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Mets Re-Sign Chris Devenski

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The Mets announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Devenski to a one-year major league deal. Fellow righty Huascar Brazobán has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy.

Devenski was just removed from the Mets’ roster a week ago when he was designated for assignment. He later cleared waivers and elected free agency, but he has quickly returned to the Mets on a fresh pact.

Before losing his spot, Devenski gave the Mets 11 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, three walks and hitting three opponents, striking out nine along the way. He has spent more time in Triple-A this year, tossing 25 innings with a 4.32 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 4% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

The Mets have suffered a number of pitching injuries this year and have been churning through veterans at the fringe of the roster. A.J. Minter, Danny Young, Max Kranick and Dedniel Núñez have all been felled by season-ending surgeries. The club has responded by grabbing guys like Devenski, José Castillo, Génesis Cabrera, Richard Lovelady, José Ureña and others, bouncing them on and off the roster.

The Mets are reportedly setting the bullpen as a high priority ahead of Thursday’s deadline. They have already acquired Gregory Soto from the Orioles and should be making further moves in the next 48 hours. Devenski could get bumped off the roster yet again as those moves get finalized in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Designate Chad Green For Assignment

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After acquiring right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez from the Orioles this afternoon, the Blue Jays have designated fellow righty reliever Chad Green for assignment to open up space on their active and 40-man rosters.

Green, 34, has some good seasons on his track record but 2025 isn’t one of them. He has thrown 43 2/3 innings for the Jays this year with a 5.56 earned run average. He came into today’s game with a subpar 18.6% strikeout rate. He has allowed 14 home runs on the year, the most of any reliever in the majors.

The Jays are in first place in the American League East and looking to bolster their roster ahead of the deadline. That includes making bullpen additions. Domínguez is the first but there are likely more relievers coming in the next 48 hours. Green’s subpar results have made him the first casualty of the club’s deadline moves.

He’ll now go into DFA limbo. The Jays can try to trade him before the deadline but likely won’t find much interest. In addition to his struggles this year, Green is making a $10.5MM salary. That came about as part of the convoluted deal he signed with the Jays going into 2023. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time. The deal paid him $2.25MM in 2023, then there was a multi-stage option. The Jays first had to decide about a three-year, $27MM club option. If they declined, Green would then have to decide on a one-year, $6.25MM player option. If he declined that, the Jays had a second option, valued at $21MM over two years.

Green returned from his surgery layoff late in 2023 and tossed 12 innings for the Jays. His 5.25 ERA wasn’t great but he struck out 30.8% of batters faced. The Jays turned down the three-year option and Green turned down his player option, but then the Jays triggered the two-year option. That came with a higher average annual value than the other choice, though it was a lesser overall commitment.

The Jays got 53 1/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA out of Green last year, though his strikeout rate dropped to 21.9%. It fell even farther this year, which led to worsening results and pushed him off the roster.

Any interest in Green would be based on a return to form. With the Yankees from 2016 to 2022, he tossed 383 2/3 innings with a 3.17 ERA, 32.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. His stuff still appears to be there, as he’s still averaging in the mid-90s with both of his fastballs, but it’s getting lit up.

Unless the Jays eat a bunch of his salary to facilitate a trade, Green will likely be released in the coming days. If that comes to pass, they will remain on the hook for what’s left of his salary. Any other club could then sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Jays pay.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Reportedly Willing To Trade Major League Position Players

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The Blue Jays are first in the American League East and clear buyers ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that they are willing to trade from their position player depth, including guys who are currently on the big league roster or in Triple-A.

The Jays came into this year with a cluster of players on the roster who hadn’t yet taken hold as big league regulars. That group includes Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner, Leo Jiménez, Jonatan Clase, Alan Roden and Orelvis Martínez.

