Submit Your Questions For This Week’s MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll frequently answer questions submitted by our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions, and we’ll pick a few to answer.
Whether it’s a trade deadline retrospective, a question surrounding postseason races, or a forward-looking question to the offseason trade and free agent markets — we’d love to hear from you! You can send your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.
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Angels Promote Nolan Schanuel
In rather stunning news, the Angels are promoting first baseman Nolan Schanuel to the Majors less than six weeks after selecting him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2023 draft, reports Peter Gammons. It’s a rare and extremely aggressive promotion as the Halos, whose all-in push at the deadline has yielded underwhelming results thus far, try to bolster the lineup and keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive in Shohei Ohtani‘s final season of club control. Schanuel has played in 21 minor league games (topping out at the Double-A level) and batted a combined .370/.510/.493 with 21 walks and just 10 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances. His promotion is now official.
Schanuel, 21, was regarded as the most MLB-ready bat in the draft, although a promotion to the big leagues in mid-August shatters even the most aggressive timetables pundits might’ve put on his potential ascension. The 6’4″ first baseman posted borderline farcical numbers at Florida Atlantic University, batting .386/.516/.698 in his college career — including a preposterous .447/.615/.868 slash in 289 plate appearances this past season. Schanuel’s bat-to-ball skills were unparalleled in this year’s draft class; he struck out in just seven percent of his college plate appearances and drew 71 walks against 14 strikeouts in 2023 (24.6% walk rate, 4.8% strikeout rate).
Impressive as Schanuel’s college and minor league numbers are, it’s still a move lacking in recent precedent. The White Sox fast-tracked lefty Garrett Crochet to the Majors in Sept. 2020, just months after drafting him, but that was in part due to the lack of a minor league season. Even that aggressive promotion came after Crochet had roughly three months to work with the team’s player development staff at their alternate training site. Looking even further back, right-hander Mike Leake skipped the minor leagues entirely after being selected with the No. 8 overall pick in 2009, though his debut came on Opening Day the following season. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets that among position players, Schanuel’s promotion just 40 days after being drafted is the fastest rise to the Majors since Toronto’s Brian Milner back in 1978. Milner, promoted to the Majors just 17 days after being drafted, played in only two Major League games.
The Angels have made a habit of being quite aggressive in fast-tracking their prospects in recent years. Shortstop Zach Neto debuted earlier this season less than one year after going in the first round of the 2022 draft. Last year’s second-round pick, Ben Joyce, has already debuted as well. Lefty Reid Detmers, selected 10th overall in 2020, made his debut on Aug. 1, 2021. Righty Chase Silseth was an 11th round pick in 2021 and in the Majors by May of 2022. None of those quite match this level of aggression, but the Angels’ ultra-aggressive trajectory with Schanuel is on-brand for the organization.
The timing of today’s promotion likely isn’t coincidental. Today marks the first day that prospects can be promoted to the Majors and fall just shy of the requisite service to exhaust their rookie eligibility. So long as Schanuel (or anyone else promoted today) accrues fewer than 131 at-bats down the stretch, they’ll retain their rookie eligibility for the 2024 season. With the new prospect promotion incentives in the collective bargaining agreement, that’s a key status for teams to preserve; a top-100 prospect who wins Rookie of the Year can garner his team an additional pick in the following season’s draft.
Ultimately, the amount of control the Angels have over Schanuel will depend on multiple factors. Today’s promotion doesn’t necessarily cost them a year of club control, as he could well have earned a full year in 2024 anyhow. As it stands, he’s controllable through at least the 2029 season, although that path to free agency could be pushed back if Schanuel struggles in the big leagues and is eventually optioned back to the minors. For now, however, he’ll get the opportunity to show that his polished bat is ready for the challenges he’ll encounter at the game’s top level, while the Angels will take this opportunity to further demonstrate their commitment to fielding a competitive club to Ohtani as he nears free agency.
Cubs Claim Edwin Uceta
The Cubs have claimed right-hander Edwin Uceta off waivers from the Mets, reports Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Chicago had a pair of vacancies on its 40-man roster, so a corresponding move wasn’t necessary. Uceta was designated for assignment in New York earlier this week.
