The Reds have made a pair of claims already, nabbing Kevin Gausman from the Braves and Freddy Galvis from the Blue Jays. While the Cincinnati organization still hasn’t manage to make a run into clear postseason contention, it’s in shouting distance and obviously wants to send a message to its fanbase. With a marginal place in the standings, the Reds also have waiver priority over all other contenders. (Current rules do not distinguish between league status, except in cases where two teams with the same record each put in a claim.) The claims are relatively low-cost since there’s not much time left in the regular season (around $4MM in total) and both players can be controlled for 2020 (Gausman via arbitration, Galvis via club option). It’s also possible the Reds could pass along the contracts via the waiver wire later this month.
[RELATED: So, What Can Teams Do In August?]
It stands to reason that players in similar positions will be exposed to waivers as well. Those likeliest to hit the wire — beyond younger, fringe 40-man members — are arbitration-eligible players who are obvious non-tender candidates and impending free agents who no longer fit onto their current club. Gausman and Kyle Barraclough, whom the Giants recently claimed from the Nationals, represent recent examples of the first group. In such cases, teams stand to save a nice chunk of money if another team places a claim; if not, they only lose a player whose days in the organization were clearly numbered. Certain veterans on expiring contracts may also be allowed to leave, even if their non-contending current team would happily pay their salary down the stretch, in order to generate goodwill in pursuing future free agents. (That possibility explains why we’ve listed, say, Hunter Pence as a conceivable waiver candidate.)
It should be noted that players with guaranteed salaries beyond the 2019 season aren’t as likely to be waived in this manner. There’s little incentive for the Mariners to waive Dee Gordon, for instance. He’s owed more than $16MM and would surely go unclaimed as a result. At that point, he’d reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, leaving the Mariners on the hook for the entirety of his contract. At best, Seattle would save the prorated league minimum if Gordon signed with another team. It makes more sense to hold him and try to move him in the offseason or even next year.
There ought to be demand on the claiming side. Plenty of needs remain unmet even on competitive rosters. It’s notable that the Nats and Braves saved money with their above-cited waiver placements; that could leave some addition free cash to utilize in adding other players. Some clear non-contenders will even work the wire, as the Blue Jays did with Zack Godley. It would seem there’s nothing to stop teams from discussing their intentions in advance — “hey, we’d claim him if you cut him loose” — to assuage any concerns about a player going unclaimed, which could perhaps even open the door to a surprising late-month claim or two.
With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look around the league to see which other players could land on waivers, focusing on contract status and other factors. Rebuilding and/or clearly non-contending clubs will obviously be contemplating ways to save some cash with moves of this nature. Some players on contending teams may be candidates to be cut loose regardless of their organization’s place in the standings — hence, the prior moves on Gausman and Barraclough — but we’ll focus here on organizations with sub-.500 records.
Just because a player lands on the list doesn’t mean we think it’s especially likely he’ll move by way of waivers; it just indicates we can see a path to such an outcome. Without further ado (teams listed by inverse order of record):
Tigers: Jordy Mercer, Gordon Beckham, Edwin Jackson
Orioles: Jace Peterson, Jonathan Villar
Royals: Billy Hamilton, Mike Montgomery
Marlins: Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, Starlin Castro, Martin Prado, Adam Conley
Mariners: Cory Gearrin, Anthony Bass
Blue Jays: Zack Godley, Neil Ramirez, Justin Smoak
Pirates: Francisco Liriano, Melky Cabrera
Rockies: Chris Iannetta (DFA limbo), Chad Bettis
White Sox: Ivan Nova, Welington Castillo, Jon Jay, Yolmer Sanchez
Padres: Craig Stammen, Ian Kinsler
Reds: Jose Iglesias, Freddy Galvis, Alex Wood, Kevin Gausman, Jared Hughes
Angels: Justin Bour, Trevor Cahill
Rangers: Hunter Pence, Logan Forsythe, Delino DeShields, Shawn Kelley, David Carpenter
Additional Possibilities: Adeiny Hechavarria (Mets; DFA limbo), Addison Russell (Cubs), Travis Shaw (Brewers), Michael Taylor (Nationals), Michael Wacha (Cardinals)
(It’s possible that the win/loss outcomes over the next two weeks will push some other organizations to consider dropping short-term veterans, but we won’t guess here as to how that’ll shake out. The players on contending teams just listed could be pushed out due to performance/roster considerations, regardless of their teams’ place in the standings.)
No chance Kela hits outright waivers.
Probably not Melky, either. He doesn’t cost enough and he’s playing well.
I actually meant to remove Kela, who we listed in an early draft of this post closer in time to all the weirdness. Doing so now.
Re Melky, he’s in the Hunter Pence class.
Melky has not been hitting since a few weeks before the AS break.
He also hits into a lot of double plays.
The Pirates need him as the third or fourth outfielder until Polanco comes back.
Chisenhall has left the building.
I agree with you listing Billy Hamilton, But not Mike Montgomery. Mike is finally back where he belongs ….And he did well his last outing. We’re not going to get rid of him in Kansas City. Our pitching prospects aren’t even ready for the MLB. quite yet, So we need mike to be part of the rotation for awhile.