Every player in that group apart from Martínez has seen some big league time this year, some more than others. Barger has separated himself from the rest of the pack and established himself as a middle-of-the-order bat in Toronto’s lineup. He has 14 home runs, a .264/.316/.500 slash and 122 wRC+ this year. He hits from the left side while most of the club’s other everyday players are righties. He provides defensive versatility by moving between third base and right field. Presumably, the Jays wouldn’t let go of him without getting something massive in return.

The other players in that group have played smaller roles. Lukes has 257 plate appearances on the year but almost exclusively against righties, with just 28 of those coming against southpaws. He’s been good as a strong-side platoon guy, which has been great for the Jays with Daulton Varsho missing so much time this year. Schneider is also having a good year, though doing most of his damage against lefties.

Loperfido has a huge .341/.396/.500 slash line this year but in just 16 games, as he was only just recalled from the minors a few weeks ago. Wagner has a .236/.331/.302 line in 37 games, having also spent some time in the minors. Jiménez was playing well in the minors but has a .071/.133/.179 line in the big leagues.

Those guys are all currently on the big league roster. As noted by Bannon, both Varsho and Andrés Giménez are expected to return from the injured list soon, which will push a couple of those guys back down to Triple-A, where they would join Roden, Clase and Martínez. Roden has a massive .331/.423/.496 line for Buffalo but just a .204/.283/.306 slash for Toronto. Clase also has some decent Triple-A numbers but a big league line of just .210/.288/.300. Martínez is not having a good year but is not too far removed from being a top 100 prospect.

The Jays won’t be able to give playing time to all of these guys down the stretch, so it’s logical for the club to think about using some of that depth to add to the pitching staff. They are known to be looking for both rotation and bullpen upgrades. Many selling clubs, meanwhile, will be looking for upper level players who could be plugged right onto a big league roster. A team doing a long-term rebuild might prefer younger prospects but some clubs are looking to do a quick sell at the deadline before attempting to return to contention in 2026. It’s also possible a team looking to do a buy/sell hybrid, such as the Padres, might look to acquire some of these cheaper players in a win-now move.

Since these guys are controllable, the Jays would be subtracting from their long-term position player depth. But if they can work out a trade involving guys in this cluster, it could allow them to hang onto more highly-touted prospects who are further away from the big leagues, such as Arjun Nimmala or Trey Yesavage. They also don’t face huge roster turnover this coming offseason, as Bo Bichette is the only position player slated for free agency after this season.

Jiménez, Clase and Martínez are all slated to be out of options next year and haven’t fully established themselves as big league regulars, so the Jays might be especially motivated to move on from that group. Though of course, those players will have less trade value than some of the other guys who are putting up more impressive numbers or who still have more option years after this one.

The Jays are presumably evaluating various possibilities ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Bannon reported yesterday that the front office is “turning over every stone” in pursuit of bullpen additions. The Jays have also been connected to starting pitchers such as Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Mitch Keller.

Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images

Rays Acquire Nick Fortes From Marlins

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TODAY: Both clubs have officially announced the Fortes-for-Etzel trade.

JULY 28: The Rays and Marlins are reportedly in agreement on a trade that will send catcher Nick Fortes to Tampa Bay for minor league outfielder Matthew Etzel. Once completed, this will backfill the Rays’ catching depth. Tampa Bay traded Danny Jansen to the Brewers for an infield prospect on Monday evening. The Rays expect to announce the Fortes deal on Tuesday.

For the Rays, they often try to straddle a buy/sell line at the deadline and it seems that will be the play this week. They are 53-53 this year, three games back of a playoff spot. While they don’t want to punt their season, they seemingly want to strike a balance between doing things that work for the club now and in the future.

Jansen is a 30-year-old veteran on a one-year deal. He’s better than Fortes right now but Fortes is younger, cheaper and controllable for three more seasons after this one. Presumably, the Rays feel that going from Jansen to Fortes doesn’t significantly harm them in 2025, while adding a few seasons of Fortes and also grabbing Jadher Areinamo in the Jansen trade will help them in the long run more than Etzel.

