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Eduard Bazardo

Mariners Outright Jonathan Hernandez

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TODAY: Hernandez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, the Mariners announced.

AUGUST 8: The Mariners announced a quartet of roster moves tonight, including the news that right-hander Jonathan Hernandez has been designated for assignment.  Infielder Jason Vosler was also optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, while outfielder Dominic Canzone was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and righty Eduard Bazardo was called up from Triple-A.

Hernandez hits the DFA wire for the second time in just over a week, as the Rangers’ decision to designate the reliever led the Mariners to make a waiver claim.  Hernandez has already made three appearances in a Seattle uniform, but after throwing scoreless innings in his first two outings, he was charged with three earned runs in just one-third of an inning in the Mariners’ 6-2 loss to the Tigers yesterday.

Because Hernandez is out of minor league options, the M’s had to designate him and thus again expose him to waivers in order to bring Bazardo’s fresh arm into the bullpen mix.  If he clears waivers and is outrighted off Seattle’s 40-man roster, Hernandez doesn’t yet have enough MLB service time to reject such an assignment in favor of free agency, nor has he been previously outrighted during his career.

Over 43 1/3 combined innings with Texas and Seattle this season, Hernandez has a 5.40 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and an ugly 14.6% walk rate.  The latter number is one of the worst walk rates of any pitcher in baseball, underlining the control problems that have marked much of Hernandez’s five-season run in the big leagues.  He was able to keep things in check for long enough to post a 2.93 ERA over 61 1/3 innings for the Rangers during the 2020 and 2022 seasons, with the 2021 campaign a complete write-off while Hernandez was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Though the 2023 season was also a struggle for the righty, Hernandez’s 2022 success is recent enough that another team in need of bullpen help could be willing to put in a waiver claim and bet on a turn-around.  Hernandez turned 28 last month, and he is still arbitration-controlled through the 2026 season.  Earning a $1.245MM salary this year, Hernandez still has about $363K remaining, and a new team would owe only the prorated portion of the average MLB salary.  The Mariners also paid only a prorated average rate during Hernandez’s brief time on the active roster, as the Rangers are covering the bulk of the remaining money.

Canzone last played on July 9, so he’s back after almost exactly a month recovering from a right adductor strain.  Between that absence and a prior IL stint due to a left AC joint sprain, Canzone has been limited to 54 games and 159 plate appearances this season, hitting .211/.289/.394 with seven homers.  Canzone’s left-handed bat can come off the bench and help balance out a Mariners lineup that mostly tilts to the right side, and he is a solid defender at all three outfield positions.

Mariners Select Troy Taylor

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The Mariners announced that the contract of right-hander Troy Taylor has been selected from Double-A Arkansas.  Righty Eduard Bazardo was optioned to Triple-A to create room on the active roster, and no further transaction was required since Seattle had an open space on its 40-man roster.

Taylor was a 12th-round pick in the 2022 draft, and a dominant showing in his second pro season has put the 22-year-old in line for his Major League debut.  Over a combined 42 2/3 innings with Double-A Arkansas and high-A Everett, Taylor has a 1.27 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, 8.59% walk rate, and outstanding grounder rates.  The performance was impressive enough for the Mariners to add him to the 40-man roster, giving Taylor the nod ahead of other Triple-A arms already on the 40-man.

A full-time reliever in both college ball and in the professional ranks, MLB Pipeline’s scouting report feels Taylor has a “closer’s profile,” while Baseball America feels Taylor “has the stuff to be a mid-leverage reliever with further development.”  (BA has Taylor 21st on its list of the top 30 Mariners prospects, while Pipeline has him a bit lower in 23rd.)  Both outlets describe Taylor’s slider and fastball as plus pitches, if control can sometimes be an issue since the two pitches both have a lot of movement.  Taylor’s fastball sits in the 94-96mph range and he has dial it up to 98mph on occasion.

The M’s aren’t likely to use Taylor in many high-leverage situations right away, given how pitching key innings in a pennant race is a lot to ask of a pitcher in his first exposure to big league hitters.  Still, Taylor brings another intriguing  arm to an overall solid Mariners bullpen, and Taylor could help make up for the continued injury absence of Gregory Santos.

Mariners Outright Kirby Snead

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TODAY: The Mariners announced that Snead has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.  As was reported yesterday, Bowman also cleared waivers and chose free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.

