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A’s Outright Brandon Bielak

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Sept. 25: Bielak went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, per the MLB.com transaction log. He’ll almost certainly become a free agent one way or another. He can reject the assignment right now or become a minor league free agent at season’s end, as is his right as a player with three-plus years of MLB service who was removed from a 40-man roster.

Sept. 22: The A’s announced this afternoon that they’ve designated right-hander Brandon Bielak for assignment. Right-hander Joe Boyle was recalled to the big league roster in a corresponding move, and Oakland’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.

It’s the second time this year Bielak has been DFA’d by the A’s. He was first removed from the club’s 40-man roster shortly after the club acquired him in a cash deal with the Astros back in May, and the righty was promptly outrighted to Triple-A after just three appearances in the majors. Bielak then struggled with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, with a 6.08 ERA in 66 2/3 innings of work across 16 appearances (13 starts) but nonetheless was selected back onto the roster two weeks ago. He’s made three appearances for the A’s since returning with lackluster results, as he’s surrendered four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work, striking out just two while walking five.

An 11th-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft, Bielak pitched for Houston at the big league level in each of the past five seasons before being swapped to Oakland. He served as a solid back-of-the-rotation arm and swing man from 2021-23, with a combined 4.05 ERA (104 ERA+) and 4.78 FIP in 48 games (15 starts) during those years. The righty began to struggle with the club in the majors this year, however, and in ten appearances as a multi-inning reliever surrendered a 5.71 ERA while walking (8.4%) nearly as many batters as he struck out (10.8%). Those struggles have obviously continued with the A’s, and his 2024 season comes to an end with a 5.16 ERA and 5.93 FIP in 29 2/3 innings of work. Assuming Bielak once again clears waivers, he’ll have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of heading to free agency for the first time in his career.

As for Boyle, the right-hander returns to the club’s roster to close out the season after making just four appearance in the majors since May 5 due to injuries and a stint in the minor leagues. Acquired from the Reds in exchange for Sam Moll at last year’s trade deadline, Boyle impressed with a 1.69 ERA in three starts for the A’s down the stretch last year but has had a rocky campaign this in 2024, which he kicked off by getting lit up for eight runs (seven earned) in 2 2/3 innings during his first start of the year. Boyle would go on to settle in a bit with a 4.13 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate in his next five starts, but his potential turnaround was cut short by a lower back strain that sent him to the IL in early May.

That stint on the shelf didn’t last very long, but Boyle found himself optioned to the minor leagues once he was healthy enough to return and struggled at the Triple-A level with a 5.12 ERA in 15 appearances, including 13 starts. Boyle eventually got called back up to the big leagues last month and struck out an impressive 28.2% of opponents in three starts, but surrendered a 5.40 ERA over that time and was moved to the bullpen, where he was promptly lit up for three runs on three walks and a hit-by-pitch while recording just one out. That disastrous outing resulted in Boyle’s second demotion of the year, but he’s now set to return to the majors in hopes of putting together a finish to the year that improves upon his brutal 7.12 ERA in 43 major league innings this year.

The Opener: NL West, Sale, Managers

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As a number of postseason races go down to the wire in the final week of the regular season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. NL West race tightens further:

The Padres punched their ticket to the postseason last night on a game-ending triple play against the Dodgers. While both clubs are now assured of a spot in the postseason, they both still have something to play for throughout this final week of the season. The Padres now sit just two games back in the NL West with two games to go in the head-to-head series. San Diego also holds the tiebreaker after beating L.A. in the season series, meaning that if they can complete a sweep of their division rivals they’ll exit the series tied in the standings but holding onto the NL West crown entering their final series of the season in Arizona. Tonight’s game will feature a battle of front-of-the-rotation arms for each club, with right-hander Dylan Cease (3.42 ERA) taking the mound against Jack Flaherty (3.40 ERA in nine starts with L.A.) at 7:10pm local time.