I tend to agree. But I also think it’s possible if they just aren’t sold after getting an in-person look. So I decided to add him.
There are a few other guys in this sort of situation that I kept on here for sake of completeness.
he got 12 strikeouts on Saturday night . Yes it WAS against Detroit, IMO, he’s a better choice for the rotation than Jorge Lopez!
Not sure if it will show but in the middle of text got the wheel of death. Then add error message that
You missed Justin Smoak from Jays. If Toronto had some prior knowledge that a contender would claim him, I believe he would be placed on waivers…
Good call. I’ll add him.
I’d agree with this. Tellez called up yesterday and Montoyo says he will play more than Smoak.
Makes sense for the Jays. Give Tellez and Drury the at bats to see where you stand for next year. Too bad for Smoak though. He’s been good in Toronto.
Could always bring him back in the offseason. I hope that happens.
Not a chance the Blue Jays want to go young
I wouldn’t count out Smoak resigning with Jays. But Tellez will get his chance to prove he’s more than a AAAA player. My thoughts are, he’s not.
I wish the Giants would have nabbed Galvis. Crawford is done. He will be dfa’d as soon as the ink is dry in Bochy’s retirement paperwork.
Not according to Giant fans. He is one of the “ He means so much to the organization. No way they get rid of him. No way he would ever play for another organization”
Just like Buster & MadBum.
No no no,it’s the Long Term and No Trade Contract is why Crawford is probably not going anywhere,leave your emotions out of it
I understand the inclusion of Michael Wacha, but in the absence of an obvious 5th starter in the rotation, I think he’ll stick around and hold down the spot with Ponce de Leon, much to my chagrin.
Ponce de Leon would be an upgrade over Wacha. Injuries ruined a once promising career. And with the Cardinals still in the playoff hunt, just can’t afford to give away a game each time Wacha starts.
Moot point if guys like Carpenter, Molina, DeJong and Goldie don’t hit.
Phillies have a bunch of injured relievers signed through next year. I wonder if any team would take a shot on a Robertson, Hunter, Neshek or Morgan if the Phillies turned them loose. Robertson aside, I don’t see the other three as being a big loss.
It was one game, but Ivan Nova’s stock went up after last night.
It’s been several games for Nova since All Star Game. If I were the Sox I’d keep him another 1-2 years until TJ injuries are worked out. Nova could inspire the youngsters.
You haven’t been watching.
Why would I watch a dumpster fire of a team like Chicago on a regular basis? So Nova is pitching well of late. Fantastic. I guess he’s inspiring the youngsters much like Jon Jay is? The White Sox are in a perennial rebuild that never ends. Quit paying guys like Nova and Jay and rebuild the damn team. I only watched last night because it was the Astros. Then I see Cole and Bregman were late scratches.
Nova is horrible. Just like the Sox will be for another 5 years!
Nova is a decent pitcher who served the Pirates well.He was very consistent at around 4.30 era or so,and was a good fifth starter
He had a bad first half with Chicago.He has pitched well since then.
The Pirates traded him because he was making $8M per year and Lyles came $4M cheaper.
He is good filler much like Shields was until you have someone healthy who is better or younger.
@Mendoza—-you just used “good filler” and “Shields” in the same sentence. The Sox are past the filler stage. They need a solid, reliable five—not filler.
The Sox are about 16 games out of the Wild Card spot and Nova is a Free Agent at the end of the year.
Clearly he was talking about being 2019 filler, and he filled that role well
Mike.I agree that the Sox are going young,and that they need five good starters.
Every team does.
At the start of this year they did not have them.
I’ll let you decide whether they will have them next year.
Nova 4-0, 0.49 ERA in last 5 starts.
4-2 with 2.27 ERA since ASG.
Innings eater. Bullpen saver. 147.2 innings this year!
Teams looking for a SP at trade deadline really missed out by not trading for Nova.
Maybe Hahn was just too stupid to trade him?
Jose Iglesias?
He’s one of the Reds best players. They’re trying to win now.
Reds radio Announcer Marty Brennaman is in the Hall of Fame. He’s retiring this year. He recently stated that after broadcasting baseball for 46 years, he thinks Jose Iglesias is one of the 5 best defensive SS’s he’s seen play.
Maybe he needs to look at some defensive analytics. What could he possibly know about what’s really going on on the field? Or as Groucho once said – “are you going to believe me or your own 2 eyes?”.
I know all of these things. But Iglesias will be a free agent and the Reds could easily be completely buried in 2 weeks’ time.
If Iglesias becomes a free agent the Brewers need to sign him to a three year deal. His offense is coming around enough that he could actually be a very good player to push Arcia for a starting job. Grandal may be a an all star catcher but for his price of his contract, along with the pitchers success or lack of. The squad is obviously performing better with Pina then with Grandal , you can see how much more in sync and confidence in him. I dont think analytic can show you more then what the eye test says .
