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Jon Gray Goes Unclaimed On Waivers

By Anthony Franco | August 16, 2025 at 8:14pm CDT

Rangers righty Jon Gray went unclaimed on waivers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Texas quietly placed Gray on waivers on Thursday. The 48-hour process came and went without another team putting in a claim, with that window closing this afternoon.

Gray pitched today. The waiver process technically closed at 1:00 pm Eastern, two hours before first pitch, but the Rangers could’ve continued to use Gray even if he’d still been on waivers at game time. Teams are permitted to continue playing those whom they’ve placed on outright waivers so long as they were not previously designated for assignment.

This move itself is likely to be inconsequential. Texas cannot send Gray, who has well over five years of MLB service, to the minors without his consent. They could release him, but all that’d do is remove him from the roster. Placing him on waivers was solely an attempt to dump the remaining $3.1MM on his $13MM salary. They were hoping another team would claim him and assume the rest of the contract. No one bit, and the Rangers would pay that money if they release him. They’ll probably keep him on the roster and could try to place him on waivers again in a week or two to see if they’ll find a taker.

It’s more interesting as a potential precursor to other moves. Rosenthal writes that the Rangers currently have no plans to place anyone else on waivers. However, today’s 14-2 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jays dropped them to 61-63. They’ve lost four straight and eight of their last 10. They’re now eight games back in the division and five out in the Wild Card picture. Dropping any further in the standings over the next couple weeks could incentivize them to waive a number of veterans just before the end of August.

That has become increasingly prevalent over the past couple seasons. The Angels used waivers to dump the final month of Lucas Giolito’s and Reynaldo López’s contracts in 2023, allowing them to dip just below the luxury tax threshold. The Giants tried a waiver dump with Taylor Rogers and Thairo Estrada last summer, but no one took those contracts off their hands. It’s generally a course of action taken by a team that was a fringe contender at the trade deadline — and thus didn’t sell short-term veterans — that fell firmly out of contention in August.

The timing isn’t coincidental. Players need to be in an organization by September 1 to be eligible for postseason play. A player on a notable salary is much less likely to be claimed after the beginning of September, so the attempted waiver dumps tend to happen in the final few days of August.

Gray clearly doesn’t have surplus value in the eyes of MLB. He missed most of the season after breaking his wrist when he was hit by a comebacker in Spring Training. Texas has used him in relief since he was activated from the injured list on July 23. He’s allowed 12 runs in 14 innings, recording 12 strikeouts against six walks. Opponents have already tagged him for five home runs. His 94.7 MPH average fastball speed is slightly down from his usual 95-96 range even though he has only once worked more than three innings. He has lost a tick on his slider as well.

It may be impossible to find a taker for Gray. They can try again in a couple weeks, potentially hoping that a team would be more willing to take on the approximate $2MM he’s due in September than they were to assume $3MM right now. The Rangers have a number of other players who’d be very likely to get claimed if they choose to go that route.

Merrill Kelly, for instance, would be owed just over $1MM for the stretch run. He’s an impending free agent to whom the Rangers cannot make a qualifying offer because they acquired him midseason. Waiving him just one month after trading three pitching prospects to the Diamondbacks would make for poor optics, but the Rangers could welcome the chance to save the money if they don’t expect to re-sign him and determine they’re all but officially done this season.

Relievers Danny Coulombe, Hoby Milner, Phil Maton and Shawn Armstrong are all impending free agents who’ll be owed just a few hundred thousand dollars in September. The same is true of starter Patrick Corbin. It’d be harder to find a taker for Tyler Mahle, who’ll make just under $2.5MM for the season’s final month and is working back from a shoulder injury. Still, he’s another impending free agent they could make available. It’s also possible they go this route with Adolis García, who’ll probably be non-tendered in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He’d be due around $1.4MM in September and might clear anyway.

None of that seems to currently be under discussion. Gray would’ve been the obvious first player to make available since he’s not performing well regardless. Yet the team’s play over the past couple weeks could put a drastic roster overhaul on the table 10-14 days from now. Outright waivers are in reverse order of the MLB standings and — unlike the old revocable trade waiver system — are not AL or NL specific. Non-contenders have no reason to claim expensive rentals, so any waiver dumps (from Texas or otherwise) would be most meaningful to teams on the fringe of the Wild Card races like the Royals and Reds.

For Texas, this all comes against the backdrop of the luxury tax line. They intended to stay below the $241MM base threshold throughout the offseason. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News and Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports each suggested the Rangers’ deadline additions would push them past the tax line. However, Rosenthal writes that Texas is “already believed” to be below the $241MM mark. An unofficial estimate from RosterResource has them around $237MM but has yet to account for incentives that count against the tax number as they’re triggered.

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32 Comments

  1. Charlesm 2025

    2 months ago

    Atlanta Braves just called and they want him.

    1
    Reply
    • WadeBoggsWildRide

      1 month ago

      Too expensive

      1
      Reply
  2. Huh?

    2 months ago

    He’s already secured waivers. I don’t think he can be waived again.

