Inspired by a question in a recent chat, I decided to search for the most worthwhile waiver claims placed over the past year. While there are relatively few monumental wins, several players have turned in productive runs with their new organizations since being allowed to depart for nothing but the waiver fee. And many look to carry future value, as well.
Here’s the list of the claims since last August that have provided the most value to their current teams:
- Blake Parker, RH Reliever, Angels (link): Halos GM Billy Eppler might have made out like a bandit when he poached two righties last October from the Yankees, but the club later lost both pitchers on waiver claims by other organizations. One (see below) ended up succeeding in his new digs, but Eppler got a second chance when he re-claimed Parker. Over 57 2/3 innings on the year, Parker has posted a sterling 2.18 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 along with a 50.4% groundball rate. He sports a robust 14.1% swinging-strike rate and a personal-high 94.0 mph average heater. Parker will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this fall.
- Kirby Yates, RH Reliever, Padres (link): Yates is the one that got away from the Angels, as he was claimed by the Pads earlier this season after just one ugly appearance for Los Angeles. The 30-year-old has scuffled a bit of late, and has been prone to the long ball, but still carries a palatable 4.09 ERA over 44 frames. More importantly, he has racked up 14.1 K/9, on an outstanding 17.7% whiff rate, against 3.2 BB/9 on the year. Yates looks like a keeper and shouldn’t be terribly expensive when he hits arbitration over the offseason.
- Scooter Gennett, 2B, Reds (link): The 27-year-old has put on a power outburst since coming over from the Brewers. While he has continued to struggle against left-handed pitching, and doesn’t draw plaudits for his glovework, it’s hard to ignore a .286/.339/.529 batting line and 22 home runs over 389 plate appearances. Gennett has provided quite some value to Cincinnati for his $2.5MM salary, though that’ll head northward in his second season of arb eligibility.
- Dominic Leone, RH Reliever, Blue Jays (link): Though Leone had enjoyed prior MLB success when he went to Toronto from the D-Backs over the wire, the 25-year-old had largely struggled since his impressive 2014 debut. He has gone on to spin sixty frames of 2.55 ERA ball for the Jays, logging 10.2 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 while carrying a 14.5% swinging-strike rate. Better still, Leone likely won’t qualify for Super Two status next year, leaving the Blue Jays with another season of bargain pitching and three more years of arbitration control.
- Stephen Vogt, C, Brewers (link): Though an injury has limited the 32-year-old to just 18 games since his mid-season claim, Vogt has absolutely raked in that span. He’s slashing .279/.319/.674 with five home runs as a Brewer, making him an important part of the team’s roster down the stretch. Vogt won’t likely command a big increase on his $2.965MM salary in arbitration this fall — his second-to-last year of eligibility — and so could also represent a useful future asset for Milwaukee.
- Doug Fister, SP/RP, Red Sox (link): Though he has hardly dominated, Fister has given Boston much-needed innings since being claimed after a brief run in the Angels organization. Over 59 2/3 total frames this year, through nine starts and three relief appearances, he carries a 4.53 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9. Nothing jumps off the page there, but league-average results from an affordable swingman are always welcome.
- George Kontos, RH Reliever, Pirates (link): It would be silly to make too much of the five strong innings Kontos has thrown since arriving recently in Pittsburgh, though he has allowed just one earned run on two hits and a walk while recording seven strikeouts. More importantly, the 32-year-old seems to represent an affordable and useful pen piece for the future. Kontos, who owns a lifetime 3.03 ERA through 320 2/3 frames in the majors, will command a relatively modest bump on his $1.75MM salary next season and can be controlled via arbitration in 2019 as well.
Peter O’Brien needs to be on this list.
U drunk?
Lol
If only he received those rave reviews…
Well he keeps getting claimed so he must be doing something right
Peter O’Brien hasn’t made it as a major league player as of yet, but dang it is he a legend here on MLBTR. May the not rave reviews keep coming!
Fister? Really?
Iffy I’d call it with 3 solid starts, 1 average and 5 stinkers. They have mostly kept Hector Velazquez in the minors because of him and he’s dominated at Pawtucket this season, plus done fair in the few chances with Boston other than a stinker start early in the season.
Fister?? I hardly know her!
He’s pitched circles around Cleveland twice. Definitely needs to make better decisions but when he’s on a roll that sinker is a ground ball machine.
Great to see you out together a post based on an interesting chat question. Great work as usual.
Daniel stumpf?
Wait was that this year?
rule 5
Don’t really have a clue why Evans let Kontos go for nothing. He hasn’t had a clue with anything he’s done recently either.
Bobby Evans is the smartest man in the room. He is also the only man in the room.
The Giants will have a 40 man roster crunch this off-season. Kontos doesn’t figure into thier long range plans and no one was willing to trade anything for him at the deadline.
Expected a more impressive list honestly, but it is in short time period I guess.
Dominant Leone has been a pleasant surprise this year
Sam Dyson?
I believe Dyson was a straight trade for cash or ptbnl, not a waiver claim
What about Parker Bridwell?
The Orioles let him go for NOTHING.
And he would have been the #2 guy in the Oriole rotation instead of the #1 guy for the Angels. Can’t get much better then that.
He was traded for cash
He was DFA-ed, claimed and let go for the cost of the waiver claim, which is about 50 K, so this article totally applies to him, and yes, 50K is nothing.
He wasn’t claimed, he was traded. If he were claimed, I’m sure he would’ve been in the top 5, but he’s out of the scope of this particular article
Bridwell as acquired for peanuts, but he was acquired in a trade for cash or a PTBNL — not a waiver claim. It’s been a great pickup for the Angels all the same, but Jeff was correct to not include him for the purposes of this post.
Can anyone name some players who were cut from one team and then played above average or better for their next team a la Justin Turner???
David Ortiz
On November 12, 2010, Encarnacion was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. On December 2, he was non-tendered by the Athletics, making him a free agent.[12] On December 16, 2010, he signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays worth $2.5 million, with a club option worth $3.5 million in 2012 (Wikipedia) The Blue Jays were the team that initially waived him in 2010.
JD Martinez was cut by the Astros in March 2014 & signed 2 days later by the Tigers. He came up from AAA in April & hit 315/.358/.553/.912. That worked out very well.
Awesome examples guys
Kontos can’t be included in this. One bad inning and it appears to be a bad claim.
Shouldn’t this article have been written after Juan Nicasio is claimed?
Jesús Aguilar?
+1
Why isn’t Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon on the list?
Because this article is addressing waiver claims only, not minor – league signees or minor trades
Downvoted for facts lol
Is Nick Goody an option cause he has a sub 3 ERA on arguably the best team in the AL
Trade too
Should have made it a top 6 list and left poor Doug Fister alone.
No Ronald Torreyes?
He was claimed two years ago I believe. He was a Yankee last season
Yeah. I think you’re right. My bad.