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Elias: Elbow Debridement Surgery “On The Table” For Grayson Rodriguez

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Orioles GM Mike Elias is speaking to reporters (including MASN’s Roch Kubatko) in the aftermath of the trade deadline this morning and relayed that the club is still determining a treatment plan for talented right-hander Grayson Rodriguez after he was sidelined by renewed soreness in his elbow in mid-July. While Elias made clear that a reconstructive surgery on Rodriguez’s UCL has been ruled out at this point, he acknowledged the possibility that Rodriguez may need a debridement surgery to remove excess bone from his right elbow. Such a procedure would mean that Rodriguez will not pitch in 2025, but he would be positioned to return in time for the start of the 2026 season. No decisions have been made about that at this point, but Elias suggested that the surgery could happen within the next few days if that’s the direction Rodriguez and the Orioles opt to take.

Rodriguez, 25, has not pitched this season. After being diagnosed with elbow inflammation during Spring Training, he began ramping up in April but was sidelined by a lat strain. He was shut down for weeks due to the lat issue, and when he began working his way back from that the renewed elbow issues once again forced him to sit back down. Now, it appears as though his 2025 season as a whole is in danger. That won’t matter for the Orioles in the short-term, as the club’s 50-59 record leaves them buried in both the AL East and the AL’s Wild Card standings. Even so, it’s a tough setback for a talented hurler who was once the consensus top pitching prospect in the sport.

Rodriguez has made 43 starts in the majors since he debuted in 2023, but no more than 23 starts in a single season. He’s pitched to a roughly league average 4.11 ERA (97 ERA+) in that time, with a 3.80 FIP and a 25.7% strikeout rate. While those results aren’t exactly impressive on paper, Rodriguez has had stretches of dominance including a 2.26 ERA and 2.75 FIP over his final 12 starts of the 2023 campaign. There’s clearly top-of-the-rotation upside baked into Rodriguez’s profile, but in order to develop that potential he’ll need to be healthy enough to get reps in. That makes the possibility of losing the entire 2025 season a frustrating one, but it sounds as though his 2026 campaign is not in danger. Given that the Orioles still hope to compete in the short-term, an injury-marred 2026 season is the most important thing to avoid.

Looking ahead to next year, Rodriguez figures to rejoin the rotation alongside a number of other injured Orioles arms. Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and Cade Povich are all currently on the injured list but could theoretically contribute at some point this year and certainly figure to be healthy and ready to go for next season. Lefty Trevor Rogers and right-hander Dean Kremer, both currently healthy and in the rotation, are also under control for next year. That group of arms figures to be a big step up over the production veterans on expiring deals like Tomoyuki Sugano, Zach Eflin, and Charlie Morton have offered this season, though the Orioles will still surely need to supplement that group with external talent given the long layoffs virtually every starter in the 2026 rotation will be working their way back from.

Marlins To Select Jakob Marsee

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The Marlins are selecting the contract of outfielder Jakob Marsee, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided. A corresponding 40-man roster move will be necessary in order to make room for Marsee.

Marsee, 24, was a sixth-round pick by the Padres in the 2022 draft. He was part of the trade package GM AJ Preller shipped to the Marlins last May to acquire Luis Arraez, and he had a down year at the Double-A level between the Padres and Marlins organizations. His new club still promoted him to Triple-A for a taste of the highest level of the minors late last year, however, and that decision paid off when he turned in a fairly respectable .275/.370/.363 slash line across 22 games and 93 plate appearances at the level.

This year, Marsee has returned to Triple-A and excelled. In 98 games for the Marlins’ Jacksonville affiliate, he’s slashed a sensational .246/.379/.438 with a wRC+ of 125. He’s clubbed 14 home runs, swiped a phenomenal 47 bases, and walked at a 15.9% clip. High walk rates have always been a part of Marsee’s game, and he’s never walked less than 15.3% of the time in any MiLB season. After striking out 22.4% of the time last year en route to below average results at the plate, however, Marsee has cut down on the whiffs and struck out just 18.9% of the time.

