Headlines

  • Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker As Manager
  • Albert Pujols To Interview For Angels’ Managerial Vacancy, May Be “Leading Choice”
  • Bill Schmidt Will Not Return As Rockies’ GM
  • Brian Snitker Will Not Return As Braves’ Manager In 2026
  • Angels To Have New Manager In 2026
  • Rays Sale To Patrick Zalupski’s Group Officially Completed
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency

By Nick Deeds | July 5, 2025 at 10:19pm CDT

The Phillies announced this evening that infielder Buddy Kennedy has cleared waivers and has elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.

The 26-year-old was DFA’d by Philadelphia multiple times this season. Kennedy has gotten into just 58 big league games during his career across the Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Phillies organizations but entered the 2025 season with no options remaining after several years of being utilized primarily as optionable infield depth. Kennedy’s .193/.287/.296 slash line across 157 major league plate appearances is hardly spectacular, though he’s an adequate defender at both second and third base with a .283/.380/.441 slash line for his career at Triple-A.

That on-base ability has shown up somewhat in the majors given his 10.8% walk rate, and his 24.2% strikeout rate is hardly out of line with what’s to be expected in the league’s current environment. Kennedy’s biggest flaw as a hitter is that he’s hit for previous little power in the majors, and even at Triple-A he’s never slugged more than 13 homers in a season. That lack of power has held him back from getting an extended big league opportunity to this point, but perhaps now that he’s elected free agency and can be signed by any club on a low-risk minor league deal he’ll be able to find a more robust opportunity on a big league bench somewhere.

Alternatively, players with Kennedy’s substantial success in the minor leagues who haven’t gotten much attention in the majors have often found success trying their hand at playing overseas. Matt Davidson and Guillermo Heredia are two hitters who have found substantial success in the KBO League, and Eric Thames famously made it back to the majors after struggling initially by posting sensational numbers in South Korea. At just 26 years old, Kennedy is certainly young enough to have the opportunity to try his hand at playing in a league overseas and return to affiliated ball if he finds success there.

Share Repost Send via email

Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Buddy Kennedy

Yankees Sign Jeimer Candelario To Minor League Deal
Main
Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
View Comments (12)
Post a Comment

12 Comments

  1. rhandome

    3 months ago

    Look at Buddy when Buddy elects free agency

    Reply
  2. Heels On The Field

    3 months ago

    The Phillies just let him go? How about using him as the trade chip for Dennis Santana?

    That’s what a reliever like Dennis Santana is worth but DUMBrowski will send some more actual prospects to the Pirates for relievers who will achieve nothing for the Phillies.

    Then to cap off the destruction he’ll draft another 20 year old short bus high school player with the Phillies 1st round pick.

    Reply
    • Never Remember

      3 months ago

      For Buddy Kennedy? Have you ever watched him

      2
      Reply
    • Bart Harley Jarvis

      3 months ago

      @ Heels On The Field,
      What you’re describing isn’t destruction, but obliteration. Obliteration like no one has ever seen before!

      1
      Reply
      • CarverAndrews

        3 months ago

        @Bart – Or, at the very least, setting back the team for a few weeks according to actual intelligence reports.

        1
        Reply
    • CarverAndrews

      3 months ago

      Relax Heels – Buddy Kennedy is a AAAA player that would bring back a Primanti Bros. sandwich or two via trade, and he is out of options so he had to pass through waivers.

      Just a note – whenever anyone on here uses the pejorative “Dumbrowski”, it let’s everyone know that there is no merit to anything else being said.

      5
      Reply
      • Bart Harley Jarvis

        3 months ago

        Speaking of the Phillies, how’s about that Zack Wheeler?! What an ace.

        2
        Reply
        • CarverAndrews

          3 months ago

          It sure is fun watching him pitch. One missed location away from a perfect game.

          2
          Reply
    • Hagar

      3 months ago

      You consistently have the worst takes on the Phillies.

      Reply
  3. ayeah

    3 months ago

    I can hear it now….친구 친구 친구

    Reply
  4. CarryABigStick

    3 months ago

    Nippon, my fellow nippers.

    Reply
  5. Dumpster Divin Theo

    3 months ago

    Buddy electing free agency, isn’t that like telling your kids that Mr. Muggles has found his forever home

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker As Manager

    Albert Pujols To Interview For Angels’ Managerial Vacancy, May Be “Leading Choice”

    Bill Schmidt Will Not Return As Rockies’ GM

    Brian Snitker Will Not Return As Braves’ Manager In 2026

    Angels To Have New Manager In 2026

    Rays Sale To Patrick Zalupski’s Group Officially Completed

    Guardians Promote Chase DeLauter For Wild Card Series

    Bruce Bochy Will Not Return As Rangers Manager Amid “Financial Uncertainty”

    Liam Hendriks Undergoes Ulnar Nerve Transposition Surgery

    Twins Fire Rocco Baldelli

    Giants Fire Bob Melvin

    Pirates Sign Manager Don Kelly To Extension

    Pete Alonso To Opt Out Of Mets Contract, Enter Free Agency

    Padres Place Ramón Laureano On Injured List Due To Finger Fracture

    Willson Contreras Will Consider Waiving No-Trade Clause But Prefers To Remain With Cardinals

    Cade Horton To Miss At Least One Playoff Series Due To Rib Fracture

    MLB To Take Over Mariners’ Broadcasts In 2026

    Nolan Arenado More Open To Waiving No-Trade Clause As Cardinals Plan To Rebuild

    Sonny Gray Will Consider Waiving No-Trade Clause This Offseason

    Nationals To Hire Paul Toboni As President Of Baseball Operations

    Recent

    Jackson Chourio Undergoes MRI For Hamstring Injury

    Previewing The 2025-26 Free Agent Class: Catcher

    Curt Casali Retires

    Tigers, Mariners Announce ALDS Rosters

    Dodgers, Phillies Announce NLDS Rosters

    Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Bo Bichette Left Off Blue Jays’ ALDS Roster

    Cubs, Brewers Announce NLDS Rosters

    Bryan Woo Left Off Mariners’ ALDS Roster

    Rangers Notes: Coaches, Offense, Eovaldi, Bradford

    Offseason Outlook: New York Mets

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Tim Dierkes' MLB Mailbag
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version