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Brewers Outright Taylor Clarke

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July 10: Clarke went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. As previously noted, he’ll likely accept. Clarke picked up 48 days of service earlier this season while on the major league injured list, bringing him to 4.168 years of service — just four days shy of the five years he’d need to reject the outright but retain his salary. (Clarke did not receive big league service time during his DFA window, as he was in Triple-A at the time he was designated.)

July 3: The Brewers have designated right-hander Taylor Clarke for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for newly acquired right-hander Aaron Civale. The right-hander did not pitch in the majors for Milwaukee after coming over from Kansas City in an offseason trade sending minor league right-hander Ryan Brady and minor league infielder Cam Devanney back to the Royals.

The 31-year-old Clarke pitched in the big leagues for the 2019-21 D-backs and 2022-23 Royals. He had a nice showing with Kansas City in 2022, tossing 49 innings of 4.04 ERA ball with a solid 23.6% strikeout rate and pristine 3.9% walk rate. He couldn’t sustain that production into the 2023 campaign, however, evidenced by a 5.95 ERA in 59 frames. Clarke punched out an even better 24.4% of his opponents but also walked 9% of the batters he faced and yielded considerably more hard contact en route to a bloated 1.83 HR/9 mark.

Milwaukee, likely intrigued by Clarke’s 95 mph average heater, ability to miss bats and remaining minor league option, sent a pair of minor leaguers to Kansas City after the Royals had designated Clarke for assignment themselves (to make room for the signing of Seth Lugo). He opened the season on the minor league injured list and has been stretched out as a starter since returning, though the results haven’t been encouraging. Clarke has pitched in 11 games, nine of them starts, and been tagged for a dreary 5.30 earned run average. He’s back to showing strong command (5.2% walk rate) but has seen his strikeout rate dip to 19.5% while last season’s home run troubles persist (1.77 HR/9)

The Brewers will either trade Clarke or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. (Waivers themselves are an additional 48 hour process.) He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors in the event that he goes unclaimed, but doing so would require forfeiture of the remainder of this season’s $1.25MM salary. Given that arbitration salary and his struggles in the upper minors, it seems likely that Clarke will clear and remain with the Brewers in Triple-A Nashville. If he’s not added back to the 40-man roster before season’s end, he’d be eligible for minor league free agency, as is the case with all players who possess three-plus years of service but have been removed from a team’s 40-man roster.

David Dahl Elects Free Agency

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The Phillies announced that outfielder David Dahl has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment earlier this week. Players with a previous career outright or three years of service time can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, with Dahl qualifying on both counts.

Dahl, 30, was able to manufacture a feel-good comeback story a few weeks ago but it eventually ran out of steam. The veteran was mostly hurt for the 2020-23 period but looked great after signing a minor league deal with the Phils in the winter. He got into 43 Triple-A games and ripped 12 home runs in that time while also drawing walks at an 11.4% clip. He slashed .340/.416/.660 during his 166 plate appearances as an IronPig.

That got him called up to the majors as the Phillies put Brandon Marsh on the injured list. It seemed for a moment that Dahl was going to be able to keep the good times rolling, hitting two homers in his first three games with the Phils. But he hit a wall after that with a .154/.196/.231 line in his next 56 plate appearances, getting bumped off the roster when Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper returned from IL stints.

Dahl will now look for his next opportunity elsewhere, though the fact that all clubs passed on the opportunity to grab him off waivers suggests he’ll likely have to settle for another minor league deal. Some teams may be intrigued by his blistering start in Triple-A this year, as well as his past record. He hit .297/.346/.521 in 240 games with the Rockies from 2016 to 2019 but, as mentioned, has been hamstrung by injuries since then.

He has suffered a lacerated spleen that led to the organ needing to be removed entirely, as well as a stress fracture in his ribcage, a broken foot, a high ankle sprain, a shoulder strain, multiple back injuries and a quad strain. He has hit .200/.237/.318 in his 390 major league plate appearances since the end of 2019, split between the Rangers, Padres and Phillies.

Dahl passed five years of service this year but won’t be able to get to the six-year mark. If he winds up hitting somewhere and gets back on a roster, he could be retained via arbitration for 2025. With the trade deadline now less than three weeks away, perhaps some upcoming roster shuffling will open a nice opportunity for him somewhere.

Dominican Prosecutors Bring Formal Charges Against Wander Franco

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July 10:  Recio further reports that in a Wednesday press release, Dominican authorities have indicated Franco will also be accused of human trafficking (in addition to prior charges of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor). The additional charge comes with potential for as much as 20 years in prison. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays on X that Franco is no longer on administrative leave. The Rays requested he be moved to the restricted list and MLB approved their request. Franco won’t be paid nor will he receive service time while on the restricted list.