JUNE 11: The Mariners announced that they have recalled left-hander Jhonathan Díaz and right-hander Eduard Bazardo from Triple-A Tacoma. Díaz will start tonight’s game instead of Bryan Woo. To open roster spots for those two arms, both right-hander Matt Bowman and left-hander Kirby Snead have been designated for assignment.

Snead, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason. He made 12 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma to start the year with a 2.92 earned run average. He struck out 27.7% of batters faced, gave out walks at a tiny 4.3% rate and got grounders on 63.3% of balls in play.

That got him called up to the majors just over a month ago but the results haven’t been as strong since then. He made 11 appearances for the Mariners with a 4.35 ERA. His 51.5% ground ball rate was still strong but his strikeout and walk tallies were both seven, giving him a subpar 14.6% rate in each of those categories.

Snead pitched in two of the past three games for Seattle and likely would have been down for a day or two. Since he’s out of options and the overall results have been mediocre, he’s been bumped off the roster as the club gets some fresh arms aboard.

Bowman, 33, is also out of options and has been featured in many transactions because of it. The M’s just added him to their roster on Sunday and he made one appearances for them, logging two thirds of an inning in last night’s contest. That’s already the third team he’s pitched for this year, also taking the mound for the Twins and Diamondbacks.

For each player, the Mariners will have one week to either line up a trade or pass them through waivers. Bowman has a 4.22 ERA in 200 1/3 career innings but most of that work was a long time ago. He didn’t pitch in the majors during the 2020-2022 seasons due to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. He returned to the bigs by tossing four innings with the Yankees last year. Overall, he’s been able to get decent amounts of ground balls, with 55.6% of balls in play in his career hitting the dirt. Snead has a career ERA of 5.09 in a more limited sample of 74 1/3 innings at the major league level.

Díaz, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason and has been posting great results for Triple-A Tacoma this year. In 12 outings, including 11 starts and one long relief outing, he has thrown 66 1/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA. That’s despite pitching in the hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League. He has a 24.3% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 57.1% ground ball rate in that time.

He had an opt-out on his minor league deal but the Mariners were clearly impressed by his work in Tacoma this year. They added him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from triggering that opt-out, but kept him on optional assignment until today.

Per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times on X, Woo is having an MRI on his arm. It’s unclear exactly what the issue is but Woo began the year on the injured list due to right medial elbow inflammation. He returned in early May and has been utterly dominating, with an ERA of 1.07 in his six starts this year.

It’s a concerning development for the Mariners, both due to how well Woo has been pitching and the fact that it may be a recurrence of the previous issue. Further updates may be forthcoming after the MRI results come in, but it seems Díaz will step in and make at least one spot start. The Mariners have a strong rotation with Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller in four spots, even without Woo. If Woo needs a trip to the IL, perhaps Díaz will stick around, though the M’s also have Emerson Hancock on the 40-man roster.

Injured List Transactions: Beck, Robertson, Saucedo

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Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck suffered a fracture in his left hand while making a diving catch of a Nick Castellanos line drive in Colorado’s 8-4 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.  The injury naturally forced Beck out of the game, and the Rockies placed him on the 10-day injured list today, with outfielder Sean Bouchard called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Beck told reporters (including the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders) that he’ll undergo more tests today, and might then have a better idea of his recovery timeline.

Beck has been Colorado’s everyday left fielder since he made his MLB debut on April 30, as the Rox have wanted to take a long look at the top-100 prospect.  It hasn’t been a smooth transition for Beck, who was hitting only .190/.198/.316 with 30 strikeouts over his first 81 plate appearances in the big leagues.  The broken hand only adds to these woes, though getting to bank Major League service time while on the IL might represent some small silver lining for the 23-year-old.

Some other comings and goings from injured lists around baseball….

  • The Cardinals placed right-hander Nick Robertson on the 15-day IL (retroactive to May 23) and called up righty Andre Pallante from Triple-A Memphis.  Robertson is dealing with inflammation in his throwing elbow, but he told Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (X link) that he doesn’t believe the injury is too serious.  St. Louis acquired Robertson from the Red Sox as part of the trade package for Tyler O’Neill last December, and he has posted a 4.38 ERA over 12 1/3 innings out of the Cardinals’ bullpen.  A .364 BABIP and three homers allowed have inflated Robertson’s ERA, as his walk (3.8%) and strikeout (26.9%) rates have been impressive.
  • The Mariners reinstated left-hander Tayler Saucedo from the 15-day IL, and created roster space by optioning righty Eduard Bazardo to Triple-A.  Saucedo returns after missing just shy of three weeks due to a hyperextension of his right knee.  After emerging as a solid member of Seattle’s bullpen last year, Saucedo has been even better this season, with a 2.70 ERA and 52.8% grounder rate over his first 14 appearances and 13 1/3 innings in 2024.

