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Archives for August 2023

Blue Jays Sign Rowan Wick To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays signed reliever Rowan Wick to a minor league contract. He made his organizational debut with Triple-A Buffalo this evening.

Wick’s transaction log at MLB.com indicated he’d agreed to a minor league deal with the Braves last week. He was released three days later without making an appearance. That quick turnaround led to a shot with Toronto.

The 30-year-old appeared in the majors with the Cubs every season between 2019-22. He combined for a 3.66 ERA across 137 2/3 innings, missing bats at a slightly above-average rate but issuing a few more walks than ideal. The Cubs ran him through outright waivers in Spring Training and had kept him in Triple-A for the first half before releasing him last month.

Wick has had a tough season at the top minor league level. He’s been tagged for more than a run per inning through 30 1/3 frames. His 24.1% strikeout percentage was fine, but he’d walked upwards of 13% of batters faced and allowed nine home runs. Wick is making $1.55MM this season; the Cubs are on the hook for that tab, as Toronto will only owe him the prorated portion of the $720K minimum salary if he spends any time on the big league roster.

Toronto has had a solid relief corps this year. They entered play Wednesday ranked 10th with a 3.80 ERA and fourth at a 26.2% strikeout rate. A pair of trades with St. Louis to bring in Jordan Hicks and Génesis Cabrera further deepened the group. There’s no harm in taking a change-of-scenery flier on Wick to add some veteran depth to the upper level of the minor league system.

How To Acquire Players After The Trade Deadline

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Not long ago, every August at MLBTR kicked off by reminding longtime MLB fans (or explaining to new fans) how the dizzying rules regarding August trade waivers worked. It was a convoluted process — one that saw nearly every player in the league placed on revocable trade waivers at some point (heavy emphasis on “revocable”) — but one that front offices increasingly used as creative means to pull off significant acquisitions after the supposed “deadline.”

In reality, under the old rules, the first “trade deadline” was never the actual deadline — it just wasn’t as catchy to use the full term, “non-waiver trade deadline.” As time progressed, the month of August increasingly served as a means of swapping out higher-priced talents in waiver trades that were still quite noteworthy. If you’re seeing Justin Verlander, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson and others change hands in late August, just before the deadline for postseason eligibility, then was the non-waiver deadline really a trade “deadline” at all? Not so much.

Back in 2019, Major League Baseball opted to quash the ever-growing process of August roster reconstruction. The league put an end to waiver trades that often served as a means of teams hitting the “eject” button on notable contracts and saw larger-payroll clubs take on those deals simply because they possessed the financial wherewithal to do so. MLB implemented a more concrete “true” trade deadline that prohibited players on Major League contracts — or any who had previously been on Major League contracts earlier in the season (i.e. since-outrighted players) — from being traded after the deadline.

Does that mean teams can no longer acquire new players or address injuries as they arise? No, but their avenues to do so are substantially narrower. Here’s a look at how Major League front offices can still augment their roster now that the “true” trade deadline has passed:

1. Trades!

Wait, what? I thought we just–

Yes, we did. But it turns out that the “true” trade deadline is really only the “true” trade deadline for Major League players! Fun how that works, right? In all likelihood, you’ll still see several players change hands this month, they just won’t be very exciting. But, veterans who’ve been playing the entire season on a minor league contract and haven’t at any point been added to the 40-man roster or been on the Major League injured list are still fair game to be traded.

Will you see any huge, blockbuster names flipped? Of course not — but there are still some recognizable names eligible to be traded. The Tigers have Matt Wisler (4.40 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 12.4% walk rate in 47 Triple-A innings) and Johan Camargo (.263/.346/.456) in Triple-A. Matt Adams is hitting .280/.336/.488 with 13 homers against right-handed pitching for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate. Looking for some outfield defense and speed off the bench? Bradley Zimmer is with the Red Sox’ Triple-A club and hasn’t yet been on a 40-man roster this year. Those veterans — and many others — are eligible to be traded, so long as any player(s) going back the other way have also not been on a 40-man roster or Major League injured list. Of course, it’s common for August deals to be simple cash swaps, as well.