July 9: Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic have brought formal charges against Wander Franco, tweets Juan Arturo Recio of ESPN. Franco is officially facing charges of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, according to the report.

Franco has been on administrative leave for the entire 2024 season. He has not played in the majors since social media allegations came to light last August accusing Franco of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl. The age of consent in the Dominican Republic is 18.

In January, prosecutors claimed that Franco paid the girl’s mother the equivalent of thousands of dollars to remain silent about the alleged abuse. According to a Spanish-language report from Listín Diario, the girl’s mother is facing charges of trafficking, sexual exploitation and money laundering.

While prosecutors initially indicated they were considering charging Franco with commercial/sexual exploitation and money laundering, a judge lessened the potential charges against him to sexual and psychological abuse. Those charges come with a potential prison term of two to five years. The court gave prosecutors until July to determine whether to officially bring charges, which they have decided to do.

MLB is likely to wait for the legal proceedings to play out before levying any discipline against Franco under the domestic violence/child abuse policy. Administrative leave, which is not considered punitive, is designed to allow the league to conduct an investigation after players are accused of a violation. MLB and the Players Association have already agreed to extend Franco’s leave until the All-Star Break. It is likely they’ll continue to do so until the legal process in the D.R. is resolved.

Rangers Sign Matt Festa To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Matt Festa to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty, who elected free agency last week, has been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Festa, 31, started the year on a minor league deal with the Padres. He tossed 16 innings for their Triple-A club with a 4.50 earned run average, 21.6% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate. Those peripherals were all fairly close to average but a .360 batting average on balls in play helped push some more runs across, with his 3.43 FIP painting a nicer picture of his work with the Chihuahuas.

The righty was released by the Padres in mid-May, which was perhaps the results of an opt-out since his numbers with El Paso weren’t bad. He then landed another minor league deal, this one with the Mets, and posted even better numbers. In 15 1/3 Triple-A frames with Syracuse, he had a 1.76 ERA, 32.2% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate.

He was called up to join a struggling Mets bullpen but his one outing with that club was a disaster. On June 30, the Mets and Astros were tied at five after 10 innings and Festa was sent to the mound in the 11th. The inning started with Alex Bregman as the free runner on second, then the Mets intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez. Festa went on to surrender four hits in the inning from there, allowing Bregman and four others to score as the Mets lost 10-5.

He was designated for assignment a few days later and elected free agency after clearing waivers, which was his right as a player with a previous career outright. He has now landed his third minor league deal of the year, this time with the Rangers.

The relief corps in Texas has a combined 4.37 ERA on the year, which places them 22nd in the majors. Festa will give them a non-roster depth arm with some major league experience. He has 94 2/3 big league innings on his track record with a 4.66 ERA, 25.1% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate. If he gets added to their roster, he is out of options but has between one and two years of service time, meaning he can be retained beyond the current campaign if he finishes the year on the roster.

Giants’ Zaidi Downplays Need For Major Deadline Acquisition

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At 45-47, the Giants sit ten games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. They’re two and a half games back in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot, with three teams (including division-rival San Diego and Arizona) in order to claim that spot. The Pirates sit just a half-game behind San Francisco in the standings. The Cubs are only one game behind. It’s a tightly contested bunch of fringe contenders, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi isn’t publicly broadcasting an urgency to make a splash to separate his club from the pack.

“When I look at our team, we have pretty solid players at every spot in the field,” Zaidi said last night (link via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle). “We have a rotation that’s getting healthier and a bullpen that’s done a nice job. So nothing jumps out as a spot where we need an emergency plug in.”

The rotation health to which Zaidi is referring includes not only reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who returned from the IL and made his best start of the season last night, but also veteran hurlers Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb. Ray, acquired in an offseason swap with the Mariners, is on the mend from 2023 Tommy John surgery. Cobb, whose $10MM option was exercised following the 2023 season, has had a longer-than-expected recovery from hip surgery. Both veterans are currently on minor league rehab assignments that could see them activated later this month.

In some respects, this was always the plan. After signing free agents Snell and Jordan Hicks to pair with ace Logan Webb, the Giants patched together the rest of their first-half rotation with a series of in-house promotions and bullpen games. Injuries to Tristan Beck, Keaton Winn  and Kyle Harrison have tested their depth at times.