2. Sale makes final push for Triple Crown:

After their win over the Mets yesterday, the Braves are lined up to send their two best pitchers to the mound for games two and three of a pivotal series. In tonight’s game (scheduled for 7:20pm local time), veteran lefty Chris Sale will not only be pitching for his team’s playoff hopes but also to put the finishing touches on a sensational campaign that appears likely to earn him the first Cy Young Award of his career.

That’s not the only plaudit within reach for Sale, however, as he currently leads the majors by measure of ERA, has won 18 games to put him in a tie for the MLB lead with Tigers southpaw Tarik Skubal, and has struck out 225 batters this year, second only to Skubal’s 228. A strong start against the Mets would not only greatly improve Atlanta’s chances of returning to the postseason but could also wind up being what pushes him over the edge as he pursues a pitching Triple Crown. If he manages to overtake Skubal by season’s end and finish first in the majors in all three categories, he’d be the first pitcher to win an MLB-wide Triple Crown in a 162-game season since Johan Santana pulled off the feat in 2006.

3. Offseason managerial market taking shape:

Over the weekend, the Reds became the latest team to part ways with their manager when they fired David Bell after six seasons at the helm of the club. They join the White Sox and Mariners in having fired their managers this year, while it’s been a poorly kept secret for months that Skip Schumaker is likely to depart the Marlins at the end of the season after the club voided their 2025 option on his services to allow him to explore other options this winter.

The Mariners seem unlikely to jump into the managerial market this winter, as Dan Wilson replaced Servais without the “interim” label being attached to his title. But the Sox, Reds, and Marlins could be joined by more clubs looking for new management if other teams part ways with their managers as the regular season comes to a close. The Rockies have reportedly not yet made a decision on Bud Black’s future with his contract set to expire after the season, while there have been reports of potential changes looming in St. Louis as well.

White Sox Release Chad Kuhl

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September 24: Kuhl has cleared waivers and been released, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times on X.

September 21: The White Sox announced a series of roster moves this afternoon headlined by the club designating right-hander Chad Kuhl for assignment. Kuhl’s departure from the roster makes room for the return of right-hander Michael Soroka, who Chicago activated from the 15-day injured list and reinstated to the active roster. Right-hander Jordan Leasure was also activated from the IL, but was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and will not be rejoining the club’s active roster.

Kuhl, 32, signed a minor league deal with the White Sox back in January but did not get the call to the majors until mid-June. He joined the club’s bullpen as a multi-inning relief option and performed fairly well in the role early on, with a 3.69 ERA and 4.08 FIP in 31 2/3 innings of work through the end of July. He moved to a short relief role following the trade deadline, however, and hasn’t acclimated to the new role well with a 7.06 ERA in 21 2/3 innings of work despite fairly solid peripheral numbers during that time, including a 4.14 FIP that was only a few points higher than his successful first half of the year and a strong 26.7% strikeout rate.

Overall, the right-hander has pitched to a lackluster 5.06 ERA that’s 18% worse than league average by measure of ERA+ despite a solid 4.11 FIP. Those lackluster results are more or less par for the course relative to Kuhl’s career, as his career 4.98 ERA and 86 ERA+ aren’t too dissimilar from his production in 2024. Where there’s room for optimism, however, is in his peripherals. That aforementioned 4.11 FIP is actually the best Kuhl has posted in a season since his rookie campaign back in 2016 with the Pirates, while this year’s 22.5% strikeout rate and 44.4% groundball rate are both career-bests for the veteran of 8 big league seasons.

It seems as though the biggest culprit for Kuhl’s struggles this year is his inflated .340 BABIP allowed, a stat that perhaps isn’t surprising given that the White Sox are the worst team in the majors by Defensive Runs Saved and second from the bottom by measure of Outs Above Average. Given those solid peripherals and his experience both starting and pitching in relief, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Kuhl enter free agency this offseason as somewhat attractive depth option for pitching-needy clubs, particularly if he’s once again willing to accept a minor league deal. In the meantime, Chicago will have one week to try and pass Kuhl through waivers, though the right-hander would have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and he’d still be slated to reach free agency this November even if he accepted the outright.