The 25-year-old Uceta now joins his fifth organization in the past eight months. He’s bounced from the D-backs, to the Tigers, to the Pirates, to the Mets and now the Cubs since January — all via waiver claim.
Uceta’s overall numbers both in the minors and in the big leagues aren’t particularly impressive, though the frequency with which he’s been claimed on waivers points to the fact that scouts and analysts remain intrigued by his raw potential. He’s tossed three scoreless innings in the big leagues this season but carries an unsightly 5.80 ERA in 40 1/3 total innings between the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Mets.
Things have been better in Triple-A, though his results have hardly been elite there. In 83 1/3 innings, he’s posted a 4.64 ERA and walked 13.4% of his opponents — albeit with a strong 29.6% strikeout rate. Uceta has has long shown an ability to miss bats, and while he doesn’t possess a blistering fastball, he’s averaged between 93-94 mph in the big leagues and shown good ability to spin the ball.
Uceta has missed the bulk of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. However, he recently wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment and was reinstated from the 60-day injured list by the Mets. He should be healthy and ready to go with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa. Uceta is in his final minor league option season, so while he can bounce between Triple-A and the Majors for the remainder of the season, he’ll need to be on the big league roster next year or else passed through waivers before he can be sent down.
Dodgers, Kolten Wong Agree To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran second baseman Kolten Wong, per their transaction log at MLB.com. The PSI Sports Management client has been assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Wong, 32, signed a two-year, $18MM contract with the Brewers in the 2020-21 offseason. Milwaukee picked up a $10MM club option for the 2023 season last November but ultimately traded the second baseman to Seattle in a deal that netted Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro. The deal hasn’t panned out for either party; Wong struggled to the point that he was released earlier this month, while Winker has spent considerable time on the injured list and struggled to a .199/.320/.247 output when healthy. Toro has hit well in 21 plate appearances for the Brewers but has spent the majority of the season in Triple-A Nashville.
The Mariners acquired Wong in hopes of adding a productive left-handed bat who could hold down the fort at second base for at least one season. Wong had perhaps the two best offensive seasons of his career with the Brewers in 2021-22, batting a combined .262/.337/.439 with 29 home runs, 56 doubles, six triples and 29 steals in 989 trips to the plate.
Wong, a two-time Gold Glove winner who was once regarded as the sport’s premier defender at his position, had an uncharacteristically shaky season on the defensive end of the game in 2022, however. Last year’s 17 errors were more than he’d committed in the three prior seasons combined and tied a career-worst mark from 2015 — his second big league season. Statcast pegged him at 10 outs below average with the glove.
While Wong scaled back the errors in Seattle, he still drew below-average grades defensively, and the offensive gains he’d made in Milwaukee evaporated. The Mariners gave him a surprising amount of leash, but in 216 plate appearances he’s been one of the game’s least effective hitters in 2023, batting .165/.241/.227 with a career-worst 21.7% strikeout rate and a career-low 85.8 mph average exit velocity.
The Mariners will remain on the hook for the rest of Wong’s $10MM salary, so the Dodgers would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the Major League roster. With a resurgent performance from Jason Heyward in right field and with David Peralta bouncing back from a dismal start to the season in left, Los Angeles has been able to move Mookie Betts to the infield to handle the bulk of the workload at second base since struggling top prospect Miguel Vargas was optioned. Between Betts, Vargas, Amed Rosario, Chris Taylor and prospect Michael Busch, the Dodgers are hardly lacking for depth at second base. Still, Wong will give them some extra insurance in the event of injuries. And, if the Dodgers can get him back on track, he’s signed with the organization early enough (i.e. prior to Sept. 1) to be eligible for postseason play — should they succeed in restoring him to prior form.
