AUGUST 8: The Pirates have outrighted Worley to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The money remaining on Worley’s $2.45MM contract — modest, but still well above the league minimum — might have prevented other teams from making a claim. Either way, Worley has been relatively effective in his two years with the Pirates, and he’ll likely rejoin them in September, if not before.
JULY 30: The Pirates have designated righty Vance Worley for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot was needed after the club acquired Joe Blanton late yesterday.
Phillies teammates for three years, Worley and Blanton won’t have a chance to pitch together for a second Pennsylvania club. Both have experienced modest career resurgences, and now it’s Worley’s turn to see if he can find a new opportunity.
The 27-year-old Worley had a great year for Pittsburgh last year, with a 2.85 ERA over 110 2/3 innings earning him a $2.45MM arbitration payday. He’s been solid again in 2015 — he carries a 3.78 ERA over 69 innings, with 6.1 /9 against 2.5 BB/9 — but lost his rotation spot along the way. He could draw some interest from teams looking to add innings, though his salary may complicate things.
Look, I don’t know what Worley has left in the tank, but I have always liked him.
O’s should take a gander.
It seems like he has been around forever, but he’s only 27.
I saw him make his debut in 2011 spring training against the Pirates.
Funny thing is he was better than Blaton in Spring Training that year, but he got sent down because of lack of experience and Blanton and once again…
He can still get traded right? What about Worley for Snider?
Not a terrible idea, but I think the Bucs need a righty bat who can play 1B and maybe RF more than the return of Snider.
Boy… not who I would have predicted gets the ax, I think most figured that it would be Guerra. I would guess that the Bucs are hoping Vanimal doesn’t get claimed because of his $2.4 million contract, then hope that he accepts a minor league assignment. He’s been a great organizational soldier, but he has also been getting pounded for the last month or 2.
Not 100% on this but I think due to lack of enough service time he wouldn’t have the option to decline the assignment to Indy.
Good point, you could be right about that.
You can always come home, Vanimal!
my thoughts exactly. Nola, Harang, Adam Morgan, Jerome Williams. Phillies could definitely use another SP to throw some innings. Plus he’s always been a fan favorite and let’s be honest, they could use any excuse to get a few extra fans in the seats these days. The Vanimal has a small following that could provide that.
Maybe he returns to the Phillies? They have a rotation spot open now that Hamels has been dealt.
I know Rosenthal said he’s heard an AL team was in talks with the Phillies about Ben Revere. But I remember reading a month or so back that the Pirates could have some interest in him. Maybe Revere plus cash to offset the difference in salaries for the Vanimal and the Pirates competitive balance pick? Close or no?
Close but i dont see the pirates trading the Comp Pick
I don’t see the Bucs giving up a competitive balance pick for Revere. And personally, I have no idea why the Bucs were reportedly interested in Revere in the first place. He could be useful to some teams, but the he doesn’t fit what the Bucs are looking for. Francouer, although not an exciting acquisition, would make a lot more sense.
Honestly, it didn’t make sense to me either but figured why not throw it out there. I love Frenchy. Great clubhouse guy, perfect guy to keep around with the young guys. Unfortunately, his value to the Phillies is a lot more than what they’d get in return. But if I was in charge, I’d trade him to a contender for whatever small piece they can and tell him we’d be interested in bringing him back in the off-season but wanted to give him this opportunity to be in the playoff race. He’s been a class act and has talked about how much he’s enjoyed his time here.
That rotation spot is going to be filled by Matt Harrison.
I assume Harang (if healthy) will be moved in August and if he isn’t healthy, then they’ll need another SP regardless. And Harrison certainly can’t be counted on either. Factor in that Nola will have an innings limit, it might not be the worst idea to add a SP and have a 6-man rotation (as an option) even if Harang and Harrison are healthy.
this has to be a mistake. Vance is the staple that holds ‘early’ relief down for the bucs. figured be tween him and Blaton Hurdle could get the starters out when they need to be out instead of pushing them an extra inning and losing the game.
Andy meet Vance
slot him in the rotation
Nola
Morgan
Harrison
Vanimal
Williams
Make it happen Phillies
Nola
Morgan
Harrison
Vanimal
Buchanan
Exactly. Williams needs to get gone ASAP.
These recent moves by Huntington remind me of a movie:
Dumb and Dumber
Since the Phillies have the worst record and are in the same league as the Pirates, they’ll have first dibs on Vanimal.
Worley + Sampson + Corey Hart to Boston for Napoli + Uehara + Cash??? Who hangs up first, Cherington or Huntington?