Last August didn’t feature much in the way of trades, though the Giants did acquire Lewis Brinson and quickly give him a big league look. The Phillies picked up right-hander Vinny Nittoli in a trade as well, and he pitched a pair of shutout innings for them in September. A year prior, the slate of trades saw a handful of recognizable names dealt: Delino DeShields (twice!), Brad Peacock, Dustin Garneau, Mallex Smith, John Axford and Andrew Vasquez were all on the move for either marginal prospects or cash.

Just to speculate a bit — and we haven’t really seen this in the past, but it’s technically possible  — teams technically can engineer minor league trades, so long as the players involved have not been on the 40-man roster at any point in a given season. It’s doubtful we’ll see any top prospects change hands in this regard, but it’s not expressly forbidden, either.

And, just to rain on your parade, no — teams cannot game the system using players to be named later. The rules pertaining to the “true” trade deadline made sure to include the following language:

“The Commissioner’s Office will prohibit any transaction (or series of transactions) that, in the judgment of the Commissioner’s Office, appears (or appear) designed to circumvent the prohibitions of Rule 9(b).”

Nice try, folks, but don’t get your hopes up.

Just remember, anyone acquired after Aug. 31 isn’t postseason-eligible with his new club, so minor swaps of any relative note will likely take place before the calendar flips to September.

It won’t lead to any exciting trades, but we’ll likely still see some trades this month. You’ll just have to wait until the offseason for the chatter on Dylan Cease, Salvador Perez, Corbin Burnes and others to fire back up in earnest.

2. Outright and Release Waivers

Revocable trade waivers are no longer a thing, but regular old outright waivers and release waivers are alive and well. Any time a player is designated for assignment now, the team’s only recourse will be to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. At that point, the other 29 teams will have the opportunity to claim that player … and the entirety of his remaining contract. Of course, a team doesn’t need to announce a DFA or even announce that a player has been put on waivers. It’s fairly common for a team to just announce that a player cleared waivers and was outrighted to a minor league affiliate without ever publicly declaring a DFA.

An important reminder on waivers now that it’s the primary means of acquiring talent from another organization: waiver priority is determined based on overall record (worst record to best record) and, unlike the now-retired “revocable trade waivers,” is not league-specific. If the A’s want right-hander Joe Barlow, whom the Rangers designated for assignment upon acquiring Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton, they’ll have first dibs. The Royals would be up next, followed by the Rockies, then the White Sox, then the Nationals, Cardinals and Tigers — and so forth.

Teams who didn’t find sufficient interest in veteran players prior to the trade deadline and thus held onto them could eventually place those players on outright waivers in August, hoping another club will claim said player and simply spare the waiving team some cash. This is likelier to happen late in the month — when there’s less cash owed on those veteran contracts. For instance, in 2022, the Giants claimed Jose Quintana from the Angels and the Reds claimed Asdrubal Cabrera from the D-backs. This could also be viewed as a means of granting a veteran player on a non-contender the opportunity to join a postseason race.

As with any minor league trades, players claimed off waivers will only be postseason-eligible with their new club if claimed before 11:59pm ET on Aug. 31.

3. Sign Free Agents

Same as ever. Anyone who gets released or rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency will be able to sign with a new team and, so long as the deal is wrapped up prior to Sept. 1, they’ll be postseason-eligible with a new team. It’s certainly feasible that a once-productive veteran enjoys a hot streak with a new club or fills a useful part-time role.

No team is going to claim the remaining money on the contracts of Trey Mancini or Kolten Wong, both of whom were designated for assignment yesterday. But once the pair clears waivers and is inevitably released, a club looking for some second base depth could roll the dice on Wong, and a team that believes it can get Mancini back to form might be willing to take a shot on his right-handed bat. It’s a similar story with catcher Manny Pina and utilityman Josh Harrison. Willie Calhoun, who elected free agency earlier today, will probably land somewhere on a minor league deal before too long.