He is hitting .292 but has career highs in HR and slugging %. Still, it is a weak .292. But that glove. In Detroit he made some spectacular plays. His DRS is 9 and his UZR/150 is 8.9, this year, both very respectable.
Yea, so some insight on why the Reds would waive him would be nice? Is this the issue of him only being signed this year so he is a free agent this off season? Do the Reds have someone they would like to clear roster space for?
No it would just be to save a bit of money and generate goodwill for future FA’s by giving him a shot at a playoff run. Similar to the buyout system in the NBA but instead of players giving up money to get cut loose they just get claimed and teams no longer have to pay them.
So if the reds are eliminated on August 25th they could opt to dump pending FA’s, which would include Iglesias.
The insight as to why he might be let go is in the article itself. It very clearly states some of these might not be as likely unless certain circumstances present themselves, with some such circumstances outlined.
In the Reds case it is dependent on if they are in contention and playing for this season, or out of it and playing for 2020.
If they are forced into playing for 2020, the team is better off getting the good will and a roster spot for a closer look at someone (and really anyone) else. Iglesias is gone next season regardless
will be sad to see him go but yes the writing is on the wall, love his skill set and his ABs are never wasted ones
What the Reds want to do and what they are doing may not be the same thing by the end of the month, and which point reality sets in and clearing some payroll becomes a very logical choice
IDK, Tigers need starting pitching so as long as Jackson pitches well he will stay. Beckham and Mercer won’t go until the minor league season is done, which is less than 3 weeks away. But then, I think Tiger fans would love both to go so some kids can at least get a whiff of the big leagues.
I agree. I have no idea what the thought is but, the Tigers will NOT waive Edwin Jackson.
The absolute only things the Tigers are playing for are the #1 pick in next years draft and experience gained for young players
It is silly to jeopardize that #1 pick instead of ensuing its outcome while also allowing whatever other random young player to get a taste of the majors in his place.
They might keep him if they believe he is a positive in unique mentoring towards a young player or two, but if he isn’t then he is a very strong and logical candidate to let go elsewhere. He’s hurting the team with his positive play right now
I really don’t know how you can be so sure of this. If he’s throwing well enough to help a contender, it’s possible they will let him go. Or, he might simply be cut loose if he struggles. It’s likeliest he ends up filling innings in Detroit the rest of the way, but that’s by no means a sure thing.
So, if Edwin Jackson is throwing poorly, he gets waived. I get it. However, if he’s throwing well enough to help a contender, they would also waive him for another team’s benefit. No, I don’t get it.
The Tigers are not a development team for the rest of MLB (although evidence says otherwise). The top pick is not as important as it is in other sports so the Tigers are not playing for the worst record (again, their shoddy scouting suggests I’m also wrong here too).
If a contending team has a need for an EJax and the veteran would have a shot at playing a notable role down the stretch, the Tigers may decide to give him away. We have seen plenty of August trades for de minimus returns over the years to facilitate just that scenario.
It’s not to benefit the other team. It’s to give the vet a chance at a nice opportunity, which then helps bolster the org’s reputation for treating guys the right way when it goes out and tries to convince them to come aboard next winter.
Jonathan Villar? The orioles aggressively shopped him at the deadline. He’s still owed a little bit of cash and I wouldn’t put it past the O’s to simply dump him. He’s not blocking anybody worthwhile but he’ll be due to make around 7 mil in arb next year and a highly doubt we have any interest in paying that.
Think the Mets would be all over him if he even made it that far.
Feel that’d be tough for them to do. The MLB product is so poor right now and there isn’t a huge amount to be saved. But he is conceivable, guess I’ll throw him in there.
I don’t think addison Russell is put on waivers at all. I think cubs will trade him this winter. He’s still a very good defender. If he has a place to play everyday he could easily hit 20-25 hrs a year with 75-85 rbi. The cubs are just not that place.
He could not easily do that. He’s had ample opportunity with Zobrist out to play every day and he was a joke.
You must have missed the game where Russell dropped 2 EZ pop ups! Blamed it on the sun.
Just like Happ dropped one last night. Blamed it on the rain.
You might want to add Yimi Garcia of the Dodgers to this list. He’s out of options and would be the first to be bumped from the roster if the need arises.
Smoak,Hamilton and Pence are the only ones worth it
I don’t see the Pirates dumping Liriano or Cabrera. If they didn’t want to pay them, they would have traded them.
And…they don’t really have much waiting that needs a roster spot.
Liriano could roll the ball like kick ball and still be better than Neverauskus.
There did not seem to be any real return for either so NH kept them.
Both had a much better first nine weeks than last nine weeks.
Liriano has clearly fallen but he is still much better than Crick who believe it or not is better than the alternatives in AAA.
Melkman will play some until Polanco is back at which time the Pirates must find out what they really have in Polanco.He is not a kid anymore and needs to produce like Bell and Reynolds and even Marte have done.
The Pirates have several pitchers that they could easily remove from the 40 man roster.Unfortunately DN is one of them.I thought he had a decent future but he wilts under the least bit of pressure.