Fortes, 28, doesn’t do a ton in the batter’s box. In 1,073 plate appearances, he has 25 home runs but a .225 batting average and a 5.2% walk rate. Overall, his .225/.277/.344 line translates to a 70 wRC+. Jansen, on the other hand, has 11 home runs this season alone and is drawing walks at a 12.7% pace. His .204/.314/.389 line in 2025 translates to a 99 wRC+.

Behind the plate, Fortes grades out well. He’s been credited with 17 Defensive Runs Saved in his career. Outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus all consider him a strong framer. Jansen gets strong marks from BP but not the other two systems. In short, Fortes might be a downgrade from Jansen at the plate but might be a slight upgrade defensively.

It’s certainly a cost-saving switch. Jansen signed a one-year deal with the Rays which guarantees him $8.5MM. He’s making $8MM in terms of salary and then there’s a $500K buyout on a mutual option for 2026. Fortes just qualified for artbitation for the first time after the 2024 season, as a Super Two player. He is making $1.86MM this year and is lined up for three further raises via arb.

For the Marlins, they don’t really need Fortes. They already have Agustín Ramírez and Liam Hicks on the big league roster. It’s possible that Ramírez might not have the defensive chops to stick behind the plate, but the Fish also have Joe Mack lurking. Mack has shown up on some top 100 prospect lists and is already at the Triple-A level. Perhaps he will get a big league look in the wake of this Fortes deal. Or if not now, maybe he could be a September call-up.

They Marlins have exchanged a light-hitting placeholder catcher for an outfield prospect. Etzel is a deadline pickup for the second year in a row. He went from the Orioles to the Rays last summer as part of the Zach Eflin deal.

A tenth-round pick of the O’s in 2023, he’s not ranked as one of Tampa’s top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or FanGraphs. MLB Pipeline has him in the #28 slot. Broadly speaking, he seems to be a contact-based hitter with speed. Since the start of 2024, he has 723 plate appearances, mostly at the Double-A level. He has just 16 home runs but a 12.2% walk rate, .259/.350/.404 line and 119 wRC+ in that time. He’s also stolen 62 bases, though while also getting caught 19 times.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the Rays were working on a Fortes trade. Robert Murray of FanSided reported Etzel’s inclusion. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times confirmed the Fortes trade agreement was in place.

Photos courtesy of Katie Stratman and Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Mets, Yankees Have Shown Interest In Harrison Bader

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The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees have all shown interested in Twins outfielder Harrison Bader, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN. The interest from the Dodgers was reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today yesterday.

Bader, 31, has long been a useful big leaguer on account of his speed and defense. His offense has been more mercurial but he’s currently in the midst of what could be his best season at the plate. In 298 plate appearances, he already has 12 home runs. Only once in his career has he hit more than that, which was the 16 he hit in 2021. His 26.2% strikeout rate is a bit high but his 8.7% walk rate is his best mark in years.

On the whole, he has a .255/.336/.441 line this year. His 118 wRC+, a career high, indicates he has been 18% better than league average at the plate this year. Thanks to nine stolen bases and some quality glovework, he’s already been worth 2.0 wins above replacement on the year, in the eyes of FanGraphs.

The Twins seem to be pivoting to sell mode, at least in terms of guys who aren’t core pieces. They are 50-55, a record which puts them 5.5 games back of a playoff spot in the American League. It was reported last week that they were leaning towards making their rental players available. They flipped Chris Paddack to the Tigers earlier today. It’s likely that Bader, Christian Vázquez, Danny Coulombe, Ty France and Willi Castro will follow in the coming days.

Bader signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal with the Twins in the offseason. That guarantee came in the form of a $750K signing bonus, a $4MM salary, and a $1.5MM buyout on a mutual option. Mutual options are essentially never picked up by both sides, which is why Bader will be viewed as a rental. His buyout can also increase via plate appearance incentives. He would add $200K at 400, 425 and 450 plate appearances, then $450K at 475 and 500. He came into tonight’s game with 298 trips to the plate. His deal also has a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded.