There will also be several veterans on minor league deals who trigger opt-out clauses and reenter the market. Dallas Keuchel, who’s pitched to a 1.13 ERA with a 61% ground-ball rate in 32 Triple-A innings for the Twins, just triggered such a clause in his deal yesterday. Minnesota has 48 hours from the time he exercised that provision to add him to the big league roster, and if not, he’s a free agent. Some other veterans will likely force teams into this same decision throughout the month.

The same postseason eligibility date applies to incoming free agents as well.

4. Scour the Independent Leagues

Roll your eyes all you want, but the Atlantic League, Frontier League and American Association (among other indie circuits) are all teeming with former big leaguers. Need a speedy fourth outfielder who can provide some late-game defense and baserunning during September roster expansion? A platoon bat off the bench? An extra southpaw to stash in the bullpen? There will be experienced names to consider.

Former Guardians top prospect Bobby Bradley has 22 homers and a .923 OPS with the Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds. Jose Marmolejos and Alex Dickerson have similarly impressive numbers with the Atlantic League’s Spire City Ghost Hounds and Long Island Ducks. Mickey Jannis, who chatted with MLBTR readers earlier this year, has a 3.55 ERA and is still chucking knuckleballs for the High Point Rockers. The Red Sox signed one of his teammates, former big leaguer Kyle Barraclough, earlier this summer.

It’s unlikely anyone finds a true impact player on the indie scene, but then again, people cracked jokes when the 2015 Red Sox signed then-35-year-old Ducks lefty Rich Hill, who’s less than 24 hours removed from being traded to his 13th big league club and is gearing up for a 20th season in the Majors next year. He’s earned nearly $80MM and tossed more than 900 innings in the Majors since joining the Red Sox under similar circumstances to the ones described here.

5. Look to Foreign Leagues

We don’t often see players return from the KBO, NPB or CPBL to sign with big league clubs midseason, but there’s precedent for it happening. There are also quite a few former big leaguers playing down in the Mexican League, creating another area for front offices to scout as they mine for depth options. Interest won’t be limited solely to former big leaguers, either. Last year, the Mariners signed lefty Brennan Bernardino after a strong nine-start run in Mexico, watched him dominate through 12 2/3 innings in Triple-A Tacoma, and selected him to the Major League roster by the end of July. He made his MLB debut with Seattle last July, was claimed off waivers by he Red Sox earlier this year, and has a 2.50 ERA in 36 frames for Boston this season. You never know.

Eduardo Rodriguez Discusses No-Trade, Opt-Out Rights

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Among the biggest stories of yesterday’s deadline was a trade that didn’t happen. The Tigers and Dodgers lined up an agreement that would’ve sent left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers were among the 10 teams on a no-trade list which Rodriguez had built into his free agent deal with Detroit, however. The hurler blocked the trade and Detroit ended up holding him past the deadline. He’ll finish the year in the Motor City, though it remains to be seen what the future holds beyond that.

Rodriguez is able to opt out of the final three years and $49MM on his contract at season’s end. From a strict financial perspective, it looks as if doing so will be a fairly easy choice. The 30-year-old has a 2.96 ERA through 94 1/3 innings while striking out more than a quarter of opponents. He’s been inconsistent since returning from a finger injury but looked like the #2 caliber starter Detroit had envisioned earlier in the year.

Rodriguez met with reporters after today’s win over Pittsburgh. He understandably declined to delve into the reasons behind the veto, saying he “wasn’t feeling really comfortable with (the trade)” and made the decision to stick in Detroit after “thinking about my future and my family” (link via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press).

The southpaw’s agent, Gene Mato, released a statement on Twitter in response to fan criticism leveled at Rodriguez in the wake of his decision:

“I negotiated a no-trade clause in his contract for a reason,” Mato wrote. “With all of the money, glamor and fame that comes with being a professional athlete there is also a very difficult, personal side. … Eduardo is one of the best left-handed starting pitchers in baseball but he is also a human being who wants stability for his family. They are comfortable living in the Detroit area and have adjusted well.

