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Marlins Claim Anthony Veneziano, Designate Three Players For Assignment

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The Marlins announced a huge batch of transactions today, including the previously reported claim of right-hander Lake Bachar. They also claimed left-hander Anthony Veneziano off waivers from the Royals. They also reinstated left-hander Josh Simpson from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville. To open 40-man roster spots for those three, they designated catcher Alí Sánchez, left-hander Kent Emanuel and right-hander Emmanuel Ramírez for assignment. Sánchez and Ramírez were on the active roster, so those two spots will be taken by infielder Xavier Edwards, who has been reinstated from the 10-day IL, and right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who has been recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville.

Veneziano was just designated for assignment on September 1, which happened to be his 27th birthday. He has a minimal big league track record, having tossed 2 1/3 innings with the Royals last year and another two innings this year.

The Marlins are likely interested in his pre-2024 track record, as it hasn’t been the lefty’s best season. He has tossed 90 innings at the Triple-A level this year with a 4.80 earned run average, 19.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate. But in 2023, he had a 3.55 ERA in his 132 minor league innings, striking out 23% of batters faced while limiting walks to an 8.7% clip.

Baseball America ranked him the #5 prospect in the Royals’ system coming into 2024. The results haven’t been as impressive this year but it’s understandable that the Marlins would still have hope of getting him back on track. He will still have two option years remaining after the current campaign, so they can get a close-up look at him in the minors and see if there’s a path towards better results in the long term.

Sánchez, 27, was added to the club’s roster in June and got into 31 games for the Fish. Unfortunately, he hit just .167/.211/.190 in his 96 plate appearances. He has generally performed well at the Triple-A level but without bringing it up to the majors. He has hit .276/.348/.409 at Triple-A from 2021 to the present, leading to a 97 wRC+ in a sample of just under 1,000 plate appearances. But he has a career line of .175/.221/.216 in the majors and is out of options.

Emanuel, 32, has been on and off the Marlins’ roster all year. He signed a minor league deal with the club in the winter and this is now the fifth time he’s been designated for assignment. Each time has seen him clear waivers, get outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville and later have his contract selected again. Given that pattern, it wouldn’t be a shock to see it all play out once more. Around those transactions, he has a 6.62 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings and a 6.15 ERA in 45 1/3 Triple-A innings.

Ramírez, 30, was first selected to the club’s roster back in April and has appeared in 15 big league games, the first of his career. He has a 6.97 ERA in those, though his peripherals are closer to average. He has a 22.8% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate on the year. His 54% strand rate is on the unlucky side, which is why his 4.63 FIP and 3.85 SIERA are far apart from his ERA. He also has a 3.76 ERA in 40 2/3 Triple-A innings this year.

All three of Sánchez, Emanuel and Ramírez will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days since the trade deadline has passed. Since it’s now September, they won’t be postseason eligible with any club that puts in a claim.

Pirates Claim Joey Wentz

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The Pirates have claimed left-hander Joey Wentz off waivers from the Tigers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Tigers had designated him for assignment in recent days. The Pirates had an open 40-man spot but will need to open an active roster spot once Wentz reports to the team since he is out of options.

Wentz, now 26, was once a notable prospect. He was selected 40th overall by Atlanta in the 2016 draft and posted some good numbers in the minors before being flipped to the Tigers in the July 2019 trade that sent Shane Greene the other way. Unfortunately, Wentz required Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, putting him on the shelf for that year and part of 2021. The Tigers nonetheless believed in his future, adding him to their 40-man roster in November of 2020 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

Since coming back from his surgery absence, he has generally posted solid numbers in the minors but not in the majors. Over the 2021-23 seasons, he tossed 154 innings on the farm, allowing 3.97 earned runs per nine innings. His 11.4% walk rate in that time was a bit high but he struck out 26.7% of batters faced. But he had a 5.99 ERA in 138 1/3 major league innings during that same time frame, striking out just 19.9% of batters faced in the big leagues.

He exhausted his option years in that stretch and has been out of options here in 2024. The Tigers kept him in their bullpen for the first few months of the season with some mixed results. He was able to provide them with a multi-inning relief arm, soaking up 55 1/3 frames over 38 outings, but with a 5.37 ERA. His 23.6% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate are close to average but his .333 batting average on balls in play and 69.8% strand rate have both been a bit on the unlucky side. His 4.52 FIP and 3.97 SIERA both suggest he deserved better results than he got this year.

Perhaps that is what the Pirates will be banking on, in addition to Wentz’s previous prospect pedigree. They will have to keep him on their active roster due to his out-of-options status but that should be doable with just a few weeks left in the season and the club now out of contention. If they manage to keep Wentz on their roster, he can be retained well into the future. He will finish this season with under two years of service time, meaning he can be retained for five seasons after this one.