The Opener: Winn, Bichette, Milestones
As we gear up for the weekend, here are three things to watch around baseball…
1. Winn set for big league debut:
The Cardinals selected the contract of infielder Masyn Winn last night, and he’ll make his big league debut today against Joey Lucchesi and the Mets. Selected with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2020 draft, the 21-year-old Winn is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most promising prospects, ranking No. 30 overall at Baseball America, No. 32 at MLB.com and No. 47 at FanGraphs. A sensational athlete and former two-way player, Winn focused solely on his development as an infielder in 2021. He’s soared through the minors, spending the entire season to date in Triple-A despite just turning 21 at the end of spring training. He’s more than five years younger than the average player in a .288/.359/.474 batting line with 18 home runs, 15 doubles, seven triples and 17 stolen bases in 498 plate appearances. Scouting reports tout his above-average hit tool, plus speed and 80-grade arm at shortstop. And, given that he’s still somewhat recently honed in on the position-playing side of his game, there’s still a chance for him to grow into some more power as well.
2. Bichette return:
Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has now played in a pair of minor league rehab games, serving as the designated hitter for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday before playing shortstop in the Bisons’ game yesterday. Bichette’s previously ailing knee doesn’t appear to be bothering him, as he pounded an opposite-field two-run homer in his first plate appearance Thursday and potentially finished up a brief two-game rehab stint with a 4-for-5 showing. The Jays haven’t formally reinstated Bichette just yet, though they’d previously informed beat writers that the hope was for him to play one rehab game as a designated hitter and one as a shortstop before evaluating him for a possible return this weekend. Even if Bichette heads back to Buffalo for another game or two, it seems likely he’ll be back this weekend — with a return in tonight’s series opener against the Reds a distinct possibility.
3. McCutchen, Altuve approaching notable milestones:
Multi-time All-Stars Andrew McCutchen and Jose Altuve are both closing in on key milestones, with the latter standing a particularly good chance at reaching an impressive round number this weekend. Altuve is sitting at 1,997 career hits and will look to become just the 297th player to ever tally 2,000 hits in his big league career. He’ll look to do so in a road series against the Mariners, squaring off against Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock along the way. Meanwhile, another former MVP who also collected his 2,000th hit this season, Andrew McCutchen, is three long balls shy of becoming just the 158th player in MLB history to swat 300 homers. The 36-year-old will face off against Twins starters Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and Dallas Keuchel this weekend in Minnesota. Reaching 300 this weekend after connecting on only 10 homers all season to date seems unlikely, but Cutch could still chip away at the milestone and seems likely to get there at some point in the near future.
Triston Casas Has Arrived
Red Sox fans have been waiting roughly a half decade to see whether 2018 first-round pick Triston Casas would eventually become a fixture in the lineup. The hulking 6’4″, 252-pound slugger was selected with the No. 26 overall pick that year and has ranked among baseball’s 100 best prospects in each of the past four offseasons according to both Baseball America and MLB.com.
As recently as this April, however, the early returns were looking questionable. Casas got a cup of coffee last season, hitting five homers and walking at a 20% clip in 95 plate appearances — but also hitting the ball on the ground at a whopping 56.8% clip. Not an ideal trait for a slow-footed slugger. Add in a sluggish start to this season, which saw Casas pare back that ground-ball rate but experience a large uptick in strikeout percentage (30.2% through 96 plate appearances), and it was hardly a promising start. Through his first 192 big league plate appearances, Casas batted .162/.319/.344 with an elite 18.8% walk rate and above-average but not elite power. He fanned in 27.2% of those plate appearances.
In the three and a half months since, however, Casas has not only turned things around — he’s emerged as a genuine middle-of-the-lineup bat — at least against right-handed pitching. In his past 301 trips to the plate, Casas has produced a mammoth .293/.379/.540 output with 16 home runs, 13 doubles and a pair of triples. His walk rate is “down” to 12.3% in that time, and he’s fanned at a 23.6% rate that’s only slightly north of the league average.
The biggest change in Casas’ first couple months of big league experience and this productive stretch has been one of passivity — or rather, lack thereof. From last year’s debut through early May this year, Casas swung at just 62.9% of the pitches he saw within the strike zone (and 40% of pitches overall). During his this streak of mashing at the plate, he’s swinging at 72.2% of pitches in the strike zone and 45.2% of the pitches he sees overall. He’s now swinging at in-zone pitches at a higher-than-average rate (league average is 68.7%) but still swinging at a lower total percentage of pitches than the league-average 47.3%. That’s because Casas is rarely enticed by pitches out of the zone; he’s chased off the plate at just a 25.6% clip — more than six percentage points beneath the 31.8% league average.