    Reply
    • Canuckleball

      2 months ago

      ?

      Players don’t ‘secure’ waivers.

      He’s cleared waivers and the team can’t/won’t send him to the minors so he stays with the club and they can keep on putting him on waivers as many times as they want until they get a taker.

      5
      Reply
      • BuyBuyMets

        2 months ago

        Waivers are no longer revocable. They changed it after the 2019 season so that you can no longer pull players back to test the waters.
        And with 5 years service time he can refuse assignment to the minors, so he’s a free agent if he chooses

        Reply
      • Huh?

        2 months ago

        That’s right the player doesn’t secure the waivers himself, the GM does it for him via the league office.

        He’s already been waived. Waivers are no longer revocable so no, you can’t just keep waiving him every day until he pitches a no-hitter and somebody finally claims him or something. He can’t be assigned to the minors without his permission and he can’t be traded so the Rangers options with Jon Gray are to either keep him on the active MLB roster or outright release him. When and if they choose to outright release him he doesn’t have to obtain waivers again or enter the “48 hour window” again – they can just release him since *the Rangers* have already been granted a waiver to outright release the player.

        Reply
  3. AI GM

    2 months ago

    Dump em all see how far they fall

    Reply
  4. NavalHistorian

    2 months ago

    I’m guessing that, based on what the Angels did and this move by the Rangers, the CBT calculations are made based on a team’s payroll either in September or at the end of the season?

    I wouldn’t be shocked if these relatively new CBT related waiver moves are going to become yet another sticking point in the CBA negotiations between ownership and the MLBPA. I could see the MLBPA advocating for the CBT to be primarily based on a team’s payroll on August 1.

    I’m sure some players aren’t very happy about the prospect of having “survived” the trade deadline only to see themselves get put on waivers and end up on a worse team, or in a worse situation for them from a role or playing time perspective, because a team’s trying to avoid the CBT penalties.

    Of course these CBT related salary dumps could be achieved through deadline trades, but there’s not much the players can do to prevent teams from offloading salary at the deadline under the guise of improving their minor league system. Owners/GMs have been making trades to reduce payroll for over 100 years.

    However, IMO from a player’s perspective at least, the CBT post deadline waiver moves are “payroll shenanigans.” Of course they’ll get paid what they’re contractually owed, but good players aren’t necessarily motivated/placated by the money. They want to play, and win.

    1
    Reply
    • JuanUribeJazzHands

      2 months ago

      NH

      “the CBT calculations are made based on a team’s payroll either in September or at the end of the season?”

      They are, completely logically, based off guess much the in total the team paid players during the course of the season.

      “I’m sure some players aren’t very happy about the prospect of having “survived” the trade deadline only to see themselves get put on waivers and end up on a worse team”

      Primarily, it’s teams not making the playoffs rubber put players on waivers and teams that are in the hunt claiming them.

      2
      Reply
      • JuanUribeJazzHands

        2 months ago

        “They are, completely logically, based off guess much the in total the team paid players during the course of the season.”

        Oof. Need to proofread

        *Based off how much in total the team paid…

        1
        Reply
      • seamaholic 2

        2 months ago

        Are you sure? Not true in NBA or NFL.

        Reply
        • JuanUribeJazzHands

          2 months ago

          Seam

          “Are you sure?”

          Yes

          “Every team’s final CBT figure is calculated at the end of each season.”

          Competitive Balance Tax | Glossary | MLB.com share.google/sbZpjacMSo7jboXGB

          1
          Reply
    • Huh?

      2 months ago

      Correct and correct.

      Everybody needs to understand that the Rangers certainly would not have made the particular set of deadline moves that they made just to barely exceed the threshold when all is said and done at the end of this financial season. They’ve run all the numbers, calculated the incentives clauses, made proper allowances for potential transaction fees and for things like players on split contracts getting a salary increase due to being called up to the majors. They’re gonna come in just under the number whether or not Jon Gray got claimed on waivers. Now that we’re essentially out of contention you may see the Rangers outright release Gray because someone very well might want him if they only have to pay 175k for him ROS rather than a few million and if that happens it gives the Rangers that 175k to sign a hitter like Lowe or someone of that ilk who might also get released in the next week or two in a half-hearted too late attempt to address the dreadful and heinous abhorrent offense

      Best bet on that front though at this point would just be to promote Cody Freeman and make Higashioka catch the rest of the games (unless Freeman wants to try a few starts at his old position) so that Heim never has to bat again.

      Reply
      • Jeremy320

        1 month ago

        Remember last season when the cubs messed up the calculation and went over the lux tax line by $100k…

        Reply
        • Huh?

          1 month ago

          They went over the tax line by $3 million.

