It’s been a busy day transactional day for the Padres, and the team announced two more additional moves to clear space on the 40-man roster. San Diego declined its $2MM club option on left-hander Aaron Loup, instead paying him $200K in a buyout. The club also parted ways with left-hander Robbie Erlin, who cleared waivers and is now a free agent.
Loup came to San Diego on a one-year deal that paid him at least $1.4MM in guaranteed money (the $200K buyout and $1.2MM in salary for 2019). Unfortunately for the veteran southpaw, his season was cut short after only four appearances, as he suffered a left forearm strain that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Loup also missed about a month in 2018 with a forearm strain, which creates even more durability questions for a pitcher who was a bullpen workhorse for the Blue Jays from 2013-17 (averaging 57 appearances per season). It seems that Loup will almost surely have to settle for a minor league contract as he looks to rebound from his lost 2019.
Erlin will hit the open market after nine years in San Diego’s organization. Long considered a potential staple of the Padres’ rotation, inconsistency and some notable injuries hampered Erlin’s progress. He missed a good deal of 2014 due to elbow problems, and then virtually all of the 2016-17 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Since returning, he has pitched largely as a reliever and shown some promise, as his 5.37 ERA over 55 1/3 innings in 2019 was underscored by some much stronger ERA predictors (3.61 FIP, 4.14 xFIP, 4.07 SIERA), and could have been inflated by a .373 BABIP. With a fastball that barely cracked the 90mph mark, Erlin isn’t a hard thrower, though his 8.46 K/9 in 2019 represents a new career best.
Erlin only just turned 29, and could draw some free agent interest in his new role as a multi-inning reliever. He is projected to make $2MM this winter, in third and final year of arbitration eligibility.
Baltimore Detroit or Miami should take a shot on Erlin. he’s shown he’s had upside in the past and is still relatively young.
Why?
Why not? What do the Orioles or Tigers have to lose if they pick him up on a minors deal.
He is good as a bullpen arm for one inning anymore more than that he struggles.
Still need 4 more DFA’s. 2 for the remaining IL reinstatements and 2 to clear space for Esteury Ruiz and Buddy Reed. Guessing it’ll be Eric Yardley, Franchy Cordero, Seth Mejias-Breen and one of Pedro Avila and Anderson Espinoza.
Buddy Reed won’t be protected in Rule 5 draft. Ruiz may not be either.
Mejias-Breen and Espinoza are good calls for additional cuts from the 40 man.
Last year Preller protected everyone in the MLBPipeline top 30 and a couple who weren’t. This year that’s Ruiz and Reed. For guys who aren’t top 30, maybe Jorge Oña getting a large signing bonus and OPSing .957 in AA this year will move the needle enough for him to get protected?
Reed sucks man
He is Freddy 2.0
Reed isnt a terrible prospect, but no one is claiming the guy. roster spots too valuable to give him one.
The only time Reed really hit was when he was in the hitter friendly Cal league. Last year as a 24 year old in AA his OPS was just .698.
He has some real skills but the problem with someone selecting Reed in the Rule 5 is that he needs more ABs to develop as a hitter, and if someone takes him they’ll have to be stashing him and using him as a defensive replacement/pinch runner so he won’t get the reps he needs to figure out his swing. He’s not good enough to actually play in the majors and he needs to play to get better so he’s a real catch-22 to pick in the Rule 5.
I’d get rid of G. Reyes before Cordero. He’s a preller trade, and it’s obvious AJ loves him by the # of times he called him up and had him run out only to get hammered. I don’t see them protecting Reed with Trammel at AA and Ruiz has only hit in his 1st year in rookie ball.
LOL protecting Buddy Reed!!!
He protected lesser prospects last year
DFA on Cordero would be a huge mistake. They can still drop a catcher, Kinsler & Perdomo
Why would it be a mistake?
And not sure if they are going to eat the remaining cash owed to Kinsler just yet.
Erlin, Loup, Warren, Stock, Kennedy, Jankowski, That is a good start on clearing the 40 man roster crunch
Quiet koamalu
4 more to go
After reading the article on the new Mgr. it looks like Balsely is gone along with three other coaches, look for a new bench coach, first base coach, third base coach and a new pitching coach, well its time to clean house maybe new faces will bring some better results and maybe even 81 W’s.,
It appears Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson will be the Padres new bench coach.
Is he related to Corey Dickerson ?