As for the Dodgers in particular, once I was granted permission to speak with them regarding the trade, we did our best to come up with a way to make it happen where everyone was comfortable with the outcome. We just ran out of time.”

Rodriguez also said he was quite happy in Detroit but declined to answer when asked if blocking the trade would have any bearing on his opt-out decision. “If I had a magic ball and I could tell you what was going to happen in the future, I’d probably tell you right away,” he told reporters. “But right now I’m here, I’m with this organization. I’m signed here for a long time. I feel happy with everything. My family feels happy in Detroit. I feel happy with the teammates and everything, the organization. I’d really love to stay here, and that’s why I made that decision.”

Barring a second-half collapse, Rodriguez should be in position to easily top $49MM on the open market. Pitchers like Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman have beaten nine figures at the age Rodriguez is now. Jameson Taillon and Taijuan Walker got four-year deals worth $68MM and $72MM, respectively, coming off less impressive platform seasons than the one Rodriguez is putting together.

Rodriguez’s ERA is much better than it was two years ago, when he landed $77MM and the opt-out clause, although his peripherals are largely the same. He’s obviously older but wouldn’t cost a signing team a draft choice this time around. Rodriguez rejected a qualifying offer preceding his first trip to free agency; he can’t receive another QO since the CBA prevents a player from getting more than one in their careers.

It all points towards a likely opt-out. Still, the Tigers have a couple months of exclusive negotiating rights if they’re interested in opening conversations about keeping him off the market. Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic wrote last night that Rodriguez could be open to restructuring his contract — presumably discussing a pay bump that’d get him to waive the opt-out clause — but there’ve only been cursory talks between the Tigers and the pitcher over the course of the season.

Whether there’ll be more serious negotiations over the next couple months remains to be seen. In the interim, Rodriguez will continue taking the ball every fifth day as the anchor of an otherwise fairly young Detroit rotation. The Tigers shipped out Michael Lorenzen yesterday, leaving them with a starting five of Rodriguez, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Matt Manning and Joey Wentz. Righty Spencer Turnbull is on a rehab stint and could soon bump Wentz from the group.

Liam Hendriks Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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The White Sox announced this evening that star closer Liam Hendriks has undergone Tommy John surgery. According to the club, he’ll require a 12-14 month recovery timeline.

Hendriks has been on the injured list since the second week of June with what the team initially called elbow inflammation. There’d been no prior indication surgery was under consideration. As of a couple weeks ago, the righty had been throwing simulated games. He apparently suffered a setback during that rehab work and will now miss the majority or all of next season.

It’s a disheartening blow. Hendriks’ quick return from an offseason non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis has been one of the best stories of the 2023 season. He announced his diagnosis in early January. Within roughly three and a half months, he’d completed chemotherapy and been declared cancer-free. He was remarkably back on a major league mound by May 29.

Certainly, the revelation he’d require elbow surgery pales in comparison to the life-threatening news he’d gotten (and overcome) just months before. Yet it’s an obviously tough development for his playing career. Hendriks turns 35 next February. There’s a good chance he’s unable to return to pitching until his age-36 campaign.

Between the late start to the season and the subsequent elbow injury, the three-time All-Star only made five MLB appearances this year. He was one of the top handful of relievers in the sport between 2019-22. Hendriks broke out late in his career with Oakland and maintained that elite performance for his first two seasons with the Sox. Over that four-year stretch, he posted a 2.26 ERA with an elite 38.8% strikeout rate across 239 innings.

With this revelation, it’s possible Hendriks has thrown his last pitch for Chicago. His three-year, $54MM free agent contract contained a $15MM club option for 2024. The deal came with a matching buyout figure — it was built in largely as an accounting measure to frontload the contract’s competitive balance tax hit — that’ll now come into play. If the Sox buy Hendriks out, they’ll be able to defer that payment over the next 10 years.