As far as the quality of Casas’ contact, it’s been excellent. He was making consistent hard contact even before his early-May turnaround began, but the increased aggression within the strike zone now just means he’s making a lot more of it. Casas has averaged 91.5 mph off the bat this season (league average is 89.1 mph) and put 46.1% of his batted balls in play at 95 mph or more (league average is 39.3%). Statcast has classified 14.5% of his batted balls as “barreled” (16.1% during his peak productivity).
Granted, some of the breakout has been a function of Casas being shielded from left-handed pitching. Casas has clear platoon issues in his young career, hitting just .193/.343/.325 against southpaws versus .257/.357/.503 against righties. This season, he’s 219th in the Majors with just 77 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. The Sox haven’t completely eliminated his playing time against southpaws, but compare his total plate appearances against southpaws to fellow lefty-swinging teammates like Rafael Devers (148 plate appearances), Masataka Yoshida (123) and Alex Verdugo (140) — and it becomes clear that the Sox have at best been selective about the opportunities they’ll give him versus same-handed opposition.
Time will tell whether this year’s usage signals intent for long-term platooning or is just a means of building some confidence in the burgeoning young slugger. If the Sox want to platoon Casas moving forward, there’s at least one natural candidate down on the farm in 28-year-old Bobby Dalbec. Once a fairly heralded prospect himself, Dalbec has been squeezed out of the mix on the big league roster but responded with an outstanding .278/.384/.589 batting line and 30 homers in Triple-A this year. Against left-handed pitching, he’s posted a ludicrous .347/.438/.640 line. Dalbec’s future in Boston — he could potentially be a trade target for a club with eyes on giving him an everyday look this winter — is a topic worth diving into on its own, but suffice it to say he’s at least played his way into consideration for such a role. If not, the free agent market this offseason will feature right-handed bats like Garrett Cooper, C.J. Cron, Donovan Solano and Darin Ruf.
The Sox started Casas against southpaw MacKenzie Gore last night and left him in to face lefty reliever Jose Ferrer. (Casas went 1-for-3, singling off Ferrer.) It’s probably in their best interest to continue giving Casas opportunities against southpaws down the stretch, both to get him additional experience in left-on-left matchups and to help evaluate whether they’ll need a platoon partner for him in the long run.
Casas is still a work in progress defensively (-4 Defensive Runs Saved, -11 Outs Above Average), and it’s an open question just how productive he’ll end up being against left-handed pitching. If he can narrow his platoon splits and/or make some strides on the defensive side of his game, he has star potential in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. He already looks the part against right-handed pitching, however, and Casas’ dedication to the science of hitting (check out his recent Q&A with FanGraphs’ David Laurila) should serve him well as he looks to become a more complete hitter.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Cubs, Richard Bleier Agree To Minor League Deal
The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran left-handed reliever Richard Bleier, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Bleier, who was released by the Red Sox last week, is headed to Triple-A Iowa for the time being.
The 36-year-old Bleier went from Miami to Boston this winter in an offseason trade sending Matt Barnes and cash the other way. Both teams involved in the swap hoped that a change of scenery would benefit the two veteran relievers, but it didn’t pan out for either. Bleier was roughed up for a 5.28 ERA in 30 1/3 frames with the Sox and also missed time with a shoulder injury, while Barnes yielded a 5.48 ERA in 21 1/3 innings before requiring season-ending hip surgery.
Looking beyond the current season, Bleier has regularly posted strong ERA marks despite one of the game’s lowest strikeout rates. He logged a sub-2.00 ERA in each of his first three big league seasons and a sub-3.00 ERA in two of the next three, so even with this year’s struggles, the soft-tossing southpaw owns a lifetime 3.27 mark in 330 1/3 innings. Bleier, however, averages just 89.2 mph on his fastball and has a career 13.6% strikeout rate. He’s gotten by thanks largely to a spectacular 3.9% walk rate, 60.9% ground-ball rate and consistently low exit velocities. That said, his results have worsened as he’s progressed into his mid-30s.
