The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Scott Blewett off waivers from the Twins, who’d designated him for assignment over the weekend. In a corresponding move, Baltimore designated left-hander Luis Gonzalez for assignment. Blewett is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to be plugged right into manager Brandon Hyde’s bullpen.
Blewett, 29, pitched 4 2/3 innings with the Twins before being designated for assignment. He held opponents to a run on four hits and no walks (but one hit batter) with five strikeouts. He also pitched 20 1/3 innings with Minnesota last year, logging a 1.77 ERA but with shakier strikeout and walk rates of 21.4% and 9.2%, respectively, both of which are worse than league average.
Those two brief stints in Minnesota were the most recent big league work for Blewett since a similarly short look with the Royals in 2020-21. In all, he’s pitched 33 innings in the majors and has a tidy 2.18 ERA to show for it, albeit with a 22% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate. Even while keeping runs off the board, Blewett has been hit fairly hard; the right-hander has surrendered an average exit velocity of 92.6 mph in the majors and seen nearly half (47.9%) of his opponents’ batted balls travel at 95 mph or more.
Blewett pitched well for the Twins’ Triple-A club in 2024, logging a 3.79 ERA in 54 2/3 innings. That’s the most success he’s had in the upper minors, however. The big 6’6″ righty has pitched in parts of five Triple-A seasons between the Royals, White Sox and Twins systems but been roughed up for a 6.93 ERA in 219 1/3 innings there. In addition to those stints, Blewett had a half-season run with the Braves’ Double-A club in 2023 and also pitched for the Uni-President Lions of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League that year, recording a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings overseas.
Gonzalez, 33, hasn’t pitched in a Triple-A game since April 8. The Orioles placed him on the minor league injured list on April 11 but did not publicly disclose the exact nature of his ailment. It’s not currently clear how long he’ll be sidelined. However, injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, meaning Gonzalez is all but certain to end up being placed on release waivers. The O’s can renegotiate a minor league deal with him at that point if they wish, but he’ll have the chance to talk to the league’s other 29 clubs in that scenario.
Baltimore selected Gonzalez to the 40-man roster last November rather than risk losing him in the Rule 5 Draft. He’s a true journeyman — a former Phillies signee who has also spent time in the Giants’ system in addition to pitching in Japan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and even Italy’s top league. Gonzalez spent the 2024 season with the O’s after signing a minor league deal in the 2023-24 offseason. He pitched 60 innings out of the bullpen in Triple-A Norfolk, working to a pedestrian 4.50 earned run average but showing a far more interesting 28.9% strikeout rate against a similarly intriguing 4.9% walk rate.
Gonzalez can be placed on release waivers or traded at any point in the next five days.
This man was born to be a struggling reliever.
Can’t make this stuff up.
Maybe he looks up to Colin Holderman
Bob Walk has entered the chat
Homer Bailey trumps Bob Walk.
Touche. Or as they say when Homer gives up the walkoff to Anaheim, Touche by an Angel.
Herb Score agrees
As does the feline friend of a Pittsburgh Penguin legend, Mario Le Mew.
Grant Balfour says “Hi”
Wasn’t Holderman in the Mitchell report?
He was 12 when it came out.
There was a pitcher named Outman a few years. Better than being a batter named Outman, as that seems to have been sadly prophetic last season.
It’s ironic how the Blue Jays pitching coach is Pete Walker. It could be worse, they could’ve hired Grant Balfour instead.
Scott Blewett needs to be on a team with Tanner Scott so it just sounds like the announcers are blaming someone else.
no wonder he blewett
A legal name change really isn’t all that expensive…
@HubcapDiamondStarHalo
So, Scott Saivdett?
They call me… Scott Strikeout
Scott Ayefreakingrock?
Why? Lots of people named Scott
@geotheo
How about… Mary-Anno Riverah?
Ask Greg Maddux aka the Professor, he’s partial to Ginger Spice.
A bitter Blewett changes his name to Zion Thunderclap. MLB fans are mesmerized.
Gonzalez might’ve been the better bet long term, but injuries and roster crunches made him the odd man out.
As an O’s fan, the name alone has me feeling a bit uneasy.
Yup,
As predicted,
All the roster jockeying already caught up to the Twinkies.
They lost a player.
They BLEWETT !!
Closer closer closer. Share a bunk with Craig Krumble
Twinkies have one more “YOU OWE US” due from the Orioles.
That’s what I was thinking. Os current FO has feasted with results off of ex Twins. Rule 5 Wells guy, Cano/Povich/Coulumbe via trades. Now this Blewett cat. Time for that worm to turn?
Jeff – you’d think the Twins would learn. Last year they picked up the pile of doo doo also known as Cole Irvin off waivers…knowing that it was the Orioles who finally gave up on a very cheap arm which they would only do if it was absolutely beyond hopeless…picked him up anyway for their stretch run last year so that he could walk 4 and give up 5 runs in 3.2 IP to help them implode.
Cole Irvin. Oh, boy! That said, I just looked up his stats in the KBO. 3 starts; all quality. Hmm
Irvin will be back in the US next year. Probably get a decent guarantee if he keeps this up.
don’t give them any ideas. But if he keeps up the quality starts he won’t be cheap enough anymore for the Orioles.
The Orioles already have a bullpen full of “blewitts”!🤣
BP is solid. I think you meant their rotation.
What would Billy Madison say?
Beats the scenario Jackson Holliday gets in to when he falls to 0 and 2 in the count, caught looking: the Jackson Hole.
The Twins put a fairly serviceable reliever on the DFA cupboard just to get a few innings from another reliever with an off-day in sight. Blewett certainly isn’t the grand prize personified, but I do not get their decision regardless.
Gruß,
BSHH
Twins Blewett on this one.
Name jokes aside don’t think he will be here long. Orioles need a 5th starter Saturday unless they plan on going to a full bullpen game ( a possibility). Brandon Young would be the obvious call up so one the relievers would have to go. Baker is safe ( wouldn’t have said that in March). Bowman is out of options and is unlikely to be DFA’d . Selby will go down to make room for Blewitt. That leaves Blewitt and Perez as the likely DFA. Perez has struggled but he is left handed so my guess is Blewitt will be back on the waiver wire Saturday
Of course he’s a relief pitcher.
What’s the over/under Hyde is gone before September?