          I would guess that if Jeb Hoyer had that presser to do over again he wouldn’t chalk it up to “accounting errors” again because that makes him and/or the staff he hired sound incompetent. I think that’s really parlance for “I really shouldn’t have guaranteed 3.5 million to Tucker Freakin Barnhart” but I’m sure they knew all along that they were going to go slightly over. It certainly shouldn’t be difficult for an mlb front office to stay under any specific threshold or salary cap. At all. It’s a matter of very simple accounting. As first time offenders in 24 (with salary coming off this year so not likely to be a repeat offender in 25) it only cost them $570k.

          The Rangers real incentive to stay under is because they want to revert to 20% first time offenders payers next year when we’ll presumably blow by the threshold again rather than 4th consecutive year 50%+ paying repeat offender payers.

          1
          Reply
  5. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    2 months ago

    I remember going to my first game at Coors Field. Jon Gray made his debut. He seems to have had an up and down career.

    5
    Reply
    • TheMichigan

      2 months ago

      Was literally gonna comment but I’ll comment under this one, I know the Rockies have zero incentive to claim him, but I kinda wish they did just to see him in a Rockies jersey.

      He was one of the lucky ones, same with Ubaldo who got out early before they sort of tarnished their legacies at Coors through their performance ala Jorge De La Rosa, Kyle Freeland, Jason Jennings and sadly Senze. I’ve always thought super highly of Gray as a Rockie.

      4
      Reply
      • seamaholic 2

        2 months ago

        Ubaldo was miles better as a Rockie than after.

        5
        Reply
  6. Captainmike1

    2 months ago

    He has made 72 million dollars
    Plenty good to retire on

    1
    Reply
  7. Jacksson13

    2 months ago

    Jon’s status with the Rangers is a
    GRAY area.

    1
    Reply
    • Soto should bat first.

      2 months ago

      Gray’s anatomy?

      Reply
    • Logjammer D'Baggagecling

      1 month ago

      No black and white, just Gray

      Reply
  8. Supersc

    2 months ago

    It’s about time for Colorado to reintroduce another Gray Wolf into the wild.

    1
    Reply
  9. Old York

    2 months ago

    Been quite the fall from Gray-ce

    3
    Reply
  10. NavalHistorian

    2 months ago

    Grey’s time with the Rangers has been marred by lots of injuries. It’s almost like the “baseball gods” decided to punish him for signing that 4-year $56 million deal in December 2021 instead of signing a new deal with the Rockies.

    He was the Rangers starter on Opening Day 2022. He developed a blister on his middle finger during the game and went on the IL. During his next start on April 19, he sprained his MCL and went back on the IL In 2023, he was healthy enough to make 29 starts and win game 3 of the 2023 WS,

    The injury bug returned in 2024, He went on the IL with right groin strains twice, and his season ended in early September because of “right foot neuroma.” His FIP that year was 3.70, much lower than his 4.47 ERA, and he posted a 3.07 K/BB, the best of his career.

    In a spring training start this year, a line drive off the bat of the Rockies Michael Toglia broke Grey’s wrist, He didn’t come off the IL until July 23.

    He’ll be 34 before the 2026 season, but he’s only had one “major” arm injury. His 2020 season ended early because of right shoulder infammation, IMO, he’s definitely potentially a good mid-rotation starter for somebody in need of pitching. If the Nats or O’s want to actually spend some $$ and could get him for a 2-3 year deal, IMO it’s worth it.

    2
    Reply
    • seamaholic 2

      2 months ago

      Funny thing is he was mostly healthy in Colorado.

      Reply
  11. Soto should bat first.

    2 months ago

    I would like to be punished by the baseball gods and land myself $56 million.
    Naval Historian seems more like the official Jon Gray historian.
    History. Hi-story.

    Reply
  12. Mercenary.Freddie.Freeman

    2 months ago

    Fifty shades of Gray.

    Reply
  13. The Saber-toothed Superfife

    2 months ago

    No one bit
    Not one bite

    Reply
  14. Huh?

    1 month ago

    Also:

    I wish this website would stop saying things like “Texas quietly placed Gray on waivers.” That makes it sound as if the Rangers were trying to sneak him thru waivers in hush-hush fashion hoping that nobody would notice and he’d go unclaimed. On the contrary, Texas VERY LOUDLY placed Gray on waivers Thursday bc the entire point of doing it was they hoped somebody, ANYBODY would notice and would claim him, thereby relieving the Rangers of several millions of dollars of remaining salary liability to Mr. Gray.

    Just because Chris Young apparently didn’t inform this website and/or the beats concurrently with the request for waivers for Gray on Thursday doesn’t, of course, mean that the other 29 teams weren’t aware of it. The other 29 are required to be notified before the waiver can be obtained by the team/granted by the league office so each weekday the waiver wire gets refreshed and published to the teams.

    Reply
    • Appalachian_Outlaw

      1 month ago

      If they very loudly placed him on waivers, there would have been a band with planes doing sky writing.

      Reply
  15. Datashark

    1 month ago

    7.71 ERA – am shocked no one responded. Maybe they see him on a severe decline.

    Reply

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