Marlins Outright Jonathan Bermúdez

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The Marlins have sent left-hander Jonathan Bermúdez outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment on the weekend. He has the right to elect free agency but it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so.

Bermúdez, 28, was with the Marlins on a minor league deal when his contract was selected just over a week ago. He was able to make his major league debut a week ago, entering Tuesday’s game in the second inning after Roddery Muñoz was lit up for six earned runs in just an inning and a third. Bermúdez was able to toss 3 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and no walks, registering three strikeouts in the process. The Fish were down 6-0 to the Rockies after the second but managed to come back to win 9-8 via a five-run ninth.

The Marlins needed five pitchers to pull off that victory, so they optioned Bermúdez and Muñoz the next day to bring in some fresh arms. A few days later, infielder Vidal Bruján was headed for the injured list so the club selected José Devers to replace him, which sent Bermúdez into DFA limbo.

Though he just made his major league debut, Bermúdez had been on a 40-man roster before. He was drafted by the Astros and that club added him to their roster in November of 2021 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was designated for assignment in August of 2022 and went to the Giants via waivers, though he was outrighted about a week later.

Due to that previous outright, he has the right to elect free agency today if he so wishes. He posted decent minor league numbers through 2021, which is why he got that roster spot from the Astros, but the results haven’t been too strong lately. He has a 5.49 ERA in 273 2/3 minor league innings from 2022 to the present. That includes a 3.48 ERA this year, though that consists of a 2.53 ERA at Double-A and a 6.46 ERA at Triple-A.

Marlins Claim Lake Bachar

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The Marlins have claimed right-hander Lake Bachar from the Padres, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune on X. The Friars had designated him for assignment on the weekend. The Fish will need to make a corresponding move to open a 40-man roster spot for this claim.

Bachar, 29, has not yet made his major league debut but got a roster spot from the Padres based on his intriguing minor league work in recent years. He had to endure a lengthy absence, as the pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020 and then Bachar missed 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

He showed a bit of rust in 2022, posting a 6.15 earned run average at the Double-A level. Per an article from Sanders at Baseball America, a splitter camp run by Hideo Nomo in the spring of 2023 helped Bachar find a new gear. The righty went on to throw 60 1/3 innings at the Double-A level that year with a much-improved 2.69 ERA. He struck out 27.5% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10% clip.

He qualified for minor league free agency after 2023 and re-signed with the Padres on a minor league deal. That deal contained an opt-out at the start of August, so the Padres added him to their 40-man at that time to prevent him from getting away, but they kept him on optional assignment. He was briefly recalled about a week ago but didn’t get into a game and was optioned right back down.

Bachar was squeezed off the 40-man roster when the Padres bolstered their roster for September with catcher Elias Díaz and outfielder Brandon Lockridge. That’s despite him having another strong season in the minors. He has thrown 71 2/3 innings over 46 appearances at the Triple-A level with a 3.89 ERA in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League. He has a 27.4% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate.

Though he got nudged off the roster by the Padres, the Marlins are intrigued enough by his results to grab him. Bachar has almost zero service time and will still have two option years after this one, so he could be a long-term piece for them if he can hang onto his 40-man roster spot.

White Sox Designate Touki Toussaint For Assignment

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The White Sox announced they have designated right-hander Touki Toussaint for assignment. The move will give Chicago another 40-man vacancy, as they’re filling his spot by recalling righty Matt Foster, who’s already on the 40-man. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

Toussaint, 28, has pitched in 11 games and tallied 23 innings for the ChiSox this season, but the results haven’t been pretty. The former first-rounder and top prospect has been tagged for a 7.43 ERA, thanks in no small part to a bloated 15.4% walk rate. Toussaint has unequivocally had some poor fortune on balls in play, evidence by a mammoth .464 BABIP, and the White Sox’ porous defense surely hasn’t done him any favors in that regard.

All the same, Toussaint’s hefty walk rate and average strikeout rate (22.2%) aren’t conducive to success even with a more typical average on balls in play. He’s had a particularly rough go of it lately, with 11 runs yielded over his past 9 1/3 innings. Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Toussaint will head to waivers. He’ll likely clear, at which point he’ll have the right to elect free agency (both by virtue of his major league service time and prior outright assignments).

Foster, 29, has pitched well in Triple-A and in the majors this season in what’s been his first year back from Tommy John surgery performed in April 2023. The right-hander’s velocity (91.6 mph average fastball) is down two miles per hour from his pre-surgery days, though that could build back up as he gets more work in. To this point, he’s only pitched 18 minor league frames and another three in the majors. In 115 2/3 innings, Foster owns a 4.28 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. The Sox can control him via arbitration through the 2026 season.

