2024 after tearing his Achilles tendon. The Rangers added him on a minor league deal in February. He failed to win a job out of spring training and packed his bags for Round Rock to begin the year.

Harris had been with the big league club since Wyatt Langford went on the IL in early April. He hit well enough over his first handful of games to stick around when Langford returned. However, he went 1-for-18 over his last 20 plate appearances, with a single, two walks, and six strikeouts. Meanwhile, Haggerty has been swinging a hot bat at Triple-A. Over the past three weeks, he hit .347 with an .879 OPS and a 129 wRC+. Furthermore, as a switch-hitter with MLB reps at all three bases and all three outfield spots, he offers the Rangers more versatility and experience. It’s only been a few years since Harris was widely considered a top-10 prospect in the Rangers organization. While his prospect sheen has faded, he is still just 25, and some more time at Triple-A could surely do him some good. Haggerty, on the other hand, has little to learn or prove in the minors. He’ll turn 31 later this month and has played in parts of six big league seasons.

Although he bats from both sides of the plate, Haggerty has much more impressive numbers in 216 career PA against left-handed pitchers than he does in his 260 career PA against righties. He has walked more and struck out less against southpaws, and he’s hit seven of his nine career home runs as a righty batter. The Rangers currently rank 21st in MLB with a .622 OPS and a 79 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, due in large part to the struggles of hitters like Corey Seager and Adolis García. Haggerty is no solution to that problem, but the Rangers will hope he can offer a bit of help off the bench. A fast runner with 33 career steals in 36 attempts, Haggerty can also help the Rangers on the basepaths; they currently rank 14th in stolen bases and 13th in FanGraphs baserunning value.

MLBTR Podcast: Replacing Triston Casas, A Shakeup In Texas, And The Blue Jays’ Rotation

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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…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What does the trade deadline look like for the Orioles if they’re out of contention? (37:10)
  • Can the Tigers extend Tarik Skubal and what does his contract look like? (45:05)
  • Who are some fun under-the-radar contributors this year? (51:05)

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!

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Mariners Claim Leody Taveras

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May 7: The M’s announced today that Taveras has reported to the team with Thomas optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding move.

May 6: The Mariners have claimed outfielder Leody Taveras from the Rangers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Rangers recalled outfielder Evan Carter to take his spot on the roster, a move that was previously reported. Right-hander Luis F. Castillo, not to be confused with Luis Castillo, has been designated for assignment by the M’s to open a 40-man spot for the claim. An active roster spot will need to be opened whenever Taveras reports to the M’s.

Taveras, 26, will join a new organization for the first time. The Rangers signed him as an international amateur back in 2015, giving him a notable bonus of $2.1MM. He went on to become the club’s top prospect and one of the top 100 in the league for a few years. As a major leaguer, he has been useful but not quite a star. His speed and defense have allowed him to make notable contributions for the Rangers, though his offense has been less consistent.

When he first arrived in the majors, he struck out quite a bit, but he was still in his early 20s at that time. In 2023, he managed to get the punchouts down to a manageable 21.1% rate. He still didn’t walk much, just a 6.3% rate, but he put the ball over the fence 14 times. That all led to a .266/.312/.421 line and a 100 wRC+, indicating he was exactly league average at the plate.

Given his other talents, average offense was quite acceptable. He also stole 14 bases and got strong marks for his outfield defense. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.4 wins above replacement on the year as he helped the Rangers charge to their first ever championship.

He fell of a bit last year. His walk rate actually jumped to 7.9% and his strikeout rate essentially held steady, bumping ever so slightly to 21.2%. His home run total also didn’t change much, dropping to 12, but with 25 fewer plate appearances. His batting average on balls in play dropped to .272, after being at .318 the year before. He finished the 2024 season with a .229/.289/.352 line and 82 wRC+. Still, with his 23 steals and his glovework, he produced 1.1 fWAR.

Here in 2025, his offense has dropped further. Through 82 plate appearances, he has a 2.4% walk rate, 28% strikeout rate, .241/.259/.342 line and 68 wRC+. That’s been part of a larger constellation of struggles in Texas, as guys like Marcus Semien and Joc Pederson are also struggling badly. Jake Burger’s slump was steep enough to get optioned to the minors while Taveras was placed on waivers. The club also fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and hired Bret Boone as a hitting coach in an attempt to kickstart the offense.