Though he has mostly been playing left field this year, that has been out of deference to Byron Buxton. Suitors calling the Twins will likely view Bader as a center fielder, since he’s perfectly capable of sliding back to that spot.

Even with the little extra bits in his contract, Bader’s price is still attractive. Some of the other notable center field options on the market are Cedric Mullins and Luis Robert Jr. Mullins is making $8.725MM and has been in a rough slump since April. Robert is making $15MM this year and is also owed at least a $2MM buyout on his $20MM club option for next year. He’s been hitting better lately but is having a bad season overall.

The Mets and Yankees would both be logical landing spots for Bader. He has already played for both New York clubs, so there’s already familiarity there. The Mets have already been connected to Robert and Mullins. They came into the year with Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor as their center field options. Siri suffered a fractured shin a couple of weeks into the season and has been on the IL since. He still hasn’t started a rehab assignment. Taylor has a dismal .204/.260/.298 line at the plate this year.

Lately, Jeff McNeil has taken over the center field job. If the Mets were to acquire a center fielder, McNeil could move back to the infield. The Mets have a cluttered infield mix with Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. They are reportedly open to trading from that group of younger players, however, so it’s possible the roster gets shaken up in a few different ways this week.

For the Yankees, they just lost Aaron Judge to the injured list with a flexor strain. They now have a regular outfield alignment of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez. Bellinger and Grisham are both lefties while Domínguez is a switch-hitter who is far better against right-handed pitchers. Bringing in a righty bat like Bader to complement that group makes a lot of sense. Bader has fairly neutral splits in 2025 but has been better against lefties in his career. He has hit .248/.315/.461 against lefties for a 110 wRC+ overall, with a career .241/.307/.374 slash and 87 wRC+ against righties.

Both the Mets and the Yankees are third-time payors of the competitive balance tax. Both clubs are also above the top CBT threshold this year. That means each club faces a 110% tax bill for any spending they add to the ledger for the rest of the season. Bader’s relatively modest salary should therefore be appealing to both clubs for the same reason.

Photo courtesy of Matt Blewett, Imagn Images

Twins To Select Pierson Ohl

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The Twins are calling up right-hander Pierson Ohl, per Chase Ford of MiLB Central. The Twins will have to select him to the roster but they opened space by trading Chris Paddack to the Tigers earlier today.

Ohl, 25, was a 14th-round pick of the Twins in 2021. Since then, he has been climbing the minor league ladder, demonstrating excellent control. In 389 minor league innings, he has only given out a walk to 3.6% of batters faced. For reference, league average is usually in the 8-9% range. Among qualified pitchers this year, only Zack Littell has a better walk rate than 3.6%.

He hasn’t always shown strong strikeout stuff but has been trending positively in that department lately. From 2021 to 2024, he punched out 21.6% of batters he faced. Here in 2025, he has pumped that up to 30%, while keeping his walks down at an excellent 3.8% rate.

Last month, FanGraphs ranked Ohl the #22 prospect in the Twins’ system. The report notes that his arm slot and changeup grip are different this year, which has seemingly helped him unlock more strikeouts.

The improved results will get Ohl up to the majors, though it’s unclear what kind of role the Twins have in mind for him. He was largely a starter prior to 2025 but has been in a sort of swing role this year. He has made five starts and 17 relief appearances this season, logging 66 1/3 innings. All his outings this year have been from 1 2/3 innings on the short end to four innings on the high end.

As mentioned, the Twins have already traded Paddack. Danny Coulombe is another impending free agent and therefore likely to be moved before Thursday’s deadline. It’s less likely but somewhat possible that they trade someone like Joe Ryan, Jhoan Durán or Griffin Jax. Other guys like Brock Stewart, Justin Topa or Michael Tonkin could also go.