Replacing Kuhl on the roster is Soroka, who was acquired from the Braves last offseason. Soroka’s 72 1/3 innings of work this year are the most he’s pitched in a season since 2019, when he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young award voting with an excellent 2.68 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 29 starts for Atlanta. Unfortunately, injuries have derailed the right-hander ever since, and his return to action this year left much to be desired as he posted a lackluster 5.23 ERA with a 5.41 FIP across 22 appearances, including nine starts. Soroka’s numbers improved after he was moved out of the rotation, however, as he pitched to a 3.45 ERA with a 3.34 FIP in 28 2/3 relief innings thanks to an excellent 36.7% strikeout rate out of the bullpen. Those solid numbers in a relief role were cut short by a shoulder strain just before the All-Star break, but nonetheless offer reason for optimism as the righty heads to free agency for the first time in his career this winter.

The Opener: White Sox, NL Wild Card, MLBTR Chat

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With the 2024 regular season nearing its end, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. White Sox on the cusp of history:

With their 120th loss of the season on Sunday, the 2024 White Sox took sole possession of the all-time record for losses in the American League away from the 2003 Detroit Tigers. A loss in the opener of today’s series against the Angels, which is set to feature right-hander Jonathan Cannon (4.61 ERA) against Angels youngster Jack Kochanowicz (4.56 in nine starts), would break Chicago’s tie with the 1962 Mets for the most losses by any team in the modern era.

That’s a record that seems all but guaranteed to be shattered sooner or later as the Sox would have to sweep their final six games of the regular season to avoid it, but there are other records that could be in play as the club’s disastrous season winds down. Namely, winning at least three of their remaining six games would allow the club to avoid breaking the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics’ modern era record for worst winning percentage of .235. Meanwhile, winning even one more game before the end of the season would allow the White Sox to avoid tying those aforementioned A’s, as well as the same club’s 1919 season, for the fewest wins in the modern era excluding the shortened 60-game campaign in 2020.

2. Mets, Braves clash over Wild Card:

The Mets are in Atlanta this evening for a three-game set against the Braves that could determine the makeup of the playoff picture in the National League. After a loss by the Diamondbacks yesterday while both Atlanta and New York were off, the Braves now sit just 1.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. The Mets hold a half-game lead over the D-backs for the second NL Wild Card spot. While the Braves and Mets clash, Arizona will continue its home series against the Giants.

A sweep by the Braves would vault them ahead of the Mets, and even taking two of three would be awfully significant as it would not only cut the club’s deficit in the standings but hand Atlanta a victory in the season series (which is currently split 5-5) and the accompanying tiebreaker. Given the fact that the Braves already hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks this year, winning even two of these three games would put them in a much stronger position to make the postseason headed into the season’s final series over the weekend. Things are set to get started in Atlanta at 7:20pm local time when the Braves send rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (3.61 ERA in 19 starts) to the mound opposite righty Luis Severino (3.79 ERA).

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

As the regular season winds down, there’s still plenty of chaos in the Wild Card races as on top of this week’s pivotal series for the NL race there’s a whopping six teams still in play for the final two AL Wild Card spots, including four that are within 1.5 games of a playoff spot. If you’re wondering about how your team stacks up headed into October or how your club could approach the coming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

The Opener: AL Wild Card, Phillies, Moreno

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As the final week of the 2024 regular season kicks off, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. AL Wild Card race tightens:

The American League has put the “wild” in Wild Card this weekend. After months of the Royals and Twins consistently holding the final two Wild Card spots behind the Orioles, things got more interesting over the weekend as the red-hot Tigers knocked Minnesota out of playoff position entirely. Now, Kansas City and Detroit are tied for the last two playoff spots in the AL with identical 82-74 records, with the Twins just one game behind at 81-75. Should things come down to a tiebreaker, the Twins would benefit as they hold the tiebreaker over both Kansas City and Detroit, while the Royals won the tiebreaker over the Tigers.