The season-long results aren’t great overall. Giants starters rank dead last in the majors with 428 innings pitched and sit 22nd in each of ERA (4.48), strikeout rate (20.8%) and walk rate (8.3%). The impending returns of Ray and Cobb could well  help turn the tides, but it’s also worth noting that Hicks has significantly tailed off after a hot start — perhaps no surprise given that he’s now into uncharted waters (in terms of workload) as a reliever making the conversion to starting pitching.

While the Giants can hope to soon have a rotation of Webb, Ray, Cobb, Harrison and Hicks — a strong quintet indeed if all are healthy — the question of depth persists. Winn has been out since June 21 due to elbow inflammation and has not begun a rehab assignment. Beck has been out all season after requiring surgery to address an aneurysm in his shoulder. Rookie Mason Black has been hit hard in three starts. Fellow debut hurler Hayden Birdsong has fared a bit better but hardly been dominant through three trips to the hill. Top prospect Carson Whisenhunt has started 18 games in Triple-A but has a 5.79 ERA and 11.7% walk rate.

Similarly, the bullpen has its own slate of questions. San Francisco relievers have thrown more innings (383 1/3) than any team in MLB, as one would naturally expect for a team with the game’s fewest rotation innings. Part of that is attributable to their frequent use of bullpen games — a strategy that can take its toll on a relief corps over time. The Giants have received strong work from Ryan Walker, Sean Hjelle, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Rogers this season. Closer Camilo Doval has been less effective than in the past, with a pedestrian 4.04 ERA and worrisome 14.2% walk rate (the worst mark of his career). Rookie right-hander Randy Rodriguez has been decent in middle relief, but fellow rookie Landen Roupp and veteran Luke Jackson have struggled. As is the case with the rotation, the bullpen has a talented core group but could certainly stand to be deepened.

On the position player side of things, the Giants have received strong production from each of catcher, first base and third base. Patrick Bailey has emerged as a cornerstone piece behind the dish. Veteran OBP machine LaMonte Wade Jr. is a sound option at first base. Matt Chapman is hitting well and playing plus defense at the hot corner.

In the outfield, the Giants have seen former top prospect Heliot Ramos break out as an All-Star. Michael Conforto’s recent hot streak (.289/.391/.658 over his past 15 games) has pulled him back to above-average offensive production on the whole. Mike Yastrzemski has underwhelmed thus far and will presumably platoon with Luis Matos for the time being. Jorge Soler has produced average offense out of the DH spot but isn’t going anywhere in the first season of a three-year, $42MM deal.

The middle infield is far less set in stone. The recent DFA of Nick Ahmed has Tyler Fitzgerald and Brett Wisely ticketed for frequent reps there. Both are hitting well but doing so with some particularly good fortune on balls in play. Second baseman Thairo Estrada just returned from the injured list but has batted only .227/.260/.371 in 315 plate appearances when healthy — a far cry from the .266/.320/.416 he slashed from 2021-23.

Perhaps Zaidi is correct in suggesting that there’s no glaring need where the Giants are performing with disastrous results and no reinforcements on the horizon. The sixth-year president of baseball operations spoke of the importance of allowing players like Fitzgerald and Matos to come to the big leagues and feel they have an opportunity to earn playing time, just as Ramos has.

At the same time, banking on production from so many unproven assets is a risky proposition for a team that, despite a sub-.500 record, has a legitimate playoff chance. It’s always a fine line to walk, giving players like Fitzgerald and Matos chances at playing time while also striving to remain competitive. The Giants are also sitting on a club-record $208MM payroll and are presently about $16MM north of the luxury tax threshold, per RosterResource. It’s not clear just how much ownership is willing to tack onto that record spending — if they’re willing to at all.

Pirates, Angels Reportedly Discussing Taylor Ward Trade

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1:14pm: The Pirates are indeed interested in Ward, per Noah Hiles of the Post-Gazette, though he’s one of multiple targets on their radar and a deal isn’t near the finish line at present.

11:24am: The Pirates and Angels are in talks on a trade that would send outfielder Taylor Ward from Anaheim to Pittsburgh, reports Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 93.7 FM The Fan. While a deal isn’t yet complete, Zeise adds that Pittsburgh is actively trying to get the deal across the finish line.

Adding to the outfield is a sensible pursuit for a Pirates club that is in the NL Wild Card hunt but has received poor production from its outfield. While Bryan Reynolds is having one of his best seasons (.280/.344/.486, 17 homers, 131 wRC+), the rest of the group has been lacking. Even with that standout production from Reynolds, the outfield has combined for a .225/.297/.357 batting line overall. The resulting 84 wRC+ indicates that Pittsburgh outfielders have been 16% worse than average at the plate. Each of Jack Suwinski (.187/.269/.349), Michael A. Taylor (.202/.259/.274) and Edward Olivares (.216/.285/.324) have struggled mightily in the outfield. Connor Joe has roughly league-average numbers on the whole but hasn’t hit well when tasked with patrolling the outfield (.205/.292/.270 on those days).