Now the outfielder will get a chance to prove himself in the majors. Marsee has experience at all three outfield spots, but the overwhelming majority of that playing time has come in center field. That may be where he plays in the majors given that most scouts view him as at least average at the position, though the Marlins’ outfield mix is in flux after yesterday’s trade of longtime outfield stalwart Jesus Sanchez to the Astros. Kyle Stowers appears to be locked in as the club’s everyday left fielder amid a brilliant season. Dane Myers is currently getting the majority of the reps in center field, with Heriberto Hernandez and Javier Sanoja also getting outfield time. Sanchez played regularly in right field, so Marsee may be asked to simply slide into that position despite having only an average arm.

Wherever Marsee ultimately plays, he figures to get an opportunity to prove himself in the majors over the season’s final two months. The 52-55 Marlins are clear longshots for the postseason even after keeping both Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera in the fold yesterday, and the focus remains squarely on developing young players for the future. Figuring out what role Marsee will play in that future is likely to be a priority for manager Clayton McCullough and president of baseball operations Peter Bendix over the season’s final 55 games, and the youngster proving that he can be a capable regular in the outfield would go a long way to creating optimism about the team’s ability to compete in the near-term. If he can prove himself, Marsee would join a growing nucleus of young talent that includes Stowers, Cabrera, Eury Perez, Agustin Ramirez and Ronny Henriquez, among others.

In the meantime, Marsee figures to make his big league debut against the Yankees in Miami later today. The game is scheduled for 7:10pm local time, the Marlins will need to create space for Marsee on the 40-man roster even though there’s an active roster vacancy due to the Jesus Sanchez trade. That’s because the return for Sanchez, right-hander Ryan Gusto, was already on the Astros’ 40-man roster before he was acquired by the Fish.

The Opener: Deadline Fallout, Chourio, Aranda

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With the trade deadline officially in the rear view mirror, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Aftermath of the Deadline:

Almost every team in baseball had the day off yesterday, and as teams return to play they’ll need to reshape their rosters in a significant way. The Twins currently have just 18 players on their 26-man roster and will need to fill the rest of it out before their game against the Guardians this evening. The Diamondbacks had right-hander Merrill Kelly as today’s probable starter, but he’ll be wearing a Rangers uniform for the rest of the year after yesterday’s trade. That leaves Arizona to turn to someone else to take the ball, perhaps veteran swingman Anthony DeSclafani or a youngster on the 40-man like Yilber Diaz.

While today will likely be a fairly morose day for fans of selling teams, it should be an exciting one for buyers. Perhaps Kelly will be on the mound for the Rangers tonight instead of Jack Leiter in tonight’s game against the Mariners. Fans in San Diego might get the chance to see newly-minted closer Mason Miller’s first save opportunity as a Padre. And while the game will be taking place at Fenway Park in Boston, Astros fans will surely be tuning in eagerly to see Carlos Correa’s first game in their uniform since the club fell to the Braves in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

2. Chourio to the injured list?

The Brewers had a fairly quiet deadline, all things considered. They scooped up catcher Danny Jansen and took on some dead money in the form of Jordan Montgomery’s contract in order to acquire injured closer Shelby Miller from the Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, they shipped out Nestor Cortes Jr. to the Padres in a deal that netted them outfielder Brandon Lockridge after it became clear they had no room for Cortes in their rotation.

Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Lockridge will be joining the club in D.C. for its series against the Nationals, however, and that may be due to an injured list placement for outfielder Jackson Chourio. The youngster suffered a right hamstring injury during the team’s series against the Cubs earlier this week, and Hogg notes that GM Matt Arnold acknowledged yesterday that Chourio may be out for “a little longer than we anticipated.” An injured list stint for Chourio has not yet been directly confirmed, however, and it’s unclear just what sort of time table for a return to action he might have at this point.