That’s the course of action they’ll almost certainly take. With Hendriks unlikely to pitch in 2024 regardless, there’s little reason for the Sox not to pay the $15MM in installments. Hendriks figures to return to free agency next winter, where he could field two-year offers from teams with an eye towards the 2025 campaign.

Diamondbacks Select Slade Cecconi

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of Slade Cecconi. Righty Austin Adams was placed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured right ankle as the corresponding move.

Cecconi, a 6’4″ righty, gets his first big league call. Arizona selected him in the supplemental first round (33rd overall) three years ago coming out of the University of Miami. He’s moved one level at a time since beginning his pro career at High-A in 2021. Cecconi posted a 4.37 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate in 129 2/3 Double-A frames last season.

He’s had a harder time this year, which is a reflection of the brutal Pacific Coast League setting for pitchers. Hitters have connected on 23 home runs through 103 innings, contributing to an unsightly 6.38 ERA. Cecconi’s 23.1% strikeout percentage and 6.4% walk rate are each solid and in line from his prior marks at the Double-A level.

The 24-year-old is one of the better prospects in a deep Arizona system. Eric Longenhangen of FanGraphs ranked him 9th in the organization in mid-June. He checked in 11th on Baseball America’s recent refresh of the Snakes’ system. Both outlets credit him with solid control and a well-rounded arsenal headlined by an above-average to plus slider. BA writes that Cecconi has had trouble maintaining the quality of his stuff into the middle innings, though it seems he generally has the tools to stick in the back of a rotation.

Cecconi will take the ball tonight in San Francisco, opposing Logan Webb in his MLB debut. Whether he’ll stick in the rotation beyond this evening remains to be seen. Arizona had sought rotation help on the trade market but didn’t pull off an acquisition before the deadline. As a result, they’re left with varying degrees of uncertainty behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

Adams, a 32-year-old reliever, has made 24 appearances for the Snakes this season. He’s worked 17 1/3 innings, allowing 12 runs despite a quality 22:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Adams has previously pitched for the Nationals, Mariners and Padres and carries a 4.17 ERA through 114 1/3 big league innings. He’s struck out nearly a third of opponents but has walked almost 15% of batters faced and led the majors in hit batsmen with San Diego two seasons ago.

It’s possible the unfortunate ankle fracture will end his time as a D-Back. He’ll almost certainly miss the rest of the season. Arizona can control Adams for another year via arbitration but he seems likely to be non-tendered.

James Kaprielian Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

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Athletics right-hander James Kaprielian underwent successful right shoulder arthroscopic surgery today with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles to repair his posterior labrum, per a club announcement relayed by Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. There’s no timetable for a return but Kaprielian will miss the remainder of the season.

It’s yet another injury setback Kaprielian, 29, who has had more than his share. A first round pick of the Yankees back in the 2015 draft, he required Tommy John surgery in 2017. He was flipped to the A’s a few months later but didn’t make his debut in the Athletics’ system until 2019. He seemed to finally be on a good track in recent years, as he tossed 253 1/3 major league innings over 2021 and 2022. He still made a few trips to the IL but took on a decent workload and posted a 4.16 ERA in that time.

But he’s dealt with a series of setbacks since then. He required shoulder surgery in December of last year and then was rocked for 23 earned runs in 16 innings through his first six outings in 2023. He’s since been optioned and recalled a few times with slightly better results, though he landed on the IL at the end of June due to a shoulder strain. He’ll now miss the remainder of the season, with updates likely to come on his future status. He’ll be transferred to the 60-day IL whenever the club needs his roster spot.

He came into this season with his service time clock at 2.004. He spent enough time on optional assignment that he’ll come up just shy of the three-year mark but will still be eligible for arbitration this winter as a Super Two player, though the A’s are probably not guaranteed to tender him a contract. Although he’s a former first-round pick and one of the most seasoned pitchers on the roster, his constant health issues will likely give them pause. They will have the next few months to assess his progress before making that decision in the offseason.

