4:45 pm: The Marlins have announced Smith’s claim, with an addendum indicating that Miami has also outrighted catcher Tyler Heineman and righty Hector Noesi to the Triple-A New Orleans roster. This puts Miami’s 40-man roster count at 37.
2:47 pm: The Reds have claimed pitcher Josh Smith off of waivers from the Marlins, according to a tweet from C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (link). In a corresponding move, Cincinnati has designated catcher Juan Graterol for assignment.
The Marlins had claimed the left-handed Smith off of waivers from the Indians on Sept 14, making his time in the Miami organization exceedingly brief. Occasionally referred to as “Josh D. Smith” in order to avoid confusion, the lefty is a soft-tossing reliever with a largely fastball/slider dependent repertoire. The 30-year-old played in both the Pirates and Red Sox organizations before making his big league debut with Cleveland in 2019; he ultimately made 14 appearances between the Indian and Marlin pens, logging a 6.39 ERA (4.32 FIP) in a small sample of 12.2 innings. Amir Garrett is the only lefty on-hand in the Cincinnati bullpen, so Smith could be a relatively no-cost flier for a club looking to broaden its mix-and-match capabilities.
The 30-year-old Graterol first came up to the bigs with the Angels in 2016, but he’s never really been given an extended look in the majors. Across parts of three seasons, he’s received just 129 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, logging a meek .218/.227/.266 line with zero home runs. He spent most of 2019 at Triple-A in the Reds organization, logging a .249/.301/.325 slash through 226 plate appearances.
I don’t understand the waiver claim during the playoffs.
Why?
MLB Head office frowns on clubs making transactions during the post season. Apparently Jeter didn’t get that message.
It isn’t like anyone will notice this Josh Smith move. It isn’t like it’s Alex Rodriguez opting out of a contract during the postseason.
That’s it! Red in the World Series in 2020! People will look back at this move and wonder why they didn’t do it!
When Justin turner was about the same age the LA Dodgers took a flyer on him. He hit 8 homers in parts of 3 seasons for the Mets. People look back at that and truly wonder -WHY THEY DIDN’T DO IT. Maybe josh smith and Kyle Boddy can spend the winter together in Tacoma.
Nice…Kyle Boddy said he had offers from other clubs but the Reds organization was far and away a slam dunk when it comes to being progressive with anylitics. They’ve actually removed and replaced 20 plus people in a year and a half. It played dividends with the pitching in ’19…lets keep it rolling!
Agreed. It’s not every day you see a left-handed pitcher who strikes out about 1/3 of the hitters he faces in AAA. Hopefully some of that success translates to MLB. If so, they’d have another good piece to add to their above-average bullpen. And with the progress their pitching made to accompany their upgraded coaching, it’s a real possibility. Regardless it gives the Reds depth in a spot where they’re lacking. Thank you, Ray, for pointing out what others would merely consider to be a depth move. This could be the difference-maker for a team that has to live in the margins due to a lower payroll than most.
Moran has not been outrighted yet. good for him.
Isn’t Heineman kind of good?
The Pittsburgh Pirates absolutely need to claim Tyler Heineman immediately if he’s available.
He is better than any catcher in their entire system.
This is where I really get angry with Pirates GM Neal Huntington. He misses out on these kinds of moves all winter long, every single year, and then this Pirates management team can’t figure out why they always do so poorly. Hey owner Robert Nutting, this is where your analysis needs to start – Right here.