3. Aranda to the injured list?

The Rays did their usual mix of buying and selling at the deadline this year as they parted ways with Jansen while adding closer Griffin Jax in a deal with the Twins that cost them right-hander Taj Bradley. They also swapped out Zack Littell as they re-calibrated their catching crops to bring in Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes, not to mention sending out infielder Jose Caballero in a deal that netted them former top outfield prospect Everson Pereira. All of that leaves them more or less in a decent position to push for a Wild Card spot in the American League this year, but that pursuit could be complicated by a worrying injury.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, manager Kevin Cash told reporters that infielder Jonathan Aranda “will miss some time” after yesterday’s collision with Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton at first base. The club is waiting for their doctors to make a final diagnosis before announcing a decision on Aranda’s status or a timeline for his return, but it certainly sounds like Aranda could be headed to the injured list. The infielder has hit a sensational .316/.394/.478 in 103 games this year and would be a massive loss for the Rays’ lineup.

Astros Outright Jon Singleton

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TODAY: Singleton cleared waivers and has been outrighted off Houston’s 40-man roster, the team announced.  It isn’t yet known if Singleton will accept the assignment or elect free agency.

JULY 28: The Astros are designating first baseman Jon Singleton for assignment, according to an announcement from Singleton’s wife Linzy on social media this afternoon. Additional roster maneuvering will be necessary to replace Singleton on the club’s active roster, but it’s not clear what the corresponding transaction will be at this point.

Singleton, 34 in September, was added to the club’s roster last week alongside Shay Whitcomb in the wake of an injury to third baseman Isaac Paredes last week. Singleton ultimately appeared in just three games for the Astros this year, during which he went 1-for-9 with at the plate with one strikeout and no walks. He began the season in the Mets’ minor league system but signed a minor league deal with Houston back in July. Between those two club’s Triple-A affiliates, Singleton has slashed a solid .224/.373/.451 this year with 16 homers in 306 trips to the plate.

The veteran first baseman previously was rostered by the Astros last year as their regular first baseman after the departure of Jose Abreu. Singleton provided a league average bat for the Astros at the position as he slashed .234/.321/.386 with a wRC+ of 104 across 119 games. It was a solid enough performance to earn Singleton consideration for the club’s 2025 roster, but Houston eventually pivoted away from Singleton due to incoming first baseman Christian Walker. With Walker at first base and Yordan Alvarez expected to serve as the club’s everyday DH, there was no path to playing time for Singleton in Houston. Injuries have opened up playing time since then, but the Astros have generally preferred to opt for younger or more versatile options like Taylor Trammell and Cooper Hummel when filling out their roster this year.

Singleton has plenty of history with the Astros organization. A top prospect in the Phillies’s system who was dealt to Houston in a trade for Hunter Pence, Singleton signed a five-year, $10MM extension with the Astros before he even made his MLB debut. The deal was widely viewed as a coup for the Astros at the time, but Singleton struggled upon arriving in the big leagues back in 2014 and slashed just .171/.290/.331 across two seasons in the majors. He did not resurface in the big leagues until the 2023 season and spent time playing both in the minors and for independent leagues during his years away from the majors.

The loss of Singleton leaves them without another lefty bat on the roster. Pending the corresponding move for Singleton’s exit, the Astros only have Trammell (as well as switch-hitters Hummel and backup catcher Victor Caratini) capable of batting from the left side on their roster. As for Singleton, the Astros will have until the trade deadline on July 21 to attempt to work out a trade involving him or else he’ll be passed through waivers. If he clears waivers unclaimed, he’ll have the opportunity to accept an outright assignment from the Astros and remain in their minor league system or test free agency.

Rangers Acquire Danny Coulombe

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The Rangers are acquiring left-hander Danny Coulombe, according to a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. The club subsequently announced the move, with left-handed pitching prospect Garrett Horn headed to the Twins in exchange for Coulombe.