Ward, 30, would give the Bucs a steady bat to plug into a corner spot, with Reynolds manning the other. The 2024 campaign hasn’t been Ward’s best, but he’s hitting .238/.321/.417 (107 wRC+) with 14 homers on the year. And dating back to a 2021 breakout, the former first-round pick carries a .259/.340/.441 slash with quality defensive marks, particularly in left field. Ward’s below-average speed limits his range, but he has a strong and accurate arm that’s helped him to be a solid defensive contributor.

For a perennially cost-conscious club like Pittsburgh, Ward makes extra sense. He’s being paid a reasonable $4.8MM in 2024 and is controllable for two additional seasons beyond the current campaign. He’ll earn a pair of raises in arbitration for 2025 and 2026, but his price tag isn’t likely to balloon to untenable levels, even by the Pirates’ standards. Those extra two seasons of control make him a particularly appealing target for a club that doesn’t have a top-ranked outfield prospect knocking down the door at the moment but is teeming with young pitching talent that looks like the foundation for a competitive core.

The Angels are reportedly reluctant to trade their players who are controlled beyond the current season, though it’s always possible that stance is at least partially posturing. It’s also feasible that the Pirates feel Ward checks enough boxes for them that they’re willing to make an offer the Angels don’t feel they can pass up, even if their general preference is to only deal from their stock of rental players. That talks are ostensibly substantial even with three weeks to go until the deadline would suggest that Pittsburgh is at least willing to discuss the possibility of parting with some compelling names.

White Sox Promote Jake Eder

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The White Sox announced that left-hander Jake Eder will be their 27th player for today’s double-header against the Twins. He was already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Eder, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the Marlins in 2020. He was quickly sent to Double-A in 2021 and made 15 strong starts there with a 1.77 earned run average, 34.5% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 50.3% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in August of that year, which forced him to miss the remainder of that season and all of 2022.

He returned to the mound in 2023 but was then traded to the White Sox at that year’s deadline, going in a straight one-for-one deal with Jake Burger going the other way. He seemed to struggle a bit with his control in his return to the mound. Between the two organizations, he tossed 56 2/3 innings last year with a 6.35 ERA. His 26.2% strikeout rate was still strong but he gave out walks to 13.5% of batters faced. The free passes continued to be an issue in the Arizona Fall League, as he walked 15 opponents in 17 2/3 innings there.

Nonetheless, he remained a significant part of the future plans for the White Sox. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Now further removed from his surgery, the control seems to be coming back to him. He has made 15 Double-A starts this year with a 9.3% walk rate and 25.9% strikeout rate. The 5.09 ERA isn’t pretty but a .368 batting average on balls in play is possibly inflating that, which is why his FIP is 3.82.

It’s possible that this is just a one-day stint for Eder with the club needing an extra arm for the twin bill. James Fegan of Sox Machine suggests on X that Eder could be bumped to Triple-A after today, a level he has not yet pitched at. But it seems the Sox are fairly committed to having him make his major league debut before the day is done. Per Vinnie Duber of CHGO Sports on X, manager Pedro Grifol said there’s “a good chance” he’ll call on Eder at some point. “If I get the opportunity to put him in, I’m putting him in there. I’m not going to hesitate at all. I have confidence in him, we all do. That’s why he’s here. It’ll be nice to see him. He’s a big part of the future.”

The Sox have a fairly wide open rotation, with Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde perhaps slated to be traded elsewhere in the coming weeks while Chris Flexen and Mike Clevinger are impending free agents. Eder is in the mix for future starting roles alongside guys like Drew Thorpe, Jonathan Cannon, Nick Nastrini, Jared Shuster, Jesse Scholtens, Davis Martin and others, with deadline deals likely to add more names into that mix. How that plays out remains to be seen but Eder will seemingly get a little taste of the majors today.

Marlins Outright Matt Andriese

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The Marlins have sent right-hander Matt Andriese outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. He has the right to elect free agency but accepted an outright assignment with the Marlins earlier this year.

Andriese, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in February. He has twice been selected to the big league roster this year but both times resulted in a fairly short stay before he was designated for assignment and passed through waivers. Over those two stints, he has tossed six innings over four appearances with four earned runs allowed, leading to an earned run average of 6.00. He’s spent most of the year working a multi-inning role in Triple-A, logging 32 frames over 13 appearances with a 4.78 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 37.4% ground ball rate.