For the Cubs, there’s no real risk in taking a look at Bleier in Triple-A to see if they can get him back to form. The Red Sox are on the hook for this year’s $3.5MM salary and the $250K buyout on his 2024 club option, meaning Chicago will only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. Because he’s signed before Sept. 1, Bleier would be postseason-eligible for the Cubs, in the event that they reach the playoffs and that Bleier pitches well enough to merit consideration for such a spot. The Cubs don’t presently have a lefty in their bullpen — Drew Smyly is likely headed back to the rotation following Marcus Stroman‘s injury — so if Bleier performs decently in Des Moines there could be a spot for him at the big league level (particularly when rosters expand to 28 players on Sept. 1).
Rays Designate Hector Perez For Assignment, Activate Andrew Kittredge
The Rays announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Hector Perez for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow righty Andrew Kittredge, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
Perez, 27, was only selected to the big league roster yesterday — a move intended to give the Rays a fresh arm in the bullpen. With Kittredge’s return looming, a short stay on the roster for the out-of-options righty always seemed like a possibility. That Perez pitched in yesterday’s game and allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base surely didn’t help his cause. Yesterday’s appearance marked Perez’s second career big league stint, though his other — a 2020 cup of coffee in Toronto — was similarly brief. The Jays gave him 1 2/3 innings back in 2020, during which he allowed a pair of runs.
All told, Perez has completed just two innings in the Major Leagues and allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with one strikeout in that time. He has a career 3.78 ERA and 26.7% strikeout rate in the minors, however, including a 4.08 ERA and 30% strikeout rate (albeit against a 13% walk rate) in 53 innings at the Triple-A level so far in 2023. Players who’ve been designated for assignment can no longer be traded now that the deadline has passed, so Perez will be placed on outright waivers or release waivers within the next five days. He’s been outrighted previously in his career, so he can refuse a minor league assignment and explore other opportunities if he goes unclaimed on outright waivers.
The 33-year-old Kittredge will be returning from a 14-month absence following last June’s Tommy John surgery. Prior to his injury, he’d emerged as one of Tampa Bay’s best relievers, pitching to a 2.17 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate, 51.9% ground-ball rate and 0.99 homers per nine over the life of 99 2/3 innings from 2020-22. Along the way, he picked up 14 saves and seven holds.
Kittredge’s return is a massive boost for the Rays’ bullpen, but it won’t do much to stop the bleeding in a rotation that has now lost Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs to season-ending surgeries. Rasmussen underwent flexor surgery earlier this season, while both Springs and McClanahan required Tommy John procedures to repair ligament damage in their elbow. The still-recent revelation that McClanahan would require Tommy John surgery is a particularly brutal blow, given both his status as a legitimate No. 1 starter and the timing of the injury; he’ll likely miss the entire 2024 season as well (or at the very least the vast majority of it).
Kittredge will join Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam and Colin Poche as a viable late-inning option for manager Kevin Cash. He’s also no stranger to working as an opener, if the Rays prefer to opt for some bullpen games in light of their injury woes. Kittredge has “started” 15 games in his career but never gone more than three innings. He’s frequently worked two innings to open a game for the Rays. Currently, Tampa Bay’s rotation consists of Tyler Glasnow, offseason signee Zach Eflin, deadline acquisition Aaron Civale and reliever-turned-starter Zack Littell.
Diamondbacks Outright Kristian Robinson
Outfielder Kristian Robinson, whom the Diamondbacks designated for assignment over the weekend, went unclaimed on waivers, tweets Jesse Friedman of PHNX Sports. The team has apparently assigned Robinson back to its Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, as he’s already suited up for a game there since his DFA.
Once a high-profile amateur signing out of the Bahamas who was considered to be among the sport’s top 100 prospects, Robinson’s career has been slowed by legal issues (as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco outlined earlier this year when Robinson was reinstated from the restricted list). A then-19-year-old Robinson pled guilty to felony assault charges stemming from an altercation in April of 2020 but eventually agreed to a plea deal that would reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, contingent on him completing an 18-month probation window. Robinson was unable to renew his work visa (and thus unable to play in the D-backs system) during that probationary period, which ended this spring.