Coulombe, 35, made his big league debut back in 2014 with the Dodgers. He was a fairly pedestrian middle reliever with the Dodgers and A’s throughout his 20s, and posted a 4.27 ERA and 4.09 FIP across his first five seasons in the majors before being outrighted off the A’s roster back in 2018. He spent the 2019 season in the minors and re-emerged with the Twins during the 2020 campaign. Since then, he’s looked like an entirely different pitcher with a 2.40 ERA and 2.96 FIP across 161 1/3 innings of work between the Twins and Orioles.

Coulombe has not only avoided taking a step back as he’s aged, but he’s actually looked better than ever in his mid-30s. Over the last three seasons, Coulombe has posted a 2.17 ERA with a 2.59 FIP while striking out 27.6% of his opponents and walking just 5.9%. He’s paired that quality strikeout stuff and strong command with a knack for missing barrels with a minuscule 4.5% barrel rate to go with a 36.2% hard-hit rate, and his 3.07 SIERA in that time is on-par with top-shelf leverage relievers like David Robertson and Emmanuel Clase. This year, he’s been even better, with a microscopic 1.16 ERA and 1.96 FIP in 31 innings of work for Minnesota.

That’s a massive addition to a Rangers bullpen that has enjoyed solid seasons from players like Chris Martin and Robert Garcia. The Rangers weren’t hurting for bullpen help this season as they have been in previous years, but in a season where their offense has under-performed across the board and their rotation is stacked with elite options further strengthening the relief corps is an understandable path to take.

Coulombe was surely an extremely attractive piece for the Rangers in part because of his bargain salary. Coulombe is making just $3MM total this year, meaning the Rangers will have to pay him only around $1MM for the remainder of the season. That’s a crucial factor for a club that has remained stalwart in its desire to duck under the $241MM luxury tax threshold this year. Texas is just barely under that threshold at this point, with RosterResource suggesting they have a payroll of just over $235MM for luxury tax purposes. That’s likely slightly below where they’ll ultimately end up given the possibility of contract bonuses and incentives that will impact the final line.

As for the Twins, they’ll receive a young lefty pitcher as they continue their fire sale. A sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft by the Rangers last year, Horn has made nine starts between rookie ball and the Single-A level this season. The 22-year-old has posted a strong 2.92 ERA across 24 2/3 innings of work with a 35.4% strikeout rate, though that dominance isn’t exactly unexpected for a 22-year-old in the lowest levels of the minor leagues. Still, Horn is an intriguing addition for a Twins farm system who Baseball America ranked as the #25 prospect in the Texas system this year. His mid-90s fastball is impressive, but his curveball is viewed as average at best and his changeup is completely undeveloped. He’s unlikely to be more than a reliever in the majors unless his secondary pitches develop substantially, but mid-90s velocity from the left side has a place in the majority of big league bullpens.

Royals Trade Freddy Fermin To Padres For Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek

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The Padres are acquiring catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Right-handers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek are headed to Kansas City in exchange for Fermin. The clubs have since announced the deal.

Fermin, 30, heads to San Diego after parts of four seasons with the Royals. After a three-game cup of coffee in 2022, Fermin debuted in a more substantial way the following year when he appeared in 70 games as a complement to Salvador Perez behind the plate. Fermin did quite well for himself in that rookie campaign, as he slashed .281/.321/.461 with a 108 wRC+ with strong grades for his defense behind the plate. It was enough to earn him a larger role with the club, and he began to take more starts behind the dish while Perez increasingly spent his time at DH or first base.

Fermin went on to appear in 111 games last year and put together a solid enough season. While his offense took a step back amid increased playing time, he still managed a wRC+ of 92 and earned strong marks for his blocking and throwing arm behind the plate. Things have taken a turn for the worse this year, however. Fermin has been lackluster at the dish with a .255/.309/.339 (78 wRC+) slash line, and his defensive metrics have taken a step back as well. He’s been worth just 0.4 fWAR in 67 games, but even that somewhat meager performance outpaces the Padres’ current catching tandem. Elias Diaz (67 wRC+) and Martin Maldonado (62 wRC+) have both been even less impressive than Fermin behind the plate this year, and Maldonado in particular has paired that weak offense with some of the worst catcher defense in the entire sport despite his reputation as an elite game caller.