The Wild Card isn’t limited to AL Central teams, though, and the Mariners notably lurk just one game back of Minnesota at 80-76 though all three Central clubs hold tiebreakers over Seattle. Meanwhile, neither the Red Sox nor the Rays have technically been eliminated at this point, but it would take a miracle for either 78-78 club to squeak into the postseason. Of all the potential Wild Card contenders in the AL, only the Mariners play today as they start a three-game set against the Astros that could either officially eliminate them from the AL West or vault them back into a playoff spot. That series kicks off at 7:10pm local time in Houston tonight, with youngsters Bryce Miller (3.06 ERA) and Hunter Brown (3.57 ERA) set to face off.

2. Phillies could clinch division:

The Phillies lost out on an opportunity to clinch the NL East against their division rival this weekend when they dropped the final two games of their series against the Mets, but that doesn’t have to stop them from clinching in front of the home crowd. The club will start their final regular season home series at 6:40pm local time this evening against the recently-eliminated Cubs, and winning any game in the three-game set would clinch the division. Meanwhile, sweeping Chicago would guarantee for the Phillies that they’ll land a bye through the NL Wild Card series. Their series against the Cubs kicks off tonight with right-hander Aaron Nola (3.54 ERA) on the mound opposite a likely bullpen game for Chicago that’s likely to be started by Nate Pearson (3.13 ERA in Chicago).

3. Moreno undergoing MRI:

The Diamondbacks are set to wrap up their regular season at home this week, hoping to clinch a playoff spot with six games to go against the Giants and Padres. While the reigning NL champs appear likely to make their second consecutive playoff run this October, it’s up in the air who will be behind the plate for them during that run after the club announced (as noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that Moreno exited yesterday’s game against the Brewers with left adductor tightness.

Piecoro notes that the injury affects the same side as the groin strain that sent him to the IL for more than a month recently, and D-Backs reporter Jody Jackson notes that Moreno is set to undergo an MRI today. The loss of Moreno for the postseason would be a tough one for Arizona to stomach, as he not only won the Gold Glove for his work behind the plate last year but also has posted a 108 wRC+ in 92 games this season. Glove-first backup Jose Herrera and hot-hitting prospect Adrian Del Castillo (who batted .313/.368/.525 in 87 plate appearances in his first taste of MLB action this summer) would take over catching duties if Moreno misses time.

White Sox Hire David Keller To Oversee International Scouting

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The White Sox have hired David Keller to run their international scouting department, according to a report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The report was later elaborated on by James Fegan of SoxMachine, who noted that Keller’s title with Chicago will be special assistant to the GM. Francys Romero also chimed in to note that the club’s international scouting department is being restructured and that the club is expected to hire a director for the department in the coming months. Prior to joining the Sox, Keller had been a scout with the Mets since 2009.

While front office members and scouts changing organizations is a fairly common occurrence in the final months of the season and the first months of the offseason, Chicago’s decision to hire external for a high-level position is especially noteworthy as a potential sign that the club has begun to look for outside voices amid what appears likely to wind up as the worst season any organization has put together in the modern era by almost any metric.

The Sox tied the the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the most losses in AL history with a loss to the Padres last night, and the club would have to win each of their final seven games in order to avoid at least tying the 120-loss 1962 Mets for the most losses in the modern era. Meanwhile, the club’s current .232 winning percentage is already the worst of the modern era, and they’d need to win at least three of their remaining games to surpass the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, who went 36-117 for a winning percentage of .235. If they don’t win another game this year, Chicago’s 36 wins would tie the aforementioned 1916 Athletics club as well as the 1919 club for the fewest wins in a modern MLB season.

