As August wears on, more and more players are being put through revocable trade waivers. Here’s today’s list of names that have not only been placed on revocable waivers but have also gone unclaimed and are now free to be traded to any team…
- White Sox starters Derek Holland, Miguel Gonzalez and James Shields have all cleared revocable waivers, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. It’s almost impossible to see Shields moving anywhere, as the White Sox are still on the hook for $14.5MM of Shields’ contract through the end of the 2018 season. Shields has posted a 5.90 ERA in 68 2/3 innings this season. It’s at least feasible that Holland and/or Gonzalez could move, though. While neither would fetch a significant return, Holland has held lefties to a putrid .216/.279/.333 slash and could be viewed as a bullpen option at the least, if not as a simple innings eater for a club with a comfortable division lead. That latter label could also be applied to Gonzalez, who has a 4.67 ERA with 5.2 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 39.2 percent ground-ball rate in 113 1/3 innings this year. Gonzalez has turned in a 3.60 ERA over his past six starts, though peripheral metrics don’t support the uptick in ERA. Holland is on a one-year, $6MM deal, while Gonzalez is on a very similar one-year, $5.9MM pact.
- Heyman also reports that a quartet of expensive Tigers veterans — Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Anibal Sanchez and Jordan Zimmermann — has cleared waivers as well. It’s not a surprise at all to see any of those four clear, given the sizable contracts to which each is signed. Each has struggled in 2017 (Zimmermann and Martinez in particular), and no one from that group is going anywhere. Martinez is owed $18MM next year, while Zimmermann is owed $74MM from 2018-20. Cabrera, who is hitting .255/.343/.408 in 2017, is owed a staggering $192MM from 2018-23. Sanchez, meanwhile, is a free agent after this season and is owed the remainder of a $16MM salary plus a $5MM buyout on his 2018 option. He has a 6.95 ERA on the season and a 6.19 ERA since being recalled from Triple-A earlier this summer.
You can see a full list of players that are known to have cleared revocable waivers here, and those seeking a refresher on the intricacies of the waiver process can check out MLBTR’s August trade primer.
How did Holland and Gonzalez clear. Makes no sense to me.
Neither is pitching especially well. I’d imagine that if a team had claimed either, the Sox would’ve just let them go for salary relief. And with each owed about $1.5MM through season’s end, not especially surprising that no team is excited about paying that for six weeks of either.
There have been White Sox fans on here suggesting that the Yankees give them a shot…of course they think everyone should give them prospects.
Miguel Gonzalez has been pitching very well lately. That 3.60 ERA over his last 6 games includes a start in Boston where he gave up 7 in 1.2 innings. In that stretch, he has shut down the Dodgers twice (1 earned in 6 innings in both outings), shut down the Cubs (1 earned in 7.1 innings), pitched well against Cleveland (3 earned in 6 innings), and shut down Houston (1 earned in 8 innings).
His peripherals will always look mediocre at best because he isn’t a strikeout guy, but he has been VERY good as of late. Anyone looking for cheap backend of the rotation help for the pre-playoff stretch run would be stupid not to give him a look.
They both stink and make too much.
They all serve their purpose. Why would the sox dump everyone for “salary relief” when they would have to replace these guys with someone who could probably pitch better. Doesn’t jive with tankathon ’17. #trusttheprocess
Zimmerman might be intriguing to the Astros, but this version of JZ is not the same one who garnered that contract 2 winters ago. Unless they know for a fact they can right his ship, he’ll continue to labor in futility for DET and be paid a king’s ransom to do so.
Ridiculous. This version JV is 10x better than Jordan Zimmerman. It is obvious by your comments, you are regurgitating a media opinion of JV that is far off the mark. JV is more than just a statistic. His leadership, gamesmanship, and bull-dog approach to a playoff game is why you trade for him. He, unlike Zimmerman or any other available pitcher, has a “next level”. If you actually saw JV pitch the way we “Detroiters” have the past 12 years, you would be lucky to have him. When he pitches in the postseason, the teams confidence level surges. This not a statistic you can look up, it’s a feeling of heightened competitiveness that allows a team to play above a normal level. Why do you think a team plays better with their best pitcher on the mound? It’s a real thing so if I see the reason that Houston doesn’t pull the trigger is because of money or prospects, then they deserve to get their asses handed to them. Good teams win, great teams conquer and win World Series. Houston, do you want to be good or great?
You might want to go back and re-read that post. OP wrote “JZ”, not “JV”.
I don’t agree with a lot of what you’re saying, but you just got triggered for absolutely no reason. Even if this had anything to do with verlander, JV would not make Houston great.
Love your passion, DetroitDave84, but you definitely missed what Solaris611 was getting at there.
A) learn to read, original poster said nothing about Verlander. B) even from context of the post “2 winters ago” it is clearly not Verlander. C) the fact that you’re from Detroit makes me question if A is even possible.
The wrong Miguel Gonzalez is linked
Holland and Gonzalez might be options for Washington and Los Angeles. Both teams with huge leads in their respective divisions and have had injuries to key members of their rotations throughout the year. Could be used to reserve important starters or help lengthen their starts.
I don’t see either as options for the Dodgers. They made their big moves and have tons of options to get them to and through September. The roster just seems packed. More so their 40 man is going to see a major crunch, sept additions will be interesting do they add Buehler, Verdugo, Oaks, and Font?) and then they have the cavalry of 60 man additions seemingly getting closer to return upon Sept 1. Both would seem to be repetitive pieces.
Any insight as to the steep decline Cabrera has had?
He’s had problems with his back since early in the WBC.
I’m a little surprised that you said it is near impossible to see James Shields moving anywhere due to the money owed to him. I feel that makes him impossible to be claimed (and he wasn’t) but not moved. It just means the White Sox would have to pay all or near most of his remaining salary. I don’t think there would be a lot of interest but I can see at least one team thinking they can make some change with him, give him a change of scenery, and that he could be of some value to a team where they give a middling prospect in return. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t dealt, and I don’t exactly expect him to, but I certainly don’t see it as near impossible.
I agree. I am always puzzled by the argument that a player can’t be moved because of his contract when a team always has the option to pay it down to the level where he can be moved. The real impediment to moving Shields is that he’s pitching very poorly. He’s a tough sell even for nothing.
I certainly think they could move him if they ate most of the remaining contract, but I don’t really see the point right now. They need someone to eat innings and help the losing effort.
Exactly. But as you say, not much point.
Helping a losing effort has always been a strong suit of old big game James.
I’d be very surprised to see Miguel Cabrera struggle next year like he has the year. He may not be worth that much money anymore, but he is too smart and has such and easy swing, I can’t see him hit below .275 next year.
Anyone know if Jose Bautista cleared waivers?
Anibal Sanchez has been garbage for years now….useless….a fresh AA arm gives u a better chance at winning than would Sanchez so no team will claim him even if he wasn’t expensive….in fact Sanchez wouldn’t even improve a lowly team such as the A’s….lol
Tiggers will be drowning in that crush of contract $$$ for a long time.
What a shame…….not.
tiger veterans……have cleared, not has.
The quartet has … the Tigers Veterans are just describing the quartet.
the would be o.k. with has, but it was a quartet.
“quartet” is the noun. “Has” is the verb tense matching that noun.
i’m sticking with have
Another Strunk and White question. Let’s put them on the MLBTR consultant staff.
p.s. seckert15, you’ve been reported.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miguel Gonzalez traded before the end of the month.
Not many teams want to pony up 1.5 million for a marginal player in august
I would much rather have Miguel Gonzalez in Texas rotation over Tyson Ross…
People forget that Miguel Gonzalez has playoff experience and he actually pitched decent