Getting an upgrade on both at and behind the plate who comes with four years of team control was evidently worth paying a significant price for the Padres. In exchange for surrendering Fermin, the Royals have brought in two young starters who have already broken into the big leagues in Bergert and Kolek. Bergert is the prize of the duo, still in his rookie season with a 2.78 ERA in 35 2/3 innings of work spread between seven starts and four relief outings. His peripherals are a bit less encouraging, as his 22.8% strikeout rate is somewhat outweighed by an elevated 12.1% walk rate, but he remains a controllable arm capable of pitching both out of the rotation or in relief as needed.

As for Kolek, the right-hander made his big league debut with the Padres as a reliever last year. He struggled to a 5.21 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work but posted strong underlying metrics with a 55.9% ground ball rate, a 3.57 FIP, and a 3.41 SIERA. That was enough to convince the Padres to move him into a rotation role for this year, and so far he’s made 14 starts for San Diego with roughly league average results. In 79 2/3 innings of work, Kolek has pitched to a 4.18 ERA with a 4.23 FIP. While he’s struck out just 16.7% of his opponents against a 7.7% walk rate, his 50.6% ground ball rate is still impressive and has allowed him to miss barrels throughout his time in the majors.

With both Bergert and Kolek under team control for the next half-decade, that should give the Royals plenty of flexibility at the back of their rotation both for the short-term (with Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, and Michael Lorenzen all on the injured list) as well as the long-term, as players like Bubic and Lorenzen reach free agency while Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha get older. While losing Fermin from the club’s catching situation will hurt in the short term, a combination of Perez and Luke Maile is still on the roster while top catching prospects Carter Jensen, Blake Mitchell, and Ramon Ramirez all remain in the minor leagues to help shore up the club’s catching situation in the coming seasons.

Nationals Receiving Interest In Multiple Hitters

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The Nationals are receiving calls on a number of hitters, according to a report from TalkNats. The Red Sox have been in contact with the club about first basemen Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe, while the report adds that Washington has also received calls from clubs inquiring after the availability of second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder Alex Call. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies have shown interest in Call’s services, though it’s unclear if that interest continues even after Philadelphia landed outfielder Harrison Bader in a deal with the Twins.

That Boston would inquire after the Nationals’ pair of first basemen is hardly a surprise. The Red Sox have had a hole at first base ever since Triston Casas went down with a season-ending injury at the beginning of May, and since then the club has relied primarily on Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro to handle the position. The duo has done reasonably well with that opportunity, and Gonzalez in particular has flourished in a part-time role with a 1.041 OPS against left-handed pitching. Improvements can be made, however, and bringing either Bell or Lowe into the fold would constitute a substantial upgrade.

Bell would presumably be the cheaper of the two to acquire. The 32-year-old is on a one-year deal that guarantees him $6MM total this season. While Bell was once a solidly above average bat at first base, with a .262/.351/.459 (116 wRC+) slash line over his first seven seasons in the majors and a handful of even more impactful seasons than that, in more recent years he’s settled in as just about an average hitter in the big leagues. Since the start of the 2023 season, Bell has hit .243/.322/.406 (102 wRC+). This year, his wRC+ sits at 101 with an 18.1% strikeout rate, an 11.1% walk rate, but just 13 homers in 96 games. Notably, Bell’s numbers feature substantial splits. He’s posted a 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year, compared to a wRC+ of just 30 against lefties. That could make him the ideal platoon Partner for Gonzalez given his excellent numbers against southpaws.

