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Brewers Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment

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The Brewers announced today that right-hander Aaron Civale has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. They have also recalled righty Carlos Rodríguez from Triple-A Nashville. In corresponding moves for those two, they have optioned righty Easton McGee while righty Joel Payamps has been designated for assignment. Milwaukee’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Payamps, 31, is having an ugly season so far. In 18 1/3 innings, he has allowed 17 earned runs, translating to an 8.35 earned run average. That has apparently exhausted the patience of the Brewers, getting bumped off the active roster. Since he’s out of options, they had little choice but to remove him from the 40-man.

It was that out-of-options status which led him to Milwaukee in the first place. He exhausted his final option season in 2021. Even before getting to that point, he had already been a frequent waiver claimee. The Red Sox claimed him from the Diamondbacks after the 2020 season. Before the 2021 campaign began, he went to the Blue Jays, back to the Red Sox and then the Blue Jays again on subsequent waiver claims. The Jays held him through mid-July that year before designated him for assignment and trading him to the Royals for cash.

Despite being out of options in 2022, he stuck with the Royals into August, before he went to the A’s on another waiver claim. Going into 2023, he was sent to the Brewers as a throw-in piece of the three-team, nine-player trade which sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta and William Contreras to Milwaukee.

Based on all of those transactions, several clubs clearly saw potential in Payamps, but the Brewers got the best results out of him. At the time he came to Milwaukee, he had thrown 113 innings with a 3.35 ERA. His 47% ground ball rate and 7.6% walk rate were strong marks but he only struck out 17.6% of batters faced.

Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he had a 2.78 ERA in 129 2/3 innings for the Brewers. His 42.6% grounder rate was a drop from his previous work but still roughly league average. His 6.7% walk rate stayed strong and he also punched out 26.1% of opponents. He was trusted enough to earn nine saves and 48 holds over those seasons.

But as mentioned, things have gone off the rails a bit this season, though it’s surely not quite as bad as his ERA indicates. His .373 batting average on balls in play and 52.2% strand rate this year are both on the unfortunate side. But on top of that bad luck, his strikeout rate has fallen to 19% while he’s only getting grounders on 29% of balls in play. His 4.44 FIP and 4.21 SIERA suggest he deserves far better than an 8.35 ERA but there are still some concerning trends.

For now, he heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Brewers could take as long as five days to explore trade interest. Even though he’s out of options and his numbers this year are poor, it’s possible there will be interest from other clubs based on his previous two campaigns. He is making $2.995MM this year and can be controlled via arbitration in 2026 as well.

Turning to the rotation, the return of Civale is a nice boost. He made just one start before landing on the IL due to a left hamstring strain and then suffered a setback while trying to get healthy. He has been a solid starter in his career, with a 4.08 ERA in 639 1/3 innings. He had a 3.53 ERA for the Brewers after being acquired from the Rays last year.

The Milwaukee rotation has been a bit of a revolving door this year, with Civale one of several pitchers to hit the shelf. Brandon Woodruff, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Nestor Cortes, Robert Gasser and Jose Quintana are all still on the IL.

Civale jumps into the rotation next to Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick. Additional reinforcements appear to be on the way. Woodruff was nearing a return from shoulder surgery when an ankle injury set him back a little over a week ago. He restarted his rehab assignment last night and will probably make one more rehab start, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hall is also on a rehab assignment and shouldn’t be too far off. Quintana is throwing a bullpen with the club today, per Rosiak, with next steps to be determined after that.

Ashby is on a rehab assignment but his five minor league outings have all been two innings or less. The two most recent appearances were of the single-inning variety, so perhaps he’s being brought along as a reliever rather than a starter.

Photo courtesy of Dave Nelson, Imagn Images

Rockies Place Chase Dollander On IL With Forearm Tightness

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5:00pm: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post relays that the club doesn’t consider Dollander’s issue serious. Gordon will start tomorrow’s game and they expect Dollander to return after a minimal IL stint.

12:35pm: The Rockies announced that right-hander Chase Dollander has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19th, due to right forearm tightness. Fellow righty Juan Mejia has been recalled as the corresponding move.