For the Mariners, it’s a buy-low move, with some echoes of their Víctor Robles pickup. Robles was also a notable prospect with the Nationals who had struggled to click in the majors. The M’s sntached him up last year after the Nats released him. Robles then performed well with Seattle, enough that they signed him to a small extension last year, just a couple of months after bringing him aboard.

Robles has unfortunately been sidelined by a dislocated left shoulder and is probably still a couple of months away from returning. Luke Raley replaced him in right field but he recently hit the IL himself due to an oblique strain. Recently, they’ve been playing guys like Rhylan Thomas and Miles Mastrobuoni out there, which is less than ideal. Thomas has just ten major league plate appearances so far and hasn’t done much with them. Mastrobuoni is a light-hitting utility guy. Dylan Moore was reinstated from the injured list today but he could be needed on the infield, with Ben Williamson producing subpar offense from third base in his first 70 big league plate appearances.

Presumably, Taveras will be in the mix to help out in right. He has only ever played center field in his major league career, though the M’s have Julio Rodríguez there every day. Taveras has played the corners in the minors and most center fielders can move to left or right without issue. Some platoon matchups in the lineup are possible. Taveras is a switch-hitter with better numbers as a lefty. Williamson and Moore are both right-handed, so perhaps they can take third and right field when tough lefties are on the mound.

Though the Mariners are “buying low” in the sense that Taveras has been performing poorly of late and was readily available on the wire, there is a notable cost here. Taveras qualified for arbitration ahead of the 2024 season as a Super Two guy and earned $2.55MM last year. In January, he and the Rangers avoided arbitration for this year, agreeing to a $4.75MM salary. That leaves about $3.7MM left to be paid out, which the M’s are taking on by making this claim.

That’s a fairly small amount in the baseball world, where many guys are making eight-figure salaries annually, but it’s not nothing for the Mariners. They reportedly had about $15MM to spend this winter. They ended up giving out less than that, bringing back Jorge Polanco and signing Donovan Solano for a combined $11.25MM. Perhaps not coincidentally, adding Taveras and his remaining salary leads to a sum pretty close to $15MM.

Maybe that will give the club a bit less wiggle room to add at the deadline or perhaps ownership will greenlight further spending if they keep playing well. Time will tell on that. But if the bet on Taveras pays off in Robles-like fashion, there could be benefits beyond this season. He is still controllable via arbitration for another two years after this one. He will have to perform better over the rest of the season in order to be tendered a contract but that’s exactly what the Mariners are hoping for.

If Taveras is able to get back on track, the Rangers might end up kicking themselves, especially since there’s a chance he’ll be thriving with a division rival for the next few years. But there’s no guarantee of that happening and they’re probably happy about the cost savings in the short term. It was reported in the winter that Texas wanted to get under the tax line in 2025 and that plan was confirmed by owner Ray Davis. They came into the season a few million under the line, according to public estimates, though with a clear chance of going over. They have a number of players with sizable contract bonuses and those would bump up the club’s tax number if triggered, something that MLBTR did a deep dive on last month.

With the M’s claiming Taveras and the rest of this year’s salary, that drops the Rangers further away from the $241MM base threshold of the tax. As of a few weeks ago, RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts had the Rangers’ CBT number at $236.4MM and $237.8MM respectively but those estimates are now listed at $234.1MM and $235.5MM.

Castillo, 30, was added to the roster in April. George Kirby started the season on the injured list and Emerson Hancock got lit up in his first start of the year. Castillo made a couple of spot starts before being optioned to the minors. Hancock has since come back up to retake a rotation spot with better results. Logan Gilbert is now on the IL as well, prompting a Logan Evans promotion, but Kirby is on a rehab assignment and should be able to rejoin the club soon.

The M’s are evidently willing to sacrifice a bit of rotation depth, so Castillo goes into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade possibilities would have to be explored in the next five days. Castillo’s MLB track record is pretty small but he’s been decent in the minors and in Japan. From 2022 to 2025, he has a 2.44 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 59 minor league innings. He also pitched 143 1/3 NPB innings over 2023 and 2024 with a 3.01 ERA. Since he’s still optionable, he may have appeal for clubs looking to add some Triple-A rotation depth.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

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