Since returning to the Diamondbacks after a three-year absence from playing in minor leagues, the now-22-year-old Robinson has appeared in 45 games between Rookie ball, Class-A and High-A. In 193 plate appearances, he’s slashed .276/.383/.460 with seven homers, three doubles, three triples, 19 steals (in 22 tries) and an 11.4% walk rate. That impressive performance isn’t without some statistical red flags, however. Robinson has punched out in an alarming 31.1% of his plate appearances, and the bulk of those stats have come against younger competition in A-ball and Rookie ball. He’s yet to really be tested against more advanced pitching, which makes the already sky-high strikeout rate all the more concerning.
Now that he’s gone unclaimed on waivers, he’ll remain in the D-backs’ system but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Opener: Cardinals, Rays, Veteran Depth Options
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around baseball today…
1. Cardinals, Cardinals, Cardinals:
There’s no shortage of intrigue around the Cardinals right now — albeit not for reasons the St. Louis faithful would prefer. Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman both left last night’s game after injuring themselves on foul balls — Edman fouling one into his leg and Nootbaar fouling one into his groin. The latter was taken to a “non-emergency medical facility” for further exams, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards will have updates on both today, but with that pair ailing and Nolan Gorman now having missed three games due to ongoing back discomfort, the Cards could be shorthanded and forced into some kind of roster move.
Elsewhere on the roster, tonight will be a crucial night for struggling franchise icon Adam Wainwright, who has limped to an 8.78 ERA in 66 2/3 innings during what will be the final season of his big league career. Wainwright is two wins away from becoming just the 122nd player to ever reach 200 wins … but he’s allowed 38 runs in 23 innings since his last victory, exactly two months ago to the day. Wainwright tells Benjamin Hochman of the Post-Dispatch that he has no plans to quit and plans to see the season through. Manager Oli Marmol acknowledged Wainwright’s struggles, telling Hochman that in the event of another non-competitive outing, “we’ll sit down and we’ll have another honest conversation as to what does this really looks like moving forward and what’s best.”
2. Kittredge set to return to Rays:
When the Rays next take the field on Friday, they’ll likely do so with right-hander Andrew Kittredge in their bullpen for the first time since June 8, 2022. Kittredge, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, has wrapped up his rehab process and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Righty Hector Perez, who was selected to the big league roster yesterday and subsequently allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base, seems to be a likely corresponding move.
Getting Kittredge back is nothing short of a boon to a Tampa Bay pitching staff that has been ravaged by injuries. While he’s not going to step into the rotation to help offset the crushing losses of Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, Kittredge was a quietly elite bullpen option from 2020-22 before his injury. In his past 99 2/3 big league frames, he’s notched a 2.17 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 51.9% ground-ball rate.
3. More veterans hit the market:
As August has worn on, we’ve seen several notable names jettisoned from Major League rosters by way of DFA. With no trades of Major League players allowed, any player designated for assignment at this point can only be placed on outright or release waivers, instantly making him available to all 29 other teams. Yesterday’s DFAs of Ryan Thompson (Rays) and Luke Weaver (Reds) add another pair of potential depth options for teams, joining earlier DFA casualties like Mychal Givens and the since-released Carson Kelly and Chasen Shreve. (Givens, as of this morning, had not yet passed through waivers but will likely clear, given his $5MM salary and injury-plagued season.) Both Thompson and Weaver are affordable enough — earning $1MM and $2MM this season, respectively — that it’s not completely out of the question that a team would claim them, though that appears unlikely in the latter’s case, given the extent of his struggles. Even if Givens, Thompson and Weaver all become free agents, they’ll stand out as immediate depth options for teams dealing with injuries in the bullpen or (in Weaver’s case) the rotation.
There are also a handful of notable veterans who’ve been released from minor league deals recently, including catcher Kevin Plawecki, lefty Fernando Abad, right-hander Dan Altavilla and designated hitter/outfielder Franmil Reyes. Royals righty Nick Wittgren, meanwhile, is likely to elect free agency today.