To this point, the Rockies haven’t provided any specifics about Dollander’s injury or how long they expect him to be out. He started for the club on Sunday and everything seemed fairly normal at the time. He tossed 98 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, striking out six Diamondbacks. He allowed one earned run, which came on a solo home run off the bat of Ketel Marte. His velocity was in line with his previous starts.

Perhaps the Rockies are just being cautious with a young pitcher. After all, they have nothing to play for in the short term. Their 8-41 record is easily the worst in baseball and puts them on pace for one of the worst seasons ever. Dollander is one of the best prospects in baseball and only debuted last month. It would make sense for the club to pump the brakes on any minor issue with his throwing arm.

However, there’s always concern when a pitcher’s throwing arm is in the spotlight like this. If Dollander requires any kind of lengthy stay on the injured list, it would further dampen the mood for the Rockies, if that’s even possible with their current status. His 6.28 earned run average through eight starts doesn’t look too impressive but at least his 22.1% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate are close to average. His .260 batting average on balls in play, 62.8% strand rate and 18.9% home run to flyball rate are all on the unfortunate side of average. Some ERA estimators indicate he has deserved betters results, with his SIERA at 4.35.

Ideally, the one silver lining of this frustrating season would be plenty of opportunity for young players to develop and emerge as key pieces for the next competitive window. If this is just a precautionary breather for Dollander, he could still get a lot of starts under his belt in the remainder of the season. But a lengthier stint on the IL would obviously be unwelcome.

Perhaps the club will provide more information in the coming days. Regardless of the details there, they will have a rotation spot to fill. Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland have three spots. Rookie Carson Palmquist has recently been promoted and will presumably stick around. Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber are both on the IL with uncertain timelines. Bradley Blalock and Tanner Gordon are both on the 40-man and have made big league starts this year, so one of them will probably get the call.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Ronel Blanco To Go On IL For Elbow Soreness

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May 22: General manager Dana Brown appeared on Sports Talk 790’s Sean Salisbury Show this morning and did not give an immediate update but said the team would provide more information later today (presumably, when meeting with the entire Houston beat). Brown noted that the team has hoping for the best, but the suggestion of a formal announcement at a scheduled time does little to quell concerns about an already ominous injury scenario.

Unsurprisingly, manager Joe Espada said that Blanco will be placed on the injured list, per Leah Vann of Chron.com. Blanco will be getting a second opinion about his elbow. Espada added that Gordon will be recalled as the corresponding move, per Vann.

May 21: The Astros are in Tampa but right-hander Ronel Blanco isn’t with them. Manager Joe Espada tells Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle that the righty reported elbow soreness two days ago and flew back to Houston to be evaluated.

At this point, there’s not too much information to go on. Blanco started on Saturday and threw 92 pitches over six innings against the Rangers. His fastball velocity held fairly steady compared to his previous start but has been trending down in recent weeks. His fastball velo crept up over his first five starts of the season, topping out at 94.3 miles per hour on April 22nd. But it dropped to 93.5 mph in the start after that, then 93.4, 93.0 and 92.8 mph in his most recent outings.

There are many things that could explain such a trend and the current testing will surely provide more information. Until there’s more clarity, it’s too soon for a full-blown panic, but it’s a worrisome situation. It’s always a bit alarming when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is injured, of course. For the Astros, it’s especially notable, given their larger rotation picture.

Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and J.P. France are all on the 60-day injured list, recovering from major surgeries in previous seasons. Just three days ago, it was reported that Hayden Wesneski would require Tommy John surgery. He has already joined those other three hurlers on the 60-day IL. Houston also has Spencer Arrighetti on the 15-day IL, as he fractured a thumb in early April.

Around those injuries, they are down to a rotation core of Blanco, Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and Lance McCullers Jr. McCullers only just returned from his own lengthy injury layoff, making three starts so far this month, his first big league action since 2022. The Astros have recently turned to Ryan Gusto, Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter to make spot starts as they are trying to trudge through a 17-game stretch with no off days.

If Blanco needs to miss some time, that would further subtract from a group that already feels thin. The righty has emerged as a key piece of the rotation in recent years. He logged 167 1/3 innings last season with a 2.80 earned run average. His 10.1% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 24.6% of batters faced.