Johnny Cueto Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Johnny Cueto elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Angels, per transaction log at MLB.com. That indicates he first went unclaimed on waivers and then rejected an outright assignment to the minors.

Cueto signed a minor league deal with the Angels in late July and was selected to the big league roster a month later. He tossed a quality start against the Royals in his first outing as an Angel before being tagged for six runs in five innings versus Detroit in his second start. Cueto pitched a total of 11 1/3 innings for the Halos, gave up nine runs (four homers) and posted a 6-to-3 K/BB ratio. That performance came on the heels of a nice run with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he posted a 3.09 ERA and 15-to-5 K/BB ratio in four starts — a total of 23 1/3 innings. This year’s 91 mph average fastball was down from last season but not a career-low mark and not all that different from the 91.3 mph he averaged from 2018-22.

Other clubs around the league can now mull a pickup of Cueto down the stretch if they’re looking for some veteran rotation depth. He won’t be eligible for any team’s playoff roster if he signs at this point, however. It’s possible Cueto simply waits until the offseason to sign another contract — assuming he’s intent on continuing his pitching career into his age-39 season.

The 2023-24 seasons have been tough for the former All-Star. Cueto has been tagged for 6.22 ERA in 63 2/3 innings across the past two seasons, spending time with both the Marlins and Angels (in addition to a minor league run with the Rangers earlier this year). His ’23 campaign was impacted by a biceps injury that limited him to 11 starts.

As recently as 2022, Cueto was a quality big league hurler, making 24 starts for the White Sox and recording a 3.35 earned run average in 158 1/3 innings with a 15.7% strikeout rate and 5.1%  walk rate. And, of course, Cueto was one of the game’s steadiest and most-productive pitchers in his peak. From 2010-16 the right-hander piled up 1294 2/3 innings of 2.86 ERA ball, striking out 20.6% of his opponents against a 6.2% walk rate. He had three top-six Cy Young finishes, two All-Star nods and won a World Series ring with the 2015 Royals along the way. In 2256 1/3 career innings, Cueto sports a 3.52 ERA and 144-113 record.

Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut

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Fantasy baseball expert Nicklaus Gaut will be holding a live chat today at 11am central time, exclusively with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event, and read the transcript afterward.

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Paul Goldschmidt Plans To Continue Playing In 2025

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Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is having the least-productive season of his storied big league career, but the soon-to-be 37-year-old made clear to MLB.com’s John Denton that he has every intention of continuing his career in 2025. The seven-time All-Star was named the National League MVP as recently as 2022, but he’s seen a notable drop-off in virtually every offensive category in 2024 — to the point where he for the first time in his career has been a below-average hitter (99 wRC+, 96 OPS+).

On the season, Goldschmidt carries just a .244/.302/.410 batting line. He’s still popped 20 home runs, but his 27.2% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rates are the worst of his career. To his credit, Goldschmidt has righted the ship of late; over his past 150 plate appearances, he’s slashing a much-improved .295/.342/.532 (141 wRC+). He’s still not walking anywhere near his career 12.7% rate (6.3% during this hot streak), but he’s cut his strikeout rate (23.3%) to be closer to his career levels.

Goldschmidt made no excuses regarding his struggles this year, noting that even spite of solid batted-ball and running metrics via Statcast, “there’s no denying I haven’t played well.” The five-time Silver Slugger winner acknowledged that his struggles have “created some bad habits” with his swing that have been hard to break. Fans of both the Cardinals and Goldschmidt will want to check out the interview in full, as Goldschmidt offers candid reviews of a down season at the plate. Denton also spoke with manager Oli Marmol who said he “loves” Goldschmidt when asked about a potential reunion for the upcoming 2025 season.

Obviously, that won’t be Marmol’s call at the end of the day. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak originally acquired Goldschmidt from the D-backs (in exchange for Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver, Andrew Young and a 2019 competitive balance draft pick the D-backs used to select Dominic Fletcher, whom they traded to acquire righty Cristian Mena this past offseason). The Cardinals quickly extended Goldschmidt on a five-year, $130MM contract, and he’s playing out the final season of what’s proven to be a good deal for the club at the moment.

The Cardinals reportedly have some interest in bringing Goldschmidt back, but there are in-house options to consider as well. Twenty-five-year-old Alec Burleson opened the season with two months of roughly average offense at the plate before catching fire in the summer. He’s now hitting .280/.320/.453 on the season overall. Burleson has primarily served as a corner outfielder and designated hitter in 2024, but he’s not a strong defender in the outfield. A move to first base could be of benefit, particularly if the Cardinals envision another shaky defender, Jordan Walker, as the team’s right fielder in future seasons.