A disastrous season of this magnitude is bound to inspire reflection both inside and outside the organization, so it was no surprise when The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal published a lengthy article looking at the club’s failings. MLBTR readers are encouraged to read the report in full for a look at quotes from a wide-ranging group of sources regarding the state of the White Sox organization. In Ghiroli and Rosenthal’s findings, much of the blame for the South Siders’ struggles falls onto the shoulders of owner and chairperson Jerry Reinsdorf. The article notes that while Reinsdorf has a genuine passion for baseball and a desire to see the White Sox succeed, his old-school mentality and unwillingness to invest fully in advanced analytics and technology has held the team back in recent years.

Another concern the article points out regarding Reinsdorf’s ownership style is his extreme loyalty to his employees, which has helped to foster an insular culture within the organization that prevented the club from adapting to the current era’s norms and strategies in areas ranging from game planning for pitchers to defensive positioning. It’s also prompted Reinsdorf at times to go against what others in the organization think is best, such as when he promoted Chris Getz to run baseball operations rather than seek an outside hire or when he overrode then-GM Rick Hahn in the search for a manager to replace Rick Renteria following the 2020 season.

Hahn had his eye on former Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who had won a World Series championship with an organization that was widely-regarded as one of the league’s most forward-thinking, and according to Ghiroli and Rosenthal had begun looking into places to live in Chicago with an interview for the managerial gig scheduled. Instead, Reinsdorf stepped in and hired longtime Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who managed for the White Sox from 1979 to 1986 but had previously retired following the 2011 season, his final year in St. Louis. That left Hinch to sign with the Tigers, a club that was mired in mediocrity at the time but has emerged as a surprise contender for a playoff spot this year with a strong second half.

Considering the organization’s history under Reinsdorf, the hiring of Keller could be seen as the latest step towards accepting outside voices into the fold as they look to move past a brutal 2024 season. Previously, Chicago went outside the organization to hire then-Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to replace La Russa after he vacated the managerial chair due to health issues, and Getz suggested when they fired Grifol earlier this year that they plan to hire another outside voice to replace Grifol headed into 2025, though Grady Sizemore has been acting as interim manager for the time being.

Padres Select Nick Ahmed

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The Padres announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of shortstop Nick Ahmed. To accommodate the addition of Ahmed to the club’s active and 40-man rosters, infielder Mason McCoy was placed on the 10-day injured list due to back inflammation while right-hander Jhony Brito was recalled to the majors before being placed on the 60-day IL due to a right elbow strain.

Ahmed, 34, was a second-round pick by the Braves back in 2011 but spent his entire big league career as a member of the Diamondbacks until this year. Ahmed spent parts of ten seasons in the desert, slashing a relatively lackluster .234/.288/.376 (73 wRC+) during that time. He still proved to be an incredibly valuable asset to the Snakes thanks to his elite glovework at shortstop, however, as evidenced by his +80 Defensive Runs Saved and +110 Outs Above Average at the position during his time with Arizona.

While he battled injuries throughout his time with the club that kept him from starting even 100 games more than four times, Ahmed nonetheless took home two Gold Glove awards and was among the better all-around shortstops in the game from 2018 to 2019 as he posted an 88 wRC+ and 7.4 fWAR in 311 games during that two-year stretch. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse starting in 2021, as he Ahmed would appear in just 218 games over the next three years while slashing a paltry .219/.272/.336 at the plate while his defense regressed in the field. Between Ahmed’s steady decline and the emergence of Geraldo Perdomo in Arizona, Ahmed headed into free agency following the 2023 season in search of a new home.