There was a bit of luck in that thanks to a .220 batting average on balls in play and 83.6% strand rate, which is why his 4.15 FIP and 4.17 SIERA were a bit skeptical of that ERA. This year, his ERA has indeed normalized to 4.10, even with his strikeout and walk rates holding fairly steady. Even if Blanco’s true talent is an ERA just above 4.00, that’s a decent starter and not one a club wants to lose, especially when they are already so snakebit.

The Astros still have five more games until their next day off. Brown is going today. Per Kawahara, the Astros plan to have McCullers, Gusto and Valdez take the next three with Sunday’s starter to be determined. It seems fair to assume Blanco won’t be an option for that Sunday game.

Gordon and Walter were both just optioned to the minors in recent days. An optional assignment for a pitcher comes with a 15-day minimum unless they are being recalled as the corresponding move for a pitcher going on the IL. AJ Blubaugh is also on the 40-man and is pitching in Triple-A. Jason Alexander was just claimed off waivers from the Athletics three days ago and he could factor in. Guys like Tyler Ivey and Miguel Ullola are also pitching in Triple-A but not on the 40-man.

Beyond this weekend, the Astros will perhaps have to come up with a long-term rotation plan that doesn’t involve Blanco. Valdez and Brown give them a strong one-two punch but there would be plenty of uncertainty beyond that. McCullers is still a wild card after missing two full seasons and the Astros may need to cobble together something for two rotation spots behind him.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Red Sox Acquire Ryan Noda

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Infielder/outfielder Ryan Noda has been traded from the Angels to the Red Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. The Halos, who designated Noda for assignment a few days ago, receive cash considerations in return. The Red Sox optioned Noda to Triple-A Worcester and transferred outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot.

Noda, 29, was a Rule 5 success story just over a year ago. Going into 2023, the Athletics plucked him from the Dodgers and put him at first base almost every day, in addition to occasional time in the outfield corners. He stepped to the plate 495 times that year and posted an awful 34.3% strikeout rate but he also drew walks at a 15.6% clip and hit 16 home runs. Despite all those punchouts, he was on-base enough and had enough power to produce a .229/.364/.406 line and 122 wRC+.

That was generally in line with his previous minor league performance. In Triple-A with the Dodgers the year prior, he had a 16% walk rate, 28.2% strikeout rate and 25 home runs, leading to a .259/.395/.474 line and 125 wRC+.

But Noda got out to a slow start in 2024. He had a .128/.242/.198 line on May 2nd when the A’s sent him down to the minors. From then on, he did his usual thing. He had 447 Triple-A plate appearances last year with 22 home runs, a 19.9% walk rate and a 30% strikeout rate.

The A’s put him on waivers in November and the Angels claimed him. The Halos kept him in Triple-A to start the year, where he continued in his particular fashion, though with some apparent bad luck. He has a 20.1% walk rate and 34.4% strikeout rate so far this year with four home runs but a .224 batting average on balls in play, leading to a .148/.364/.270 line and 81 wRC+.

For the Red Sox, first base is an obvious target area. Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury a few weeks ago. Designated hitter Rafael Devers was approached about trying to learn the position but he didn’t take well to that request. Second baseman/outfielder Kristian Campbell has been doing first base drills but hasn’t yet appeared there in a game. Romy González took over the position for a few days before landing on the IL with a a left quad contusion. Glove-first utility guys like Abraham Toro and Nick Sogard have been covering the position in recent weeks.

Noda is a proper first baseman with a bit of major league success and options, so he’s a logical depth add for the Sox. They can get a close-up look at him in Worcester and decide whether they want to call him up for major league at-bats at some point.

As for Yoshida, this doesn’t change anything about his timeline. He has been on the 10-day IL all season, struggling to get his shoulder healthy after last year’s surgery. His 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement, so he’ll be eligible for activation in about a week. He has not begun a rehab assignment, so a return in the near future doesn’t seem likely. As of yesterday, manager Alex Cora said Yoshida would be restarting his throwing program after receiving a cortisone shot, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Can Kyle Schwarber Earn $100MM On His Next Contract?

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Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is slated for free agency at the end of this season. Recently, a couple of different writers have floated a rough $100MM figure as a possibility for his next contract. On May 6th, Jeff Passan of ESPN published a column where he described Schwarber getting to $25MM annually over a four-year deal as “eminently reasonable.” About a week later, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that Schwarber’s recent performance might “lead to the $100 million contract” which previously eluded him.