Mariners Select Kirby Snead

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The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of left-hander Kirby Snead and reinstated right-hander Eduard Bazardo from the injured list. In corresponding moves, left-hander Tayler Saucedo was placed on the 15-day IL due to right knee hyperextension and right-hander Emerson Hancock was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. To open a 40-man spot for Snead, righty Matt Brash was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Snead, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the winter. He reported to Triple-A and has made 12 appearances at that level so far this year with a 2.92 earned run average. That’s supported by a 27.7% strikeout rate, 4.3% walk rate and a huge 63.3% ground ball rate.

The southpaw has had some encouraging results in the minors before, but has struggled in the majors. He currently has a career ERA of 5.20 in the big leagues, tossing 64 innings over the previous three seasons between the Blue Jays and Athletics. He was outrighted by Oakland in October, which led to his deal with the Mariners.

With Saucedo going on the IL, Snead will step in as the club’s second lefty reliever alongside Gabe Speier. Snead is out of options and can’t be easily sent back down to the minors down the line. However, he has less than two years of service time and could therefore be cheaply retained into the future if he holds onto his roster spot all year.

Hancock, 25 this month, came into the year as the club’s sixth starter behind Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. But Woo began the year on the injured list due to right medial elbow inflammation, which opened a rotation spot for Hancock.

Through seven starts, Hancock has a 5.24 ERA with a tepid 15.4% strikeout rate. Woo has been on a rehab assignment of late, having already made three starts with the most recent one being a five-inning outing on Saturday. Hancock’s option appears to pave the way for Woo to be reinstated at some point in the near future.

As for Brash, he’s been on the 15-day IL all year due to right elbow inflammation. This transfer is backdated to his initial IL placement, meaning he can’t be reinstated until late May. That doesn’t seem to be a possibility anyway, as he was shut down at the end of April and there haven’t been any substantive updates on his condition since then.

Mariners Designate Luke Weaver For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been designated for assignment.  The move clears a roster spot for Eduard Bazardo, as the M’s have called the righty back up from Triple-A Tacoma.

It could be a brief stint in Seattle for Weaver, who only signed a Major League contract with the club on August 22.  His tenure with the club has consisted of one start and four relief appearances, and Weaver has delivered only a 6.08 ERA over his 13 1/3 innings in a Mariners uniform.  The M’s were hoping that Weaver could eat innings and provide some depth within an overall young rotation that is running into innings-limit problems, yet it seems as though the Mariners are willing to move on from the 30-year-old righty.

Weaver signed a one-year, $2MM free agent deal with the Reds last winter, but his eighth MLB season has been a year to forget.  A strained right flexor tendon suffered during Spring Training delayed Weaver’s 2023 debut until April 20, and he hasn’t really gotten on track since, posting a 6.77 ERA in 110 1/3 combined frames with Cincinnati and Seattle.  Never a big strikeout pitcher over his career, Weaver’s 18.4% strikeout rate is a career low, and batters have been making a lot of hard and quality contact against his offerings this season.  Weaver has allowed 26 homers over his 110 1/3 innings, a huge spike in home run rate compared to Weaver’s past numbers.

While the results haven’t been there, it still seems possible that Weaver will draw some interest on the waiver wire, or could perhaps be signed to a new contract in the event that he clears waivers and is released by Seattle.  Any number of teams could use an extra arm down the stretch, whether it’s a non-contender looking to fill innings or a playoff contender (like the Mariners) in search of depth.

Because Weaver has more than five years of MLB service time, he can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma if he clears waivers, and then opt for free agency.  The Reds are still obligated for what’s left of that $2MM salary, as the Mariners only had to pay Weaver a prorated Major League minimum salary during his time on Seattle’s active roster.