Lowe, meanwhile, has had a down year in D.C. but comes with an additional season of team control as he’s eligible for arbitration this winter. After slashing a strong .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+) and earning both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards across four seasons in Houston, Lowe was traded to the Nationals this past offseason and has struggled to adjust to his new team. In 108 games for the club this year, he’s posted a lackluster .226/.294/.386 slash line with a wRC+ of 94. Like Bell, he also sports pronounced platoon splits; while he’s posted a decent 108 wRC+ against right-handed hitters, that mark drops to just 49 against fellow lefties. With Casas expected back in 2026, Lowe may not necessarily be as attractive an option for the Red Sox as Bell would be, though he could also become a trade chip for Boston in the offseason if he bounces back down the stretch if acquired.

Call, 30, was acquired from Cleveland back in 2022. He’s been a steady contributor in a part-time role for the Nationals since then with a .243/.342/.373 slash line (103 wRC+) in D.C. overall. That figure is dragged down by an abysmal 2022 season where he was used as a regular, however, and as a bench player this year Call has excelled with a .274/.371/.386 (121 wRC+) slash line in 237 trips to the plate. While Call lacks much power, he strikes out just 15.2% of the time while walking at an above-average 11.0% clip. He primarily profiles as a corner outfielder but has experience at all three outfield spots as well as DH. He could be a valuable addition for a team looking for a right-handed outfield bat, such as the Padres. Gelb suggests the Phillies have some interest in call, and he could be a fit even after their acquisition of Bader earlier today. After all, Johan Rojas has underwhelmed this year and both Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are best suited to a platoon role where they can sit against lefties.

As for Garcia, the 25-year-old posted a 110 wRC+ last year as the club’s everyday second baseman but has taken a slight step backwards this year. In 370 plate appearances across 96 games, Garcia has posted a .261/.300/.405 (95 wRC+) slash line with a 14.9% strikeout rate but lackluster defense. Garcia would be an intriguing addition given that he’s under team control through the end of the 2027 season. Garcia hasn’t directly been tied to any clubs, but one speculative fit could be the Astros, who are known to be looking for another bat and preferably would like to add a left-handed hitter. The Giants and Royals are among the other teams for whom adding Garcia could make some sense.

Tigers Acquire Kyle Finnegan

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The Tigers announced the acquisition of right-hander Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals. Detroit sent righty pitching prospects Josh Randall and R.J. Sales back to Washington. The Tigers transferred newly-acquired reliever Paul Sewald to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding roster move. Sewald has been out since mid-July with a shoulder strain and is not expected back until the middle of September.

Finnegan, 33, has been the Nationals’ primary closer in each of the past three seasons after sharing the role with Brad Hand and Tanner Rainey in 2021 and ’22. A 2024 All-Star, the righty has racked up 108 saves over the past five seasons but does not have the elite run prevention numbers typically associated with the closer role. For his career, he’s posted a 3.66 ERA and 4.16 FIP across 329 1/3 innings of work. Those numbers have been trending downward as well, with a 3.87 ERA and 4.24 FIP since the start of the 2023 season. He’s struck out just 21.5% of batters in that time while walking 8.6%, and while his walk rate has stayed steady this year his strikeouts have dipped further to a clip of just 19.6%.

Overall, it’s closer to a middle relief profile than that of a top-of-the-line closer, but Finnegan’s experience in the ninth inning could still be valuable for a club like the Tigers without an established ninth-inning guy. Will Vest is currently getting the majority of the opportunities in the ninth, but perhaps Finnegan could help ease the load on Vest’s shoulders. There are some things to like in Finnegan’s numbers this season, as well; he’s generating grounders at a strong 48.2% clip, his 64.1% strand rate suggests poor sequencing luck that could lend to strong results going forward, and his 38.8% hard-hit rate is his best figure since 2021.

Finnegan joins what increasingly appears to be a bulk approach to overhauling the bullpen in Detroit. In addition to the veteran closer, the Tigers have traded for Randy Dobnak, Rafael Montero, and Paul Sewald to bolster their bullpen in recent days. Dobnak and Montero are both generally regarded as fringe relievers at this stage of their careers, while Sewald has impressive strikeout rates and closing experience but is expected to be on the injured list with a shoulder strain until September.

