The Padres announced this evening they’ve selected reliever Drew Carlton onto the big league club. Southpaw Ryan Weathers was optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. San Diego transferred lefty Drew Pomeranz from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot.
Carlton is now in line to make his team debut. The 27-year-old inked a minor league contract with San Diego over the winter. He’d previously spent his entire career with the Tigers, including a pair of stints at the MLB level between 2021-22. Carlton got into nine games over those two seasons, throwing 12 1/3 innings. He allowed six runs (four earned) with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Those were decent results for a middle reliever, though Carlton didn’t overwhelm hitters. His fastball sat in the 90-91 MPH range and he generated swinging strikes at a modest 7.8% clip. The righty allowed a 4.78 ERA in spite of a strong 27.3% strikeout rate and excellent 4.5% walk percentage through 58 1/3 Triple-A innings last season. He became a minor league free agent after being outrighted from Detroit’s 40-man roster during the summer.
Since signing with San Diego, Carlton has been lights out in Triple-A. He’s allowed only four runs (two earned) in 16 innings. The Florida State product has punched out 18 against five walks and induced grounders on half the batted balls he’s allowed. He’ll return to the majors for a third consecutive year as a result. Carlton still has two minor league options remaining, so the Friars can freely send him back to Triple-A without putting him on waivers.
Weathers has started four of six outings at the major league level this season. He’s posted a 3.42 ERA but is only striking out hitters at a 15.2% clip over 23 2/3 innings. The Padres already have a starting staff of Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Blake Snell. They’ll keep Weathers working in a starting capacity in El Paso behind that group.
Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since undergoing flexor tendon surgery that ended his 2021 season. He’d been on a rehab assignment last month but shut things down for a couple weeks after feeling some arm discomfort. It doesn’t seem an especially concerning issue, as Pomeranz is already back out on a rehab stint with El Paso. He’ll need time to get back to complete game shape, though. His IL stint backdates to Opening Day and only officially rules him out until the final week of May. It was unlikely Pomeranz would’ve completed his rehab work before then regardless, so it’s mostly a procedural transaction.
Wasn’t Weathers In a Rocky movie?
*Carl
This Weathers ain’t Carl and this Carlton ain’t Steve.
Carl Weathers went to San Diego State University… Good reference in response to a Padres story, eh?
Yep. He played for the Aztecs and in the pros briefly for the Raiders.
And against the Predators?
Fred Dryer also played for the Aztecs before the Rams, and Hunter.
Article is slightly off saying Martinez is in the rotation because they moved him to the pen and Wacha is the other SP.
Thanks for catching that, fixed!
how much would you think Weathers would cost? they really just won’t keep him up, Mets could use a pitcher. I’d think a middle tier or two players would do it…no?
He replaces a Snell next year in rotation so hopefully they won’t trade him (or need to trade him to upgrade some position at the deadline).
While injured, Pomeranz is being paid handsomely.
I’m sure the union is against it, but why couldn’t the Padres just pay Pomeranz off and DFA him? He’s useless, hopeless and was a bad contract when the toner was still hot.
Not that it affects Poms bank account but surely an insurance policy is paying most or all of the contract as opposed to the Padres. His stats while being paid by the Padres were well worth the money.
Ding ding ding.
You get the prize. An insured salary counts in the payroll penalty calculation, but assuming Peter Seidler bought such a policy, which is a given, a subject player is paid directly by insurcos every 2 weeks while they remain certifiably work-impaired.
Many simply do not realize or embrace these finer intricacies of Insurance Minutiae. I have no idea why. Insurance fascinates!
Minutiae such as what was the premium paid by the Ilitches in 2022 on Miguel Cabrera’s $30M? Wonder if that particular underwriter was just a wee bit nervous up until Tiger ownership finally gave up on the otherwise contra-indicated decision to put Miggy in the field.
Not alleging nefariousness was behind any such lineupping.
Unlike Pom, who will be put on the mound as a key to the Padres chances of winning big – if he ever comes back relatively intact.
The team is not paid unless the player spends the entire season on the IL. If they play at all, the team does not collect. Until that time, the team is paying his salary.
If this is correct Pads still got value for 2020 and 2021 (even though a few more appearances would have been better). Insurance pays 2022 and 2023 (most likely and based on the general thinking here). All in all not a “bad contract” for Padres is my vote. Insurance premiums are paid regardless of injury so that is a known cost either way it turns out. I’m not calling my recently expired 20 year term life policy a “bad idea” because it wasn’t used!
Def a way of looking at the glass overflowing full I guess
Insurance will pay up to 80% of his salary. Padres probably paid 5-15% of his salary in premiums depending on how insurable he was.
I should take a minute to read about minute minutiae.
Tigers are thick with pitching, and signing their cast offs could pay off. Especially since Harris will dispose of some, just because they were signed by his predecessor. He won’t want to win with too many of the existing cast. That would make it look like the other guy was doing it right.
Well Friar Faithful, now is the time to Win or Go Home. They Are playing one of the Sisters of the Poor tonight. My feeling, is Team Direction, try some Small Ball for a change. What can it Hurt. 1 and. 5 Road Trip. How worse can it be??
Yep, this team is so bad I think they have already broken a record for most failed scoring attempts following a lead off double (and including their horrible ability to score the ghost runner in extras). They should just sac bunt every time til they actually score in these situations
They can’t trade Weathers. They need him to replace Snell next year at a minimum and may need him this year if there is an injury. Martinez is too valuable to go back to the rotation and they have very little depth. Otherwise they’ll repeat 2021 but instead of Arietta and Velazquez it will be Teheran and Hamels
Who?
At 1B
1.13 ERA in the PCL is incredibly good. Hope that translates well to SD.
He’s doing great tonight against the Royals, but the team is being shut out by a marginal MLB pitcher, again.
Pomeranz is done, he robber Siedler pretty good. He will never pitch in the bigs again.
If you look at the Pitcher’s that are Repeat IL participants they might not be the Best athlete. A lot of Bigger $$$ Free Agents. Have a History. The MLB Teams are hoping the Odds Change
Pads lose.
Again.
And it’s official, Pomeranz is out before the end of May. When do the Padres cut bait with ole boy? He has to of spent more days on the IL/DL then day’s serviceable.