In doing so, he’s coincidentally begun something of a tour of the other clubs in the AL West. Ahmed started the 2024 campaign with the Giants after signing with the club on a minor league deal over the offseason. He appeared in 52 games with the club but slashed just .232/.278/.303 in that time before being released back in July when San Francisco decided to turn towards Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop down the stretch. It wasn’t long before Ahmed found a new team, however, and he signed a big league deal with the Dodgers shortly before the trade deadline to offer the club some depth at shortstop amid injuries to Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas. Ahmed remained with the club for just under a month, hitting .229/.245/.292 in 17 games before eventually being designated for assignment and electing free agency.

After signing a minor league deal with the Padres just prior to the deadline for postseason eligibility on September 1, Ahmed is now set to join his third NL West club of the season and fourth of his career. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim currently on the IL due inflammation in his right shoulder and no return in sight, Ahmed can provide the club with additional depth at shortstop behind Xander Bogaerts as the club gears up for the playoffs. Bogaerts was moved off shortstop over the offseason due to Kim’s status as a superior defender and struggled badly early in the year, but since returning from the injured list in mid-July has turned things around with a solid .296/.338/.436 slash line over his last 58 games.

While the club’s infield currently appears to be full with some combination of Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, and Jake Cronenworth handling first base, second base, and DH on most days, Ahmed could push Bogaerts to second base on occasion against left-handed pitching to give Cronenworth or Arraez a day off in a tough match-up or late in games as a defensive replacement. Ahmed joins Tyler Wade, David Peralta, and Elias Diaz among the likely bench options for the club headed into the postseason.

As for Brito, the right-hander last appeared in a game at the major or minor league level over a month ago, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been nursing an injury. The righty’s first season with the Padres comes to a close with a 4.12 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 43 2/3 innings of work as an optionable multi-inning relief option for the club out of the bullpen, and the 26-year-old appears likely to enter 2025 poised to fill a similar role with the club going forward.

Orioles Activate Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias

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The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve activated infielders Jordan Westburg and Ramon Urias from the 15-day Injured List. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Livan Soto were optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for the duo’s return on the active roster. Both Westburg and Urias are in the club’s starting lineup for today’s game against the Tigers, with Westburg batting second and playing second base while Urias bats eighth and plays third base.

The reinforcements are greatly appreciated for an Orioles club that that has posted a wRC+ of just 95 in September and ranks 17th in the majors since the start of August, when Westburg was first placed on the IL after suffering a hand fracture on July 31. The 25-year-old was a revelation for Baltimore in 101 games before hitting the shelf, building upon a solid but unspectacular rookie campaign in 2023 to slash .269/.317/.497 (131 wRC+) with 18 homers and 25 doubles in just 420 trips to the plate this year while splitting time between second and third base.

That strong performance quickly turned Westburg into an anchor for the Orioles lineup alongside superstar Gunnar Henderson and veteran slugger Anthony Santander and allowed him to pick up the slack for catcher Adley Rutschman, whose league average performance (104 wRC+) this year is the worst of his career to this point. Westburg’s emergence also made it easier for the club to take things slow with top prospect Jackson Holliday’s adjustment to the big leagues as he’s struggled through his first taste of big league action. With Westburg providing an above-average bat at both second and third base as needed, the Orioles were able to spend much of the early part of the season mixing and matching between Jorge Mateo at the keystone and Urias at the hot corner, with Westburg taking over whichever position was open on any given day.

Speaking of Urias, the 30-year-old has once again excelled in a part time role for the Orioles this year with a .252/.327/.427 slash line (117 wRC+) in 275 trips to the plate this year across 95 games, albeit with some questionable work at the hot corner that’s a far cry from the strong defensive performance that earned him a Gold Glove award back in 2022. Still, Urias’s return to the club’s infield should help further boost an offense that will now be able to rely less on Holliday, who has improved somewhat in his second stint at the big league level but is still hitting just .195/.253/.342 (69 wRC+) with a 30.9% strikeout rate in 49 games since rejoining the big league club at the end of July in place of Mateo, whose season ended due to elbow surgery. In particular, Urias’s return figures to help protect Holliday from left-handed pitching, against whom he’s struck out 36.6% of the time with a wRC+ of just 33 since returning to the big leagues two months ago.