Finnegan figures to be the most impactful piece of the group, but he’s a clear step down from some of the more well-regarded arms that have been bandied about as available this summer like David Bednar and Pete Fairbanks, to say nothing of elite closers like Jhoan Duran and Mason Miller who have already been moved. That’s not to say a bigger splash couldn’t be coming down the pipeline at some point before the deadline this afternoon, but with the price tag on top relievers soaring it’s at least possible that Scott Harris’s front office isn’t interested in giving up top talent to acquire bullpen help.

They managed to avoid paying a premium for Finnegan’s services in this deal. In exchange for Finnegan, the Nationals will receive a pair of pitching prospects. Randall is the headliner of the pair, ranked as Detroit’s 15th best prospect by MLB Pipeline. A 22-year-old who was recently promoted to High-A, Detroit’s third-round pick from the 2024 draft has posted a 3.92 ERA in 17 starts across the Single- and High-A levels this year. While Randall is currently starting, there’s some relief risk in his profile due to questions on whether or not his changeup will develop. Sales, meanwhile, was the club’s tenth-round pick in last season’s draft and is unranked within the Tigers’ top 30 prospects at Pipeline.

After posting solid numbers for UNC Wilmington as an amateur, Sales has 2.71 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of work so far this year while striking out 24.1% of his opponents. Both Sales and Randall figure to be in the mix to help out the Nationals’ pitching staff as soon as late next year, though it would hardly be a shock if either hurler didn’t debut until 2027. They join infield prospect Ronny Cruz and outfield prospect Christian Franklin as deadline additions for the Nats after that duo was acquired from the Cubs in exchange for right-hander Michael Soroka last night. Right-hander Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez have also joined the organization in recent days after the Yankees swung a deal with D.C. to acquire Amed Rosario.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the Tigers were acquiring Finnegan. Andrew Golden of The Washington Post had the return. Image courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images.

Tigers Acquire Paul Sewald

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The Tigers are acquiring right-hander Paul Sewald from the Guardians, according to a report from Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Cleveland will receive a player to be named later or cash from Detroit to complete the deal. Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the Tigers are taking on the remainder of Sewald’s contract in its entirety, which Olney estimates is about a $2MM commitment.

Sewald, 35, was one of the better closers in the league with the Mariners just a few short years ago. After debuting with the Mets all the way back in 2017 and spending some time in New York as an up-and-down middle reliever with mediocre results, Sewald came to Seattle in 2021 and pitched to a 2.88 ERA with a 3.34 FIP across 171 2/3 innings of work with the club while racking up 52 saves across parts of three seasons. He was swapped to the Diamondbacks at the 2023 trade deadline and began to struggle after leaving the Pacific Northwest. While he remained a closer for the majority of his time in Arizona and managed to pick up an additional 29 saves during that time, his results were pedestrian as he pitched to a 4.08 ERA with a 4.29 FIP. After striking out 35.0% of his opponents with the Mariners, that figure dropped to just 25.7% during his time with Arizona.

That middling performance in the desert left Sewald to enter free agency last winter in a less than ideal spot. He ended up signing with the Guardians on a one-year, $7MM guarantee back in January but has not lived up to that contract so far. The right-hander has been placed on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain two separate times this year; once back in April and once just two weeks ago. He’s only managed to make 18 appearances around those injury woes, and hasn’t exactly impressed during those outings with a 4.70 ERA and 4.07 FIP across 15 1/3 innings of work. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes that Sewald is currently expected to return in early September, meaning he’ll be a late-season addition to the club’s bullpen at best.

