The Rays and right-hander David Hess are in agreement on a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. He’ll head to Triple-A Durham for the time being. Hess is represented by Total Sports.
Hess, 28, opened the season in Durham after signing a minor league pact with Tampa Bay over the winter. He pitched quite well there before being traded to the Marlins in a July 4 swap that sent minor league righty Justin Sterner from Miami to the Rays. The Marlins immediately selected Hess to the big league roster upon acquiring him, but he wound up pitching just 18 innings there before being designated for assignment. He rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency earlier this week.
Things were going fine for Hess in Miami for the most part early in his tenure. He worked to a 3.94 ERA with a 15-to-8 K/BB ratio through his first 11 appearances and 16 innings before being ambushed for seven runs in a single frame by the Rockies at Coors Field. He yielded another run in his next outing before being designated, ultimately concluding his time as a Marlin with an unsightly 8.00 ERA.
Hess pitched well with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate to begin the year, however, working to a 2.81 ERA with a 28.9 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 3.9 percent walk rate in 32 frames. He’ll head back to that same environment for now and hope to rediscover that success.
A fifth-round pick of the Orioles back in 2014, Hess has now seen Major League time in parts of four seasons. He’s had some stretches of success, particularly late in his debut campaign in 2018, but has yet to find the consistency needed to stick at the big league level. Hess carries a 6.05 ERA in 208 1/3 Major League innings but a more palatable 3.55 ERA with a 26 percent strikeout rate and 7.3 percent walk rate in parts of three Triple-A seasons (119 innings).
This will be interesting to see if he can establish himself w the Rays.
Anything they touch seems to turn to gold.
It’s uncanny, one of the top scouting and development staffs in all of baseball. Although they’ve had a bump in the road in Wacha, it was a fine signing if they believed they could fix him.
Baseball’s musical chairs bullpen.
Today David Hess signed to minor league deal by Rays
In 3 days: David Hess selected by the Rays.
2 days later: David Hess designated for assignment
3 days later David Hess released by Rays
2 days later David Hess signed to minor league deal by ????
Repeat.
Something really needs to be done about this constant jerking around of people. Yeah they are getting paid very nicely, but would you want to be treated like a disposable diaper in your job? There really needs to be some type of minimum stay on a 40 man roster when a player gets claimed off waivers or selected from the minors. All these teams are doing is manipulating the system to keep fresh bullpens.
Sounds like something MLBPA can try to address this offseason in CBA negotiations. If nothing happens, they don’t care that much. I doubt these AAAA guys are too grumpy pocketing an extra $20k or so to get called up for a few days and then released. That’s like a 20% bonus on top of AAA salary.
yep, that’s exactly why they wolnt adress it – because it’s good for the players
To me, the extra money wouldn’t make up for the constant moving around and knowing my job is only going to last 3 days. But maybe that is just me.
except these players are expendable and that’s the purpose of calling them up. if not for the rules that allow this, most of them wouldnt end up getting the call.
Maybe he could find some consistency working at Best Buy?
You obviously have not been paying attention to the economy for the last decade or two if you think a job at Best Buy is consistent. They might be in Chapter 11 by the time I finish this sentence.
Nice backpedal on your reply!
Best Buy/ regular job, but you know what I meant.
Thanks, I decided to take the high road after taking a few steps on the low one.
I respect that.
Turns out I was wrong.
It was actually 2 days for the selection and 1 day for the DFA.
I feel like Nostradamus in that I made a vague prediction that kinda came true.
Hess gives out home runs like Halloween candy.
“You get a home run, you get a home run, EVERYBODY gets a home run.”
He’s apparently very smart, has a degree in a stem field, so it’s probably time for him to move into that laboratory and create life, or whatever.