Regardless of the eventual extent of their sell-off, the Twins will have some innings available. Whether he’s working as a spot starter or long reliever, Ohl will get a chance to absorb some of them. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Since this is his first call to the show, he has a full slate of options and can be retained until he reaches six years of big league service time.

Blue Jays Transfer Bowden Francis To 60-Day IL

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The Blue Jays announced today that infielder Will Wagner has been reinstated from the restricted list. Outfielder Alan Roden has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo as the corresponding active roster move. Right-hander Bowden Francis was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

Wagner landed on the restricted list just two days ago, as he stepped away from the team in order to attend is father Billy Wagner’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In that two-day interim, the Jays used his 40-man spot. Catcher Alejandro Kirk was placed on the seven-day concussion IL yesterday, with fellow catcher Ali Sánchez selected to the roster to replace him. That meant that another 40-man spot needed to be opened for Wagner’s return today.

Francis landed on the 15-day IL on June 15th, due to a right shoulder impingement. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he can be reinstated in mid-August. He hasn’t yet begun a rehab assignment so it doesn’t seem like a near-term return to health is in the cards.

Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images

Nationals’ Travis Sykora To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Nationals announced to reporters today that pitching prospect Travis Sykora will require Tommy John surgery. He will miss the remainder of this season and probably all of 2026 as well. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to relay the news.

It’s a brutal development for both Sykora and the Nats. The young righty was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. Since then, he has raised his prospect stock with some strong results in the minors. Last year, he tossed 85 innings over 20 Single-A starts as a 20-year-old. He had a 2.33 earned run average, 8.2% walk rate and massive 39.2% strikeout rate. This year, he made another 12 starts across multiple levels, getting as high as Double-A. He had thrown 45 1/3 innings with a 1.79 ERA. His 10.1% walk rate was a bit high but he pushed his strikeout rate even higher to 46.7%.

Those numbers have pushed him up prospect boards. Baseball America currently ranks him the #36 prospect in the league, FanGraphs #28 and MLB Pipeline #24. Since he had already climbed to Double-A by the end of June, it was possible to imagine him being a key part of Washington’s roster next year. That won’t happen now. He could perhaps be a factor by 2027, but that will come with concerns about his workload and effectiveness after the long surgery layoff. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December of 2026, so the Nats will have to add him to the 40-man before that to protect him.

The Nats haven’t had a winning season since their 2019 championship campaign. They’ve largely been mired in a rebuild since then. It has been hoped in recent years for them to turn a corner but they haven’t been able to do that. This year’s 43-62 record is the worst in the National League, apart from the lowly Rockies. The struggles became magnified enough that both president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez got fired recently.

The club’s rotation outlook already had plenty of question marks before this. DJ Herz and Trevor Williams required Tommy John surgery this year. Josiah Gray is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John. Michael Soroka is an impending free agent and should be traded this week. MacKenzie Gore has established himself as an ace but he’s only under club control through 2027. Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin and Brad Lord are back-end types. Cade Cavalli is posting mixed results in the minors.

Getting guys like Sykora and Jarlin Susana up to the big leagues would have been a huge help but now Sykora will be out for over a year. Susana missed a few months due to a sprain of his UCL, though he recently returned to the mound.

Put it all together and it’s less than ideal for the Nats. They clearly recognize changes are required, given the aforementioned firings. In the most recent offseason, they decided not to heavily invest in the team because they decided that they weren’t ready to take the next step. Time will tell if they stay in that lane or want to get more aggressive. Perhaps this news will impact that decision.

Photo courtesy of Henry Huey, Imagn Images

Tigers Acquire Chris Paddack

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The Tigers turned to a division rival for rotation help on Monday afternoon. Detroit acquired righty Chris Paddack and took on the contract of minor league pitcher Randy Dobnak in a deal that sent catching prospect Enrique Jimenez to the Twins. Detroit placed Reese Olson on the 60-day IL with a shoulder strain, shedding some extra light on their decision to acquire a back-end starter.