The Miami pitching staff has been decimated by injuries and might get even further thinned out at the deadline. Braxton Garrett, Sandy Alcántara, Eury Pérez, Jesús Luzardo, Sixto Sánchez, Ryan Weathers and Josh Simpson are all currently on the injured list, with some of those guys out for the year. Tanner Scott seems very likely to be traded as an impending free agent on a club at the bottom of the standings, while guys like A.J. Puk, Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher and Declan Cronin have been mentioned in trade rumors or are speculative candidates to be moved.

If Andriese decides to report to Jacksonville, as he did when outrighted in April, there’s a decent chance he’ll be called up to the big leagues again as the Marlins wind down the season. From 2015 to 2021, Andriese tossed 509 innings between the Rays, Diamondbacks, Angels, Red Sox and Mariners with a 4.63 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. He didn’t pitch in the majors in 2022 or 2023, spending time with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Yankees Sign Tim Mayza To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed left-hander Tim Mayza to a minor league deal, according to a report from Brendan Kuty and Katie Woo of The Athletic. The lefty will presumably be assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shortly.

Mayza, 32, was recently released by the Blue Jays as he’s had an awful season thus far. He made 35 appearances for the Jays, logging 24 2/3 innings with 8.03 earned runs allowed per nine. His 9.9% walk rate on the year is passable but he has only struck out 13.2% of batters faced and his ground ball rate has been subpar at 39.1%.

Despite the recent struggles, it’s easy to see why the Yanks would be interested. Mayza underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2019 and missed all of 2020, but has was quite good between that absence and this year’s dip. Over the 2021-23 period, he made 193 appearances for the Jays with a 2.67 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 58.3% ground ball rate. He earned four saves and 56 holds for the Jays in that time.

All those numbers have moved in the wrong direction here in 2024, but there are reasons to suspect he’s not been as bad as an 8.03 ERA would suggest. His .367 batting average on balls in play and 54.8% strand rate have both been on the unfortunate side of average, which is why his 4.91 FIP and 5.08 SIERA paint a rosier picture of his work this year. The lack of strikeouts and ground balls this year undoubtedly exacerbated that bad luck a bit, but expecting some better results going forward is within reason.

The Yanks have been trying to solve the left-handed relief portion of their roster this season. Victor González was recently bounced off the roster after some shaky outings. Caleb Ferguson has held onto his spot despite a 5.46 ERA this year. They recently bought low on veteran groundballer Tim Hill and have also given limited looks to Anthony Misiewicz and Josh Maciejewski.

If Mayza can turn a corner and show that the first half of 2024 was just a bad stretch, there’s a path for him to get into that mix. The Yanks can get an up-close look at him for the next few weeks while they also assess who could be available on the trade market prior to the July 30 deadline.

Mayza is making $3.59MM this year but the Jays are on the hook for that since they released him. If the Yanks add him to the roster at any point, they would only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum for any time Mayza spends on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Jays pay. Mayza crossed over five years of service time earlier this year and can no longer be optioned to the minors, but if he gets a 40-man roster spot at some point, he can be retained via arbitration for the 2025 season.

Mariners Release Michael Perez

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The Mariners released veteran catcher Michael Perez, who’s been playing with their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, per Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto. His release clears way for Seby Zavala, who’s returning to the Rainiers after clearing outright waivers. Zavala and Michael Papierski will handle catching duties in Tacoma and stand as experienced depth options behind Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver.

Perez, 31, came to the Mariners alongside reliever Mike Baumann in a small trade sending minor league catcher Blake Hunt to Baltimore earlier this season. Perez has played in parts of six big league seasons between the Rays, Pirates and Mets. He’s a career .179/.248/.306 hitter in 599 trips to the plate. It’s a well below-average line (48% worse, by measure of wRC+), but Perez grades out quite well in terms of his throwing and blocking. He boasts a career 29% caught-stealing rate, and Statcast credits him as one of the game’s best blocking catchers on a rate basis. He’s typically drawn negative framing grades, however.

While Perez has struggled in Triple-A this season and last, he’s also had plenty of success at the level. In parts of six Triple-A campaigns, the lefty-swinging backstop is a .236/.324/.405 hitter with 36 homers, 31 doubles and a pair of triples in 975 plate appearances. He’ll head back to the open market in search of a new opportunity and should latch on with a club lacking catching depth — particularly if said club is seeking a glove-first option to stash in the upper minors.

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