Meanwhile, Johnson and Soto head to Triple-A. It was a brief return to big league action for Johnson, who went 0-for-1 in his lone game with Baltimore yesterday but had previously appeared in 35 games with Cleveland during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. The 29-year-old is now headed back to Triple-A, where he’s slashed a decent .259/.320/.448 in 500 trips to the plate this year. He’ll be joined in the minors by Soto, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels by the Reds this offseason but appeared in just one game with Cincinnati before being dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline alongside outfielder Austin Slater. Since joining Baltimore, Soto has done well in a bench role with a .462 on-base percentage in 13 trips to the plate. While Soto sports an excellent .351/.400/.494 slash line in the majors for his career, that line comes from just 87 plate appearances across the past three seasons. The 24-year-old is a career .266/.362/.385 hitter at the Triple-A level, which is likely more representative of his true talent level.

Latest On Diamondbacks’ Stadium Renovation Negotiations

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Tensions seem to be rising between the Diamondbacks and local officials as the sides negotiate a lease extension for the club at Chase Field in Phoenix before the current lease runs out in 2027. Back in February, team ownership appeared to be frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations, and things appeared to escalate recently when club president and CEO Derrick Hall criticized a recent proposal from the county during a local radio interview, as discussed by AZFamily’s David Baker.

During the interview, Hall described the offer from the county as “ridiculous,” adding that the proposed lease extension would expect the team to pay upwards of $150MM for stadium upgrades without public funding. Said proposal from the county would come with a 50-year term and keep the Diamondbacks in Arizona until at least 2034, as the club would have the right to terminate the lease with three years’ notice starting in 2032.

Sasha Hupka of the Arizona Republic notes that a major sticking point in the negotiations is the fact that the D-Backs are seeking funding to renovate the ballpark and construct an entertainment district similar to the one surrounding Atlanta’s Truist Park. Hupka notes that the club and Maricopa County (which owns Chase Field) are currently “tens of millions of dollars apart” in negotiations over how much the team should invest in leasing and developing land around the ballpark for said entertainment district, including a proposed investment of $200MM if the team is allowed to develop mixed-use property on the Chase Field site. Hall criticized that proposal during the interview as well, noting that the deal would hamper the team’s development goals around the ballpark.

“They say they won’t allow us to even talk about that opportunity and ‘unlock’ that opportunity and possibility until we’ve put nearly $200 million into the ballpark,” Hall said of the team’s desire to build restaurants, shops, and hotels surrounding Chase Field. “Again, they’re not even putting a penny.”

The lack of public funding for stadium renovations in the county’s proposal also appears to be a major point of contention. The current lease stipulates that the team controls maintenance of the ballpark, and Hupka notes that both sides are in agreement on that continuing in a hypothetical lease agreement. While the club controls that maintenance, however, the club appears to want public funding for that maintenance that goes beyond the agreement from 2018 that gave the club control over maintenance at Chase Field. Baker notes that same deal funnels $2MM of the $2.25MM annual sum that the D-Backs pay to the county in rent and fees into an account reserved for covering stadium maintenance costs.

Regardless of whose responsibility it is to pay for maintenance, all sides agree that the ballpark has seen better days since it was built in 1998. Issues with the stadium’s retractable roof, which cannot be operated while fans are inside the ballpark, and a lack of air conditioning are at the forefront of problems with Chase Field that are in obvious need of repair, but Hupka notes that the team has previously indicated they aren’t willing to invest in upgrading the facility without a lease extension in place. Per Hupka, the club has put just $14.5MM toward stadium repairs since the 2018 agreement putting them in control of maintenance was put into place, a far cry from the more than $46MM Maricopa County invested in repairs from 2005 to 2017.