While Passan did conclude that nine figures is “reasonable” for Schwarber, he is aware that it would set a new precedent. He writes that “a designated hitter who’s going to be 33 next Opening Day getting a nine-figure deal” would be an “outlier” but believes that Schwarber is himself an outlier and deserving of a contract that breaks the mold.

This post will dig in on those current precedents to see how far Schwarber would have to push the market in order to hit the century mark, with the help of MLBTR’s Contract Tracker.

This image (link for app users) shows all the free agent deals for designated hitters going back almost 20 years, sorted by total guarantee. As you can see, designated hitters have not been paid $25MM annually, nor have any received a $100MM guarantee.

Shohei Ohtani is out on an island here, for obvious reasons. He’s a unicorn in terms of on-field ability as a two-way player and his international stardom is unparalleled. No one else has topped $20MM annually. Anthony Santander came close to the century mark in terms of total sticker price but his $92.5MM deal had notable deferrals which pushed the net present value closer to the $70MM range. He’s also not a strict DH, having logged over 1,000 innings in the outfield for the Orioles last year.

Next on the list is Schwarber himself. The last time he hit the open market, he was going into his age-29 season, yet he could only get $79MM over four years, an AAV just under $20MM. Inflation usually pushes the market forward but somewhat similar players like Joc Pederson and Santander could only get to $18.5MM annually in the most recent offseason.

Schwarber is better than those guys, but let’s also look at the age question. Here are all free agent contracts for hitters starting at age-33 or older, regardless of position.

In this image (link for app users), we can see that no free-agent hitter has received a $100MM guarantee beginning at age 33, nor have any secured a $25MM annual salary beginning at that age. Another path to $100MM would be to get $20MM annually over five years. But as shown in that image, there have been no recent deals of that length for players in this age category.

Josh Donaldson did come close to the $25MM AAV and $100MM total. But at the time of that deal, he was still an above-average third baseman. He had just hit 37 home runs for Atlanta while being credited with ten Defensive Runs Saved and nine Outs Above Average. He continued playing well through the first half of that deal but was subpar at the plate in the final two years.

As for Starling Marte, his 2021 season saw him post a 132 wRC+, play over 1,000 innings in the outfield, and steal 47 bases in just 120 games. Still, he was limited to four years and an AAV just under $20MM.

So, designated hitters don’t get $100MM contracts. Nor do players pushing into their mid-30s. For Schwarber to get $100MM as a 33-year-old DH, some team would have to consider him to be worth significantly more than any other previous player in those categories. In fact, 33-year-old Schwarber would have to be valued higher than 29-year-old Schwarber.

What Schwarber has working for him is that he has found a new gear at the plate since coming to Philadelphia. Since signing that deal with the Phils, he has hit 148 home runs. He has drawn walks at a 15.4% clip. His 28.7% strikeout rate is high but he’s always been in that range. Overall, he has a .224/.348/.496 line and 131 wRC+ for the Phillies. Only Aaron Judge and Ohtani have hit more home runs in that time. Judge and Juan Soto are the only guys ahead of him in terms of walk rate, while the wRC+ number is 11th for hitters with at least 2,000 plate appearances in that span. This year, Schwarber’s even above his own pace, with 17 home runs already, a .253/.390/.573 line and 164 wRC+.

Prior to coming to Philadelphia, he had been a few notches below that. From 2017 to 2019, he slashed .234/.337/.492 for a 113 wRC+ with the Cubs. His 12.9% walk rate was good but a few ticks below what the pace he has subsequently managed in Philly. Similarly, he hit 94 home runs over those three seasons, a pace of just over 30 annually. That’s very good, but he’s pushed that up to an almost 45-homer annual pace with the Phils.

He then had a dip in the shortened 2020 campaign. He did hit 11 home runs but his .188/.308/.393 line led to a 91 wRC+. The Cubs could have retained him for 2021 with a projected arbitration salary in the $8-10MM range, but they decided to move on instead. He bounced back tremendously in 2021, splitting his time between the Nationals and Red Sox. He signed a $10MM deal with Washington and was traded to Boston at the deadline. He hit 32 home runs and put up a .266/.374/.554 line for a 145 wRC+.

It’s possible that his rough 2020 showing was still fresh in the minds of baseball decision makers and hampered his market the last time he was a free agent. Since then, he has shown himself to be incredibly reliable at the plate, erasing the memory of his non-tender.