Mariners Sign Luke Weaver To Major League Deal, Transfer Emerson Hancock To 60-Day IL

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The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating right-hander Bryan Woo from the injured list and signing righty Luke Weaver to a major league deal. To open two active roster spots, they optioned righties Eduard Bazardo and Darren McCaughan. To open a 40-man spot for Weaver, righty Emerson Hancock has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

It’s a belated birthday present for Weaver, who just turned 30 years old yesterday. He was recently released by the Reds, who had signed him to a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason. Unfortunately, his 21 starts for Cincinnati resulted in him allowing 6.87 earned runs per nine innings. His 7.6% walk rate was solid but he only struck out 19% of batters faced. Home runs were a particular problem as he allowed 24 balls to sail over the fence in that time, easily a career high for him.

The Mariners were planning to utilize a six-man rotation when Woo returned from the injured list, joining Hancock, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller, but Hancock’s injury threw a wrench in those plans. He landed on the injured list yesterday due to a shoulder strain and it seems the club isn’t expecting him back soon. Today’s transfer makes him officially ineligible to return until the middle of October. His season is now effectively over unless the club goes on a World Series run and he gets healthy enough in the next two months to put himself in position to rejoin the roster. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that his recovery will take at least four to six weeks.

The club could simply go with a five-man rotation, though there are reasons why they might still prefer six. Both Miller and Woo are rookies who are pushing towards uncharted territory in terms of innings pitched in a season. Last year was Miller’s first full professional season and he was able to toss 133 2/3 frames. This year, between the majors and minors, he’s up to 117 1/3 already. Woo, meanwhile, tossed 67 2/3 last year and is already up to 99 innings this year between Double-A and the majors. Kirby was a rookie last year and logged 130 major league innings plus another 26 2/3 in the minors, and is at 150 2/3 this year.

Going with a six-man rotation would soften some of the workload concerns and the potential for fatigue down the stretch. Perhaps that is why they have brought Weaver aboard. Though his results haven’t been good this year, a change of venue would likely help him to some degree. Looking at Statcast’s park factors, the Mariners have one of the more pitching-friendly home parks while the Reds are on the other end of the spectrum, especially when it comes to home runs.

It’s also possible that the Mariners are planning to implement Weaver out of the bullpen, a role in which he’s showed some encouraging signs in the past. With the Diamondbacks and Royals last year, he had an ERA of 6.56 overall, but that included one start in which he allowed nine earned runs. As a reliever, he had a 4.78 ERA and may have deserved even better. He had a 21.7% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate, 40.4% ground ball rate and didn’t surrender a home run at all. But a .404 batting average on balls in play and 64.9% strand rate pushed some extra runs across the plate, with his 2.46 FIP suggesting he was perhaps better than his ERA would indicate.

Regardless of his role, it’s a low-risk move for the M’s financially. Since the Reds released Weaver, they remain on the hook for what’s left of his $2MM salary, while the Mariners will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount will be subtracted from what the Reds pay.

Mariners Acquire Eduard Bazardo

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The Mariners have acquired right-hander Eduard Bazardo from the Orioles in exchange for minor league righty Logan Rinehart, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link).  Baltimore designated Bazardo for assignment two days ago.

Bazardo has seen limited action in each of the last three Major League seasons, debuting with three innings for the Red Sox in 2021, 16 1/3 more frames (over 12 appearances) in 2022, and then 2 1/3 innings over three games with the Orioles this year.  The Sox also DFA’ed Bazardo after last season and he opted for minor league free agency, landing with the O’s on a minors deal during the offseason.  That minor league contract was selected in early July, with Bazardo only getting a few weeks of big league time before being designated once more.

Turning 27 next month, Bazardo has posted some solid numbers throughout his minor league career, including a 3.05 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate, and 7% walk rate over 38 1/3 frames with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate this season.  He makes for some interesting bullpen depth for a Mariners team who just dealt Paul Sewald, and could potentially have more openings in the bullpen depending on how other moves may shake out on deadline day.

Rinehart was a 16th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2019 draft, though between the canceled 2020 minor league and a Tommy John surgery, he missed two full seasons of work.  Returning to the mound in 2022, Rinehart has mostly pitched with Seattle’s high-A affiliate and looked good, particularly with a 2.84 ERA, 51.2% grounder rate, and 33.6% strikeout rate over 38 innings.  This is Rinehart’s first season as a full-time reliever, so the 25-year-old’s ultimate future may be in the bullpen.

Orioles Designate Eduard Bazardo For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated right-hander Eduard Bazardo for assignment, per a club announcement. In corresponding moves, the club has selected the contract of right-hander Joey Krehbiel and optioned right-hander Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie.