As part of a lease extension deal, the Diamondbacks are hoping to secure a tax recollection deal that would funnel tax revenue from the D-Backs’ operations (including state taxes on the salaries of players and staff) towards stadium maintenance. As Hupka notes, Spring Training’s Cactus League is already among the beneficiaries of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which is primarily fueled by a tax recollection deal with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and also funds the Cardinals’ stadium.

That sort of tax recollection deal would require approval from Arizona’s state government, separate from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that Diamondbacks have been sparring with to this point. With a major election coming up in November, officials both from the county and the D-Backs previously indicated that they hoped to hammer out a deal before the end of the year in order to avoid the possibility of changes in county or state leadership causing a setback in the negotiations. That no longer seems feasible, however, as recent comments from the team describing the current state of Chase Field as “shameful” prompted a letter from Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers.

“We find the recent remarks from the team that the stadium’s condition is ’shameful’ confusing and troubling,” Sellers wrote. “Reports of falling concrete and excessive heat are an indication that the party responsible for the structure may not be taking the steps necessary to maintain a safe and friendly environment.”

Given the friction between the current board and D-Backs officials, the club may at this point prefer to wait out the current administration and hope for a more favorable negotiating environment in January, when Hupka notes that three of the board’s five current members are set to depart the board after either declining to run for re-election or, in the case of Sellers, losing a primary election. With that being said, holding out for a potentially more favorable group of county officials to negotiate with runs the risk of the state government’s makeup changing during the upcoming elections, leaving the club with a less favorable climate in which they’ll be pushing their tax recollection plans.

Reds Activate Hunter Greene, DFA Alan Busenitz

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve activated right-hander Hunter Greene from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Pirates later today. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was designated for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for Greene. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Greene, 25, signed a six-year extension with the Reds in April of last year that keeps the right-hander under club control through the 2029 season. His first year after signing that extension was a somewhat lackluster one as he pitched to a 4.82 ERA (97 ERA+) while being limited to just 112 innings of work by injuries. The youngster has turned things around in a big way with a breakout performance this year, however, and in doing so has become a major bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for fans in Cincinnati.

In 143 1/3 innings of work to this point in the year, Greene has posted a incredible 2.83 ERA (155 ERA+) while striking out an excellent 27.8% of batters faced. Some of Greene’s good results have been thanks to good fortune on his part, as demonstrated by a deflated .243 BABIP for opposing hitters and the fact that just 6.6% of the hurler’s fly balls have left the yard for home runs this year despite his home ballpark being the most homer-happy field in the majors. With that being said, advanced metrics are also generally impressed with Greene as demonstrated by his 3.41 FIP and 3.76 SIERA. It’s a season that could even earn Greene some down-ballot attention in NL Cy Young award voting this year, as his aforementioned sterling ERA trails only Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler among NL starters with at least 140 innings of work this year.

Whatever chance Greene may have had at the award was put to bed by a trip to the IL due to elbow soreness back in August, however. A subsequent MRI revealed no structural in a huge relief for the club, but inflammation in the hard-throwing righty’s elbow has still kept him on the shelf for more than a month. His time on the shelf has ended now, though, and with just a few games left in the regular season Greene is slated this afternoon to go toe-to-toe with another up-and-coming ace in the NL Central: Pirates righty Paul Skenes, who has posted an eye-popping 2.07 ERA with a 32.2% strikeout rate in 126 frames this year.

As for Busenitz, the 34-year-old righty has pitched briefly for the Reds in each of the past two seasons. In seven innings of work for the club last year, he looked quite good with a 2.57 ERA and 2.29 FIP, but things have taken a turn for the worse this year as he’s surrendered seven runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out three across four innings of work in the majors. Things have gone better for him at Triple-A, however, where he’s posted a decent 4.07 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of work this year. Assuming Busenitz isn’t claimed off waivers, he’ll likely head to free agency either in the coming days or this November and search for a fresh minor league deal on the open market.

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