There’s also 27-year-old Luken Baker to consider. While he’s older than the standard “prospect,” Baker bashed 33 home runs in just 84 Triple-A games in 2023 and has swatted another 32 big flies in 108 Triple-A games this season. He’s yet to hit in his tiny sample of 126 big league plate appearances (.202/.325/.356, 30.2% strikeout rate), but Baker’s Triple-A track record of hitting for power is intriguing. At the very least, his right-handed bat could pair with the lefty-swinging Burleson to form a platoon, with both players also seeing some time at designated hitter. Baker has decimated lefties this season, posting a 1.142 OPS and homering in 15 of his 150 plate appearances against them.

A Goldschmidt reunion would limit the playing time for both Burleson and Baker. It’d be understandable if the Cards’ front office wanted to take whatever resources would be put toward a Goldschmidt deal and reallocate them to pitching help. At the same time, if the Cards believe the late surge from Goldschmidt is a portent for a rebound in 2025, then re-signing him on a short-term deal has obvious appeal.

From a payroll vantage point, there’s a compelling case to use the resources elsewhere. The Cardinals’ payroll has landed within a couple million dollars of $180MM in each of the past two seasons ($183MM in 2024), and per RosterResource, they have about $111MM on next year’s books already. That doesn’t include decisions on the matching $12MM options on Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, nor does it include arbitration raises for Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, John King, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Andre Pallante and Nolan Gorman.

Even at a presumably reduced rate from his current $26MM annual salary, Goldschmidt would likely still push the Cardinals north of $150MM (assuming arb raises for the entire class and just one of those two rotation options being picked up) before addressing any other potential offensive upgrades or starting pitching additions. That money could arguably be better spent focusing on other areas and turning first base over to a combination of Burleson and Baker — or perhaps simply a lower-cost free agent option (e.g. Carlos Santana).

Goldschmidt’s future is one of several key decisions for the Cardinals as they look to put disappointing 2023-24 seasons behind them. Last year’s club went 71-91, finishing last place in the NL Central. At 69-69, they’ll finish better than that in 2024, but they’re 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot with only 24 games to play, making a postseason berth overwhelmingly unlikely this season as well. That would be their first consecutive postseason misses since a three-year absence from playoff play in 2016-18 and mark just the third time since the turn of the century that St. Louis has missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

The Opener: Steele, Cole, MLBTR Chat

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As MLB’s stretch run gets under way, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Steele scratched from scheduled start:

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including ESPN’s Jesse Rogers) last night that ace southpaw Justin Steele had been scratched from his scheduled start today due to elbow soreness. No information is currently available regarding the severity of the issue or how much time the lefty is expected to miss. Rogers indicated that the club expects to know more about Steele’s situation today, while Steele’s teammate Jameson Taillon told reporters (including Rogers) after yesterday’s game that “From everything [he] heard, we’re hoping it’s just a quick thing.”

Regardless of if Steele only misses a start or two or is ticketed for a much longer absence, the news is a devastating blow to the Cubs as they struggle to remain relevant in the playoff picture. They currently sit 3.5 games back with just 3.7% odds at the playoffs per Fangraphs, and the loss of their ace could snuff out any remote hopes the club has of putting together a September surge. Steele missed time with a hamstring injury earlier this year, but in 22 starts, the 29-year-old has posted a 3.09 ERA with a 3.14 FIP in 128 innings. Those results are right in line with what Steele has done for three years running now, and his 3.10 ERA since the start of the 2022 season is fourth-lowest among pitchers with at least 400 innings, bested only by Justin Verlander, Max Fried, and Zack Wheeler.

2. Cole exits start due to cramping:

Steele wasn’t the only ace to have an injury scare yesterday, as Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole exited his start last night with what the club termed (as noted by The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) a right calf cramp. The right-hander, who will celebrate his 34th birthday later this week, is set to be evaluated further today but told reporters (including MLB.com’s Drew Davison) that he isn’t “super concerned” about the issue. Cole likened the issue to one he previously encountered against the Dodgers last season, when he avoided the injured list and simply made his next start on an extra day of rest before returning to his routine without further issues.

After missing almost the entire first half with injury, Cole returned in June but hasn’t looked quite like himself over his 69 innings of work this year. His 4.12 FIP is the worst figure of his career, and his 3.65 ERA is the highest its been since the 2017 season during his time with the Pirates. Still, even that diminished level of production is quite valuable, particularly for a Yankees club that has seen its other starters put up a lackluster 4.65 ERA since the start of July.

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

With the calendar now flipped to September, all eyes are on the push to the postseason, where the Mets, Cubs, Red Sox, and Mariners lurk on the periphery of the playoff bubble. Much of the intrigue is focused on the race to the top two seeds in each league, which earn byes through the playoffs and have little certainty headed into the seasons final month. If you’re wondering about your team’s hopes of a World Series championship this fall or how your club could approach the coming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

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