The question now is whether teams will think he can keep it going. When he signed his last contract, he was still a somewhat viable fielder. He has never been good in left field but nonetheless was a regular out there prior to signing with the Phils and got roughly 1,000 innings on the grass in both 2022 and 2023. He has become almost exclusively a DH more recently, with just 41 innings in the field in 2024 and 36 so far in 2025. That means he’ll need to keep hitting to provide any value.

Even the most talented players are subject to declining performance in their mid-30s. Donaldson and Marte were performing well on both sides of the ball in their platform years, but Marte has essentially been a replacement-level player starting with his age-34 season. Donaldson’s bat fell below league average in his age-36 campaign. José Abreu was the A.L. MVP in his age-33 season but was unplayable by his age-36 season.

That could leave Schwarber with a few good years to go. Perhaps not playing the field will help him to gracefully descend that aging curve. Looking at some of the names above, Edwin Encarnación had 34 home runs and a 130 wRC+ in his age-36 season. Victor Martinez had 32 bombs and a 168 wRC+ in his age-35 campaign. He followed that up with a nightmare season, 11 homers and a 77 wRC+, but was able to bounce back with a solid campaign at the age of 37 that features 27 long balls and a 120 wRC+.

Santander just hit 44 home runs last year and still couldn’t get to nine figures, even though he was going into his age-30 season. However, he has never had strong walk rates, so his overall offensive profile is less than Schwarber’s. Even with those bombs, he only had a 129 wRC+ last year, his best such mark in a full season. Schwarber’s average production over three-plus years in Philadelphia has been better than that, with a big spike here in 2025.

Pederson put up a 151 wRC+ last year but was mostly shielded from lefties. He has a .209/.305/.328 line and 78 wRC+ against southpaws in his career. Schwarber had some platoon issues earlier in his career but seems to have put those behind him. At the time of signing his deal with the Phillies, he had a .214/.324/.361 line and 86 wRC+ without the platoon advantage. Since coming to Philly, he has a .235/.357/.468 line and 130 wRC+. Amazingly, his wRC+ against lefties has been growing year over year: 95 in 2022, then 107 in 2023, 153 last year and a shocking 223 so far in 2025. That could certainly be an argument for Schwarber doing better than he did on his last deal.

It’s also perhaps worth noting that lowering the age cut-off by one year opens up another interesting comp from recent years. While Donaldson’s $92MM deal is the top mark for a 33-year-old, Freddie Freeman got a six-year $162MM deal going into his age-32 campaign. He’s a better overall hitter than Schwarber with a career 143 wRC+. He’s also a first baseman and not limited to the DH spot. Those factors and the one-year age difference are arguments for Schwarber coming in below Freeman, but it’s possible for him to do so and hit the century mark.

Another factor to consider is the qualifying offer, as Schwarber has never received one. Since he was traded in 2021, he wasn’t eligible to get a QO prior to signing with the Phils. If he sticks in Philadelphia all season long and keeps producing like this, they would surely issue him one, which would probably be in the range of $22MM or so.

Would a team be willing to make a four-year, nine-figure bet on a 33-year-old DH and give up a draft pick in the process? It’s never happened before. Time will tell if Schwarber is unique enough to set some new benchmarks.

Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: The Disappointing Orioles, Dalton Rushing, And The Phillies’ Bullpen

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Who are some hitters who could be available at the deadline? (36:05)
  • Who are some pitchers who could be available at the deadline? (46:40)
  • When will the Pirates fire general manager Ben Cherington? (53:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Tayler Scott Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Tayler Scott, who was designated for assignment by the Astros a week ago, has cleared waivers but has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency. He has that right as a player with a previous career outright. Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle was among those to relay the news.

Scott, 33 in June, had the best season of his career in 2024. Prior to that, he was a journeyman, spending years bouncing around to various affiliated clubs, indy ball teams and even spent a season in Japan. He signed a minor league deal with the Astros going into 2024 and made the Opening Day roster. He then posted a 2.23 earned run average across 68 2/3 innings on the year. His 12.4% walk rate wasn’t great but he managed to punch out 25.2% of opponents.