Paddack, 29, has had an up-and-down career and has been inconsistent this year as well. He debuted with the Padres back in 2019 and had arguably his best season that year. He tossed 140 2/3 innings with a 3.33 earned run average, 26.9% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. In the next two seasons, his strikeout rate fell to 23.7% and then 21.6%. His ERA climbed to 4.73 and then 5.07. He was traded to the Twins but then Tommy John surgery in May of 2022 wiped out most of that year and the following season.

He was back on the mound last year but made multiple trips to the injured list due to ongoing issues with his throwing arm. He logged 88 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 4.99 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate.

This year, Paddack has at least avoided the IL. Though as mentioned, his results have been wobbly. Overall, he has a 4.95 ERA in 111 innings over 21 starts, with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate. He got out to an atrocious start, allowing nine earned runs to the White Sox in his first outing, lasting just three and a third innings. His second start wasn’t much better, allowing three earned runs in four innings against the Astros. He had a 14.73 ERA after those two starts.

From there, he got in a nice groove. Over his next 11 starts, Paddack tossed 64 innings with a 2.25 ERA. His 19.2% strikeout rate in that time was still subpar, but he limited walks to a 6.4% clip. He got a little help from a .218 batting average on balls in play and 84% strand rate, so his 3.60 FIP and 4.28 SIERA were a bit skeptical of his ERA in that span. He then allowed eight earned runs in a start against the Astros last month. Since then, he has a 6.31 ERA in seven starts, though the most recent one was great. He allowed one run over six innings against the mighty Dodgers, striking out eight.

The results haven’t been outstanding but Paddack seemingly got a decent amount of interest. Jon Heyman of The New York Post says the Rays were involved while Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Yankees pursued him as well.

That might be a reflection of the league-wide conditions. Very few teams are clearly out of contention in the expanded playoffs. Some of the clubs that are buried in the standings don’t have much to sell. It all adds up to a seller’s market. Paddack isn’t an ace but he’s been healthy and has decent control. He’s also affordable, making just $7.5MM this year while many other reliable vets are making double or almost triple that. There’s only $2.5MM of Paddack’s salary left to be paid out in the remainder of the season. That seems to be enough to get several teams on the phone.

For the Tigers, adding some starting depth is a sensible move. Alex Cobb has been on the IL all year due to hip issues and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to contribute anything. Jackson Jobe had Tommy John surgery. José Urquidy is still trying to return from last year’s Tommy John and hasn’t yet started a rehab assignment. Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden are also on the shelf.

The Detroit rotation currently consists of Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize. Olson was the arguable #2 starter behind Skubal before his injury. They recently called up Troy Melton but he allowed six earned runs in his first big league start. Adding Paddack could perhaps allow the Tigers to send Melton back down to the minors. Paddack might not be in the club’s playoff rotation if the postseason started today, but he fills in some depth that has been lost to injuries and could step up if further injuries arise over the remainder of the season.

Dobnak’s inclusion is presumably about his contract. He signed an early-career extension with the Twins which hasn’t panned out. Since the end of the 2021 season, he has mostly been in the minors, with less than 15 big league innings on his ledger. In 60 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 7.12 ERA.

As part of that aforementioned extension, he is making a $3MM salary this year, leaving about $1MM left to be paid out. There’s also a $1MM buyout on a $6MM 2026 club option. Presumably, the Tigers are taking on the remaining $2MM commitment in exchange for a lighter prospect return than Paddack would have otherwise required.

Jimenez, 19, is an intriguing prospect but he’s a long-term play. He’s only 19 years old. The Tigers signed him out of Venezuela in the 2023 international signing period, giving him a $1.25MM bonus. A switch-hitter, he has appeared in 137 minor league games thus far, having slashed .255/.363/.413 for a 114 wRC+. Baseball America lists him as the #17 prospect in the Tigers’ system with a 50 grade on the 20-80 scale, but he’s characterized as an extreme risk. FanGraphs ranked him #28 in the system back in March, noting that his small stature and poor blocking skills are areas of concern.

For the Twins, this is likely the first of a few sell-side moves. They have fallen to 50-55, which puts them 5.5 games back of a playoff spot. FanGraphs only gives them an 11% chance of cracking the postseason. It was reported about a week ago that they were more seriously considering trades of rental players. Paddack is the first go, but Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, Ty France and Christian Vázquez could follow. The larger question is if they will move interesting controllable pieces such as Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax or Joe Ryan. All reports have suggested the asking prices on those three are high, so the Twins would have to be blown away for a trade to come together.

Dobnak’s inclusion in this deal perhaps suggests the Twins could look to cut costs in the coming days. They didn’t appear to have a huge budget to work with in the winter, limiting themselves to modest one-year deals for Bader, Coulombe and France. The franchise is actively for sale, with an ownership change expected in the coming months. Perhaps they will look to have other clubs absorb as much of the money owed to their impending free agents as possible, even though eating some of the money would lead to a greater prospect return. It’s possible the Pohlad family, which still owns the club for now, will look to save themselves a few million bucks in the coming days.

Time will tell on that. For now, the Twins have already saved a few million and added a young catching prospect to their system. The Tigers, meanwhile, have added some rotation depth as they hope to cruise to a division title. Despite a recent rough patch, they have an eight-game lead over the Guardians in the Central.

Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic first reported the Tigers were nearing an acquisition of Paddack for a prospect. Rosenthal was first to note a Paddack trade was in place. Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Twins were receiving Jimenez in return. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had Dobnak’s inclusion.

Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Matt Krohn and Tom Vizer, Imagn Images

Tigers To Place Reese Olson On 60-Day IL With Shoulder Strain

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The Tigers are placing right-hander Reese Olson on the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder strain. Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. That will open up a 40-man roster spot for Chris Paddack, who is reportedly being acquired from the Twins. Beck adds that outfielder Parker Meadows has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a quad strain. Infielder/outfielders Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Kreidler have been recalled to take the active roster spots of Olson and Meadows.

The news on Olson sheds more light on the club’s decision to acquire Paddack. Olson had started against the Blue Jays on Thursday and gone 5 2/3 innings. Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Olson first felt discomfort on Saturday during a bullpen session.

That meant that, coming into today, the Detroit rotation was down to Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. They recently called up prospect Troy Melton, but he allowed six earned runs in his first big league start. Keider Montero was recently optioned to the minors.

Paddack isn’t an ace but he’s a strike-throwing veteran who lengthens the overall group. The Tigers also have Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Jose Urquidy and Sawyer Gipson-Long on the IL. Adding Olson to that pile seemingly prompted them to go out and add Paddack.

What’s still unclear is if Olson will be available for the postseason. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the door is still open for that, though it depends on how things develop between now and then. Perhaps the Tigers will look to make another rotation addition in the coming days, depending on how things develop with Olson.

There’s also a bit of a position player shuffle today, with Meadows hitting the IL again. He missed the first couple of months of the season due to issues in the musculocutaneous nerve in his right arm. Since coming off the IL, he has hit just .200/.270/.296. Now his frustrating season continues with another injury setback, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Matt Vierling has also been playing some center field lately and could take over for Meadows, though he’s not having a great season either, currently sporting a .210/.306/.226 line. Javier Báez played some center earlier this year but has retaken the shortstop job more recently. If Báez were to go back out to the grass, Zach McKinstry could move from third to short, with guys like Ibáñez and Kreidler helping to fill in at the hot corner. Kreidler can also play a bit of center. Once Paddack reports to the team, the Tigers will need an active roster spot, so one of Ibáñez or Kreidler will probably be going right back down.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

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