A handful of players around the league have cleared waivers:
- Right-hander Jeremy Beasley and lefty Travis Bergen both went unclaimed on outright waivers, the Blue Jays announced. They’ve been subsequently assigned to Triple-A. Beasley, 25, appeared in eight games with the Jays this season and posted an impressive 27.7 percent strikeout rate in 9 1/3 frames. However, he also surrendered eight earned runs, walked 19.1 percent of his opponents and served up three home runs in that short time. Bergen was designated for assignment last week despite a 1.69 ERA in 10 2/3 innings, although the 27-year-old’s eight walks in that time make that ERA look rather dubious. Bergen has an excellent minor league track record but has been injured frequently throughout his pro career to date. If he can repeat his past minor league success and remain healthy, he could get another look before too long.
- The Orioles announced that righty Konner Wade cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The 29-year-old made a very brief MLB debut last week but was hit hard, surrendering six runs on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings. The former Rockies and Red Sox farmhand has been enjoying a solid season in Norfolk to date, having pitched to a 3.24 ERA through 33 1/3 frames. Wade has just a 16 percent strikeout rate there, but he’s also notched a tidy 6.1 percent walk rate and an above-average 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. While it obviously wasn’t the debut Wade had envisioned, there’s been a fairly steady churn on the Orioles’ pitching staff so far in 2021, so continued success in Triple-A could lead to another look in the Majors later this summer.
Beasley and Bergen, despite some shiny ERA’s, are so awful. Here’s to hoping they stay buried in triple A. Jays need to aim for some big relief help at the deadline if they wanna contend.
If the Blue Jays want to contend this year, they need to add a solid #2 starter and 2-3 bullpen arms. That will cost them a lot in prospect capital but they have a very good, young core and a nice mix of veterans too. If they feel like they are close, now is the time to empty the farm and go for it.
Agreed and if they can manage to get some arms with control it will make it more worth it, similar to the stripling trade from last year and Cimber this year.
I would aim for a starter and closer which will cost a decent amount and then 2 cheaper in terms of asset cost bullpen arms similar to cimber.
The Yankees and Jays line up nicely for a trade. Especially, if Britton comes back healthy as expected soon. Britton and Chad Green would give them the high leverage lefty and righty that they need in the bullpen. They both come with additional control if the Jays exercise Britton’s option and Green ha AAV2 more years of arb to go. Yankees will want Moreno, Groshens (they will surely ask for Martin which the Jays will balk at) and a couple of lottery tickets to give up both. It won’t be highway robbery like the Chapman/Miller trades were but the cost will still be steep.
Moreno and Grisham will not be traded for relievers.
Now exactly definitely not the time to go for it. Go all in the most overused term ever in sports and always misused.
Why do the Jays need a starting pitcher? They have five very good ones right now.
This might be the time the jays have the most $$ to spend because Biggio Bichete teoscar, Guerro, Manoah, Gurriel, their cathchers etc are all only going to cost more soon.
They have an excellent lineup and solid starting pitching. I think they could add quite a bit without completely breaking the prospect back.
I agree the jays have solid starting pitching but expecting all of them to stay healthy might be wishful thinking. Also it’s possible 1 or more start to struggle like Matz for example. compete with the best they could use a #2 but the main priority is obviously the bullpen.
Imo they already have a roster ready to compete and may have more payroll flexibility now while their contracts are cheap. They have a clear need so if you make that a strength the sky is the limit
Agreed.
All 5 guys are pitching pretty well now… but you’d love to have that clear #3 guy in a playoff series. Pitching depth is less relevant in the playoffs and your top guys pitch more often.
After Ryu and Ray who do you roll out as your 3rd starter in the playoffs? Would love them to answer that at the deadline.
@jose
Sorry did you ask why do we need a starter? If we go in to the playoffs with a struggling ryu, matz, ray, stripling and manoah? This guys will get hit in september baseball nevermind october. What they did in the first 80 games means jack, the next 80 games is where teams really step it up.
With 8 Top 100 Prospects ( BA ) the Jays have 0 need to ” empty the farm ” to fill their holes.
mlb.com says 6.
Manoah and Kirk just graduated last month. So technically 6 now.
Manoah and Kirk just graduated last month. So technically it is 6 now.
Manoah and Kirk just graduated last month. So technically it’s 6 now but was 8 on the pre-season list.
They shouldn’t be adding a SP unless it’s a controllable one like Berrios or Marquez. Ray has pitched well enough to rely on in big spots and Manoah has already looked like a top of the rotation arm in his short time. I don’t think they should mortgage the future for any big rentals yet. Put all the assets they’re willing to trade on relief arms and then even if pitching is still a bit of a weakness, the offense should be able to carry them as far as they can. Will be an interesting few weeks nonetheless.
They need another starter and one more bullpen arm.
Both would need control. Borucki and Merryweather will be back soon, and then if you bring in another starter you can put your worst starter in the pen. Unsure who that is right now, shockingly might be Matz
Jays desperately need RP over SP, ideally ones with multiple years of control. Maybe send the Pirates a package with a high end prospect and get multiple relievers in return. They could use some more depth at SP but there should be plenty of bargain bin trade deadline options that can provide injury insurance.
Non blue Jay’s fan here. You guys straight stole Ray for Bergen last year, turned around and bought Bergen back at the end of the season. Lol holy cow! Arizona deserves to stink. Gave up a solid long term starter for nothing.
Ray wasn’t a long term starter option for the DBacks, he was a pending free agent having a terrible year and you won’t get much in trade for a month of that. What they missed out on last year from him wasn’t worth having, and if they’d re-signed him he wouldn’t have been good with their pitching coach. Credit Ray to Pete Walker. (Now if only Pete could teach the relievers to throw strikes.)
Pete walker is one of the best. Very underrated.
Ray was terrible with the Dacks. Over the past winter Ray put on 20 lbs of muscle. It is not Pete Walker that deserves the credit for Ray’s improvement, it is Ray and his workouts and the vitamins.
The BlueJays starters are 25th in MLB in innings and war. There is not a chance the BlueJays win anything in the playoffs without acquiring an elite starter and at least 2 quality relievers.
Just because the starters have had a few games against lesser clubs in the past two weeks doesn’t mean the starting staff is good. It’s not a championship rotation. Period.