All of that explains why the Tigers were able to take Sewald off Cleveland’s hands for little more than salary relief, but it’s still not hard to see why Detroit would be intrigued. The veteran righty is still punching out batters at a high level, with a 29.0% strikeout rate this year. He was managing to keep his walks under control as well, allowing free passes at a 6.5% clip that leaves him with his best K-BB% since 2022. A .297 BABIP that’s slightly elevated by his standards and an extremely low 65.2% strand rate suggest there could be some poor fortune when it comes to batted balls and sequencing baked into Sewald’s lackluster results, offering optimism for better days ahead. Perhaps most importantly, the elevated home run rates that have dogged Sewald throughout his career could be mitigated in Detroit given the cavernous outfield of Comerica Park.

Sewald is the fourth pitcher Detroit has added in recent days, joining relievers Rafael Montero and Randy Dobnak as well as starter Chris Paddack. All four of those additions are relatively low-impact veterans, with Paddack slotting firmly into the back of Detroit’s rotation while Montero and Dobnak are both little more than middle relievers. Sewald has the upside of a quality set-up man, but won’t be able to pitch at all for another month at least. Overall, it’s a volume approach to the deadline for a club that entered the summer with a clear need in the bullpen. Sewald won’t unilaterally solve the Tigers’ need for a late-inning reliever to pair with Will Vest, but he could represent a viable fallback option in case a larger deal for a more impactful piece doesn’t ultimately come together in the final hours before this afternoon’s deadline.

Joey Bart Drawing Trade Interest

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Pirates catcher Joey Bart is drawing some trade interest, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hiles adds that teams interested in Bart (including at least one AL club) are valuing him as a potential bench bat to hit left-handed pitching, rather than as a starting catcher.

That’s understandable, given the season Bart has had. The 28-year-old has appeared in 64 games for Pittsburgh this season with a .244/.343/.302 (87 wRC+) slash line in 236 plate appearances. He’s combined that with below average defense across the board behind the plate and especially weak framing numbers. With that said, Bart has raked against southpaws with a .333/.424/.451 (150 wRC+) line against them in 59 plate appearances this year. Bart performing well against lefties is also consistent with his career, as his career 106 wRC+ against southpaws is 21 points higher than his mark against right-handers.

That ability to crush left-handed pitching would make Bart a strong bench option for a team that struggles against lefties like the Royals (76 wRC+), Rangers (77 wRC+), or Reds (77 wRC+). The Reds and Rangers already have a lefty-mashing backup catcher in Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka respectively, but the Royals would be a particularly interesting fit as Bart represents a clear upgrade over Luke Maile and could pair with Freddy Fermin in future seasons behind the plate if this is franchise stalwart Salvador Perez’s final year in Kansas City. The Royals have a middling 54-55 record but are just three games out of a Wild Card spot and have already acquired Randal Grichuk and Adam Frazier this summer. Bart is controlled through the 2027 season, so he could be a sensible addition for teams that aren’t squarely all-in on 2025.

Bart may not fit other teams quite as perfectly as he does the Royals, but there are still some other interesting fits. The Padres are known to be in desperate need of catching help and Bart would be an offensive upgrade over either Elias Diaz or Martin Maldonado. The Rays and Mets could be other solid fits, although Tampa’s recent acquisitions of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia seemingly leave them well-stocked in terms of catching talent while the Mets might be reluctant to part with the top-shelf defense backup catcher Luis Torrens is providing behind the plate.

The Pirates face an interesting dilemma regarding Bart. The 28-year-old’s 2024 season looked at the time to be a breakout performance as he slashed an excellent .265/.337/.462 (121 wRC+) with 13 homers in just 80 games, and there surely would’ve been clubs intrigued by Bart as a potential starting catcher last winter after that performance. That could make holding onto him in hopes he bounces back offensively to raise his value a worthwhile course of action, particularly given his remaining team control. On the other hand, 2024 is the only time across parts of six seasons in the majors where Bart has looked like an above-average offensive player, and with both Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez looking for an opportunity to develop behind the plate next year perhaps the Pirates should get something for Bart now if they can and more fully devote the catcher position to their former top prospects next year.

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