Bazardo, 27, made his big league debut back in 2021 with the Red Sox, pitching for them in parts of two seasons. Bazardo then elected free agency after being designated for assignment in October 2022. That December, he landed with Baltimore on a minor league deal before being selected to the roster earlier this month. In all, Bazardo sports a career 3.74 ERA and 5.26 FIP in 21 2/3 innings in the majors. He’s posted similar numbers at the Triple-A level in his career, with a 3.86 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate in 107 innings of work at the level, which includes a strong 3.05 ERA in 38 1/3 innings with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk this season.

The Orioles have a week to trade, waive, or release Bazardo, though of course any trade would have to come prior to the trade deadline on August 1. In the event that Bazardo clears waivers successfully, the Orioles will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues, though Bazardo has the right to reject that assignment as a player who’s been outrighted previously in his career.

Bazardo’s exit makes room for Krehbiel on the 40-man roster. A 12th-round pick by the Angels in the 2011 draft, Krehbiel broke into the majors with the Diamondbacks and the Rays before settling in with the Orioles midway through the 2021 campaign. He became a major piece of Baltimore’s bullpen in 2022, with a 3.90 ERA that clocked in at exactly league average by measure of ERA+.

While his work last season was certainly solid, Krehbiel was ultimately designated for assignment early in the 2023 season, before making an appearance at the major league level this season. He performed well at the Triple-A level this year after accepting an outright assignment, with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings of work. That performance has earned Krehbiel another chance in the majors, where he figures to cover the middle innings for the Orioles alongside the likes of Bryan Baker and Shintaro Fujinami.

Perhaps the most surprising news of the day is the club’s decision to option Wells to make room for Krehbiel on the active roster. Wells has pitched fairly well as a member of the club’s rotation this season, with a 3.80 ERA in 113 2/3 innings of work. That quality run prevention figure belies his recent control problems, however. In the month of July, Wells has walked 13 batters in 21 innings, nearly as many as he’s struck out (16). That’s contributed to a 6.43 ERA and a 7.76 FIP this month, the latter of which has ballooned his FIP to a worrisome 5.17 figure on the season.

It’s unclear how long Wells figures to remain in the minor leagues, but his struggles and subsequent demotion highlight the club’s need for starting pitching ahead of the trade deadline on August 1. Only eight teams in the majors have gotten less fWAR out of their starters than Baltimore, and of those only the Yankees, Reds, and Red Sox have any hope of making the playoffs this season.

Orioles Designate Anthony Bemboom, Chris Vallimont

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The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve designated catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment. They’ve also optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore has selected the contracts of top outfielder prospect Colton Cowser (as previously reported) and righty Eduard Bazardo from Norfolk.

Bemboom, 33, has gone 2-for-11 with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts in limited big league time with the O’s this season. He’s a career .161/.236/.260 hitter in a small sample of 216 big league plate appearances but carries a more palatable .249/.342/.392 batting line in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — including a .278/.366/.389 output there in 2023. The O’s will have a week to trade Bemboom, release him or pass him through outright waivers.

Vallimont, 26, made his MLB debut a couple days ago when he pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout. The former Twins and Marlins prospect has had a tough go in the upper minors over the past two seasons, working to a combined 5.22 ERA in 129 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Minnesota designated Vallimont for assignment last summer, at which point Baltimore claimed him off waivers.

The O’s have already passed Vallimont through waivers once, back in January, and he remained with the club after going unclaimed. Since he’s now been outrighted previously in his career, Vallimont would have the right to reject any additional outright assignments in favor of free agency. The right-hander will be traded, placed on waivers or released in the coming week.

Cowser, 23, entered the season as a top-50 prospect in the sport, and the 2021 first-rounder has done nothing to dispel that optimism. In 56 games, he’s slashed .330/.459/.537 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, a triple and seven steals (in eight tries). He’s shown keen strike-zone recognition as well, drawing a walk in a massive 18.7% of his 257 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in the minors, and based on his pedigree, production and versatility, he should be expected to take on an everyday role with the O’s moving forward.

As for the 27-year-old Bazardo, this’ll be his third season with at least some big league experience. The righty appeared with the Red Sox in each of the past two seasons but only logged a combined 19 1/3 innings of relief work. He’s posted an impressive 2.33 ERA in that time, although his