There was probably a bit of luck in there. His .230 batting average on balls in play and 84.9% strand rate were both on the fortunate side. Still, his 4.13 FIP and 4.04 SIERA suggested he could be a serviceable big league arm even if the baseball gods stopped treating him so nicely.

He wasn’t able to carry that forward into 2025. The Astros kept him around but he posted a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. His fortune flipped, as his .313 BABIP and 65.2% strand rate this year have been on the unlucky side. He also hasn’t done himself any favors with a 20.5% strikeout rate and 15.4% walk rate.

That performance understandably nudged him off the Astros’ roster. He is out of options, so they had little choice but to designate him for assignment. The fact that he cleared waivers suggests that no other club wanted to give him a roster spot either.

Based on his solid performance last year, he should be able to get a minor league deal somewhere. That could be a reunion with the Astros but he’ll also have the chance to explore opportunities with the 29 other clubs.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Nathaniel Lowe Drawing Trade Interest

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Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is drawing some early trade interest. Sean McAdam of MassLive relayed on the Fenway Rundown podcast (link to full pod and to Lowe clip) that at least one club has contacted the Nats to gauge Lowe’s availability. McAdam adds that he wasn’t able to confirm which club put in the call, though he suggests it was very likely the Red Sox, on account of their obvious need at the position.

Lowe, 29, is a logical trade candidate. The Nats have been rebuilding for many years and are currently 22-27. They’re not totally buried in the standings but there are three strong clubs above them in the National League East. Lowe is slated for free agency after 2026 and is unlikely to be a big part of the next competitive window.

If he does end up traded this summer, it would be his second time being flipped in the span of less than a year. The Rangers sent him to the Nationals in December in exchange for left-hander Robert Garcia. Lowe’s four years in Texas had gone quite well. From 2021 to 2024, Lowe took 2,576 plate appearances as a Ranger. He hit 78 home runs, drew walks at a strong 11.3% clip and kept his strikeout rate at an average-ish 23.3% pace. He produced a combined line of .274/.359/.432 in that time, leading to a 123 wRC+. He helped the Rangers win their first championship in 2023.

He’s been out to a slower start this year. His 9.3% walk rate and 27.8% strikeout rate are both worse than during his time in Texas. His .223/.298/.397 line on the season leads to a 94 wRC+. It’s possible there’s some luck at play. His .275 batting average on balls in play is below this year’s .290 league average and also the .339 rate he carried during his time as a Ranger. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate are actually up relative to his career norms, according to Statcast.

Lowe is making a notable salary, though not an egregious one. It’s $10.3MM here in 2025 and can be retained via arbitration in 2026. Though his 2025 isn’t out to a roaring start, his contract status and past track record could make him a sought-after trade candidate this summer.

That’s unlikely to happen soon, however. As relayed by McAdam, most teams are reluctant to depart with a key player this early in the season as it would send a message to their fans that they are giving up. At this part of the calendar, teams are asking for essentially twice as much as they would for the same player at the deadline. Along those lines, the Nats are planning to keep Lowe around for now, both in the name of keeping their contending hopes alive for now while also having him serve as a veteran leader for a roster mostly composed of younger players.

Perhaps that will change as the deadline approaches but clubs looking for first base help will have to look elsewhere for the time being. The first base position has been a talking point in Boston for weeks now. Triston Casas suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon on May 2nd and required season-ending surgery. In the immediate aftermath of that development, it was reported that the Sox were exploring the trade market.

It’s possible that Lowe is one of the external options they considered but they haven’t been able to get anything done. Given McAdam’s framing of the current prices, that’s not especially surprising. That has left the Sox to try internal options for now.

Rafael Devers was approached about the possibility of taking up the spot but is apparently uninteresting in doing so. Romy González got a few starts at first after the Casas injury but he himself then landed on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad contusion. Abraham Toro and Nick Sogard have been getting the starts there over the past two weeks. Toro is hitting .192/.192/.346 this year while Sogard has a line of .222/.276/.259, so the Sox will naturally keep looking for better options.

The Sox have been getting Kristian Campbell prepared to play first but that’s a work in progress as he’s never played there before. If the Sox feel comfortable with him sliding over, it’s possible that prospect Marcelo Mayer could take over second base for Campbell. If that arrangement works out somewhat well, perhaps the Sox would be less interested in Lowe come July, though it’s also possible that other injuries lead to more positional shuffling in the months to come.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Dodgers Release Austin Barnes

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The Dodgers have released catcher Austin Barnes, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’ll be free to sign a contract with any club once he clears release waivers, if he hasn’t already done so.