Cubs Place Marcus Stroman On IL With Hip Injury

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The Cubs have placed right-hander Marcus Stroman on the 15-day injured list with right hip inflammation, retroactive to August 1, with Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune among those to relay the info. His roster spot will go to right-hander José Cuas, who was acquired from the Royals yesterday.

Stroman, 32, got off to a great start this year, as he carried a 2.28 earned run average after his start on June 20. With him succeeding and the club floundering, he became a popular trade candidate leading up to the deadline but their fortunes have flipped in recent weeks. Stroman has allowed 30 earned runs in 30 innings over his last seven starts as the Cubs have surged back into contention, eventually deciding to buy instead of sell. They held onto Stroman and Cody Bellinger, in addition to acquiring Jeimer Candelario.

Now the club will have to proceed with their postseason race without Stroman, at least for a little while. He told reporters today, including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he received a cortisone shot and the plan is for him to miss just one start. If he can get back to health and back to his previous form, that would obviously be a boon to the club.

For now, they will proceed with a rotation of Justin Steele, Drew Smyly, Jameson Taillon and Kyle Hendricks. They will need a fifth starter at some point, which could be Hayden Wesneski, though he’s been pitching out of the big league bullpen of late. Some of the other options on the 40-man roster include Ben Brown and Caleb Kilian. They are currently three games back in the National League Wild Card race.

Stroman is in the second season of a three-year deal that he signed with the Cubs prior to 2022. He can opt out of the final year of that pact, leaving $21MM on the table. If he returns healthy and effective, it should be an easy decision for him to turn that down and secure himself a larger guarantee on the open market this winter. If the issue were to linger into the offseason, that could perhaps change his calculus, though there’s been nothing to suggest that’s likely to be the case.

Mets Select Jonathan Araúz

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The Mets announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of infielder Jonathan Araúz and activating right-hander Phil Bickford, the latter of whom was acquired at the deadline yesterday. In corresponding moves, catcher Michael Pérez and right-hander Vinny Nittoli were optioned to Triple-A. The club already had many vacancies on their 40-man roster after making several trades in recent days.

Araúz, 24, has played parts of three seasons at the big league level. A former Rule 5 pick of the Red Sox, he’s suited up for Boston and Baltimore in the majors. The switch-hitting infielder brings plenty of defensive flexibility but has a meager .200/.269/.314 slash through 169 career plate appearances.

The Mets snagged Araúz in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft last offseason. He has spent the entire season at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .244/.344/.429 across 395 trips to the plate. He’s hit 14 homers and walked at a strong 13.2% clip with a roughly average 21.8% strikeout percentage. He still has a minor league option remaining, so the Mets can bounce him between Flushing and Syracuse without putting him on waivers.

Nationals Option Luis García, Release Corey Dickerson

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The Nationals announced after today’s game that they have requested unconditional release waivers on outfielder Corey Dickerson and optioned infielder Luis García to Triple-A Rochester. The corresponding moves haven’t been announced but Talk Nats reports that outfielder Blake Rutherford will be selected to the roster for one of them. Infielder Jeter Downs will be recalled for the other, per Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.

García, 23, was once a top 100 prospect but has continually struggled to hit in the big leagues. Dating back to the 2020 season, he’s appeared in 302 games and taken 1,169 plate appearances, coming into today’s action. He’s mustered a batting line of .263/.291/.388 in that time, which amounts to a wRC+ of 82. That includes a .260/.294/.363 showing this year, translating to a 74 wRC+.

Those numbers are especially concerning since his hit tool was supposed to be his standout feature as a prospect. Advanced defensive metrics don’t like his glovework at second base much, with García having tallied -2 Defensive Runs Saved there in his career, along with -14 Outs Above Average and a grade of -6.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating. His numbers at shortstop are worse.

The Nats will now send him back to Triple-A to get more work there, though he has little to prove at that level. In 82 games there in his career, he’s hit .306/.368/.554 but hasn’t been able to replicate that at the big league level. He’ll now try to get back in a groove and earn himself another chance.

From a service time perspective, he began this year with one year and 164 days of service. He’s already gone well past the two-year mark but his chances of reaching Super Two status at the end of the this year could go down, depending on how long he’s out. Perhaps more importantly, he has just one option year remaining. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, he’ll burn that last option here in 2023 and be out of options going into 2024. The Nats will likely still be rebuilding next year and could give him another shot, though his grasp on a roster spot would likely be more tenuous at that point.

As for Dickerson, 34, it’s hardly a surprise to see him lose his roster spot now. He was one of a handful of veterans that the Nats brought in over the winter on one-year deals to serve as veteran mentors and hopefully become trade chips. Jeimer Candelario showed the best-case scenario as he mashed and was able to be flipped to the Cubs for a couple of prospects. But Dickerson has hit just .252/.285/.357 for the year, producing a wRC+ of 71 that would be a career low for him. Now that the deadline has passed, the club will use his roster spot to give a chance to other players with a greater chance to help in future seasons.

One of those players the Nats will get a look at will reportedly be Rutherford. The 26-year-old was a first round pick of the Yankees, getting selected 18th overall in 2016. He was considered a top 100 prospect going into 2017 before getting flipped to the White Sox that summer as part of a seven-player deal that sent Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees.

The Sox added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2019 to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, but he didn’t hit much in the years to come and was eventually outrighted off the roster, without getting a chance to make his major league debut. He cleared waivers in the process, meaning the other 29 clubs in the league had a chance to grab him and passed.

He reached free agency after last year, signing a minor league contract with the Nats in the winter and has seemingly been back in good form. He’s hit .345/.395/.583 in 62 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this year, producing a 153 wRC+. That’s obviously much better than his combined batting line of .262/.305/.399 from 2019 to 2022. The Nats will now give him a chance to see how he can handle major league pitching. If he succeeds, he still has no service time and can be retained for six seasons beyond this one. He also has an option year remaining, giving the club a bit of roster flexibility to use at some point.

Blue Jays Place Bo Bichette On IL With Right Patellar Tendinitis

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The Blue Jays announced that they have placed shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 1, due to right patellar tendinitis. His roster spot will go to newly-acquired shortstop Paul DeJong, while the club also recalled right-hander Thomas Hatch and optioned righty Nate Pearson. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet relayed the details prior to the official announcement.

The Jays haven’t released any information about how long they expect Bichette to be out of action, but it will be a blow to the club regardless. He suffered the injury on Monday, pulling up after rounding first and trying to stop to go back to the bag. Yesterday, manager John Schneider said there was “no significant structural damage” and that the club was still deciding on an IL stint. It now seems they have made the call to let Bichette have at least a week-plus to rest his knee.

The fact that the IL stint was a tough decision perhaps indicates he’s in for a quick stay, but that will still be an unwelcome development for the club. Bichette is hitting .321/.352/.494 this year for a wRC+ of 135, the highest such mark among qualified shortstops this year. The Jays will have to proceed without that production for a little bit as they have some key divisional matchups. They have two more games against the Orioles, after dropping the first two of the four-game set, before heading to Fenway Park for three against the Red Sox. The Jays hold a Wild Card spot in the American League but Boston are just a game and a half back coming into today’s action.

For now, the Jays will try to proceed with DeJong in Bichette’s spot. He was just acquired from the Cardinals at yesterday’s deadline, likely spurred on by Bichette’s injury, and is in the lineup at shortstop tonight. He has bounced back from a really rough showing last year, when he hit .157/.245/.286 while striking out in 33.3% of his plate appearances. He’s dropped the strikeout rate to 28.4% this year while slashing .233/.297/.412. His wRC+ of 96 is still a bit below average but is miles better than his 55 wRC+ from last year.

Even with the bounceback, DeJong’s offensive numbers still pale in comparison to Bichette’s. DeJong’s glovework is generally considered stronger between the two, which should make up some of the difference, but it’s unquestionably a challenge for the Jays. Once Bichette is healthy, DeJong could perhaps move over to second base. Whit Merrifield is having a solid season but can also play left field.

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