This was the most likely outcome when Barnes was designated for assignment last week as the Dodgers chose to promote Dalton Rushing to the majors. Barnes is making a $3.5MM salary this year. It was unlikely that another club would claim him off waivers and take that on as he’s hitting .214/.233/.286 this season. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of electing free agency. The Dodgers are skipping that formality and sending Barnes to the open market more directly.

As a free agent, he should garner more interest. The Dodgers remain on the hook for what’s left of his salary. Any other club could sign him and would only owe him the prorated version of the major league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Dodgers pay.

Barnes has never been a superstar but has been able to carve out a career of more than a decade as a solid big leaguer. The Dodgers sent him to the plate 1,757 times from 2015 to the present season. He hit 35 home runs in that time while drawing walks at a solid 11.2% clip and only striking out at a 22.3% pace. His .223/.322/.338 slash line translates to a wRC+ of 85. That indicates he has been 15% below league average at the plate overall. However, catchers usually come in about 10% below the league-wide par, so Barnes’ production has been pretty decent for a backup at that position.

Defensively, the marks have been strong. He has been credited with 33 Defensive Runs Saved in his career overall. Outlets like Baseball Prospectus and Statcast have graded him as a strong framer and blocker behind the plate. He also appeared to have a strong reputation in the clubhouse for his game-planning and work with pitchers in general, particularly Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers have clearly been fond of Barnes. He was set to reach free agency after the 2022 season but they signed him to an extension that August. That deal paid him $7MM over 2023 and 2024 with a $3.5MM club option for 2025. They triggered that option back in November.

But as mentioned, his production tailed off this year as Rushing’s ascent could no longer be ignored, which led to Barnes getting bumped off the roster. Some other club in need of catching depth is sure to be intrigued by Barnes, given his overall track record and low acquisition cost. It’s also possible that he and the Dodgers decide to reunite on a minor league deal, though he’ll have a chance to scour the market for other options.

If he gets a major league deal elsewhere, he will suit up for a team other than the Dodgers for the first time. He was drafted by the Marlins but was traded to the Dodgers as a minor leaguer in December of 2014 and has been in the Dodger organization until this week.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

Orioles Activate Andrew Kittredge

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The Orioles announced today that right-hander Andrew Kittredge has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Chayce McDermott was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Kittredge, 35, will be making his Oriole debut as soon as he gets into a game. He signed a free agent deal with them in the offseason but dealt with some left knee soreness during spring training. He required a debridement procedure on that knee and landed on the IL to start the season. He started a rehab assignment earlier this month and is now healthy enough to finally pitch in Baltimore orange for the first time.

A lot has changed during the relatively short timespan of his knee injury. The O’s came into 2025 as clear contenders, having made the postseason in each of the two previous seasons. They gave Kittredge a one-year, $10MM deal with the plan of adding him to a competitive bullpen that already featured strong arms like Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano and others.

But the O’s have been the most disappointing team in baseball this year. They are currently on an eight-game losing streak, dropping their record to 15-32. They are next to the basement of the American League standings, only one game up on the White Sox. They are at least six games back of every other A.L. team. FanGraphs only gives them a 1.8% chance of cracking the postseason at this point. They recently fired manager Brandon Hyde, replacing him with third base coach Tony Mansolino.

That means Kittredge is more likely to finish the season pitching for a different club than pitching meaningful games for the Orioles in September. As a veteran on a one-year deal, he’ll be a natural trade candidate this summer. He’s not a pure rental, as his deal contains a $9MM club option for 2026 with a $1MM buyout, but it would still be logical for the O’s to flip him for young talent if they can.

Kittredge had a strong season with the Cardinals in 2024. He logged 70 2/3 innings with a 2.80 earned run average. His 23.3% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate were all a bit better than league average. That’s why the O’s shelled out a decent amount of money to bring him aboard for this year. If he is able to put his knee injury behind him and put up numbers like that again, he’ll certainly be in demand this summer. For now, he’ll jump into Mansolino’s bullpen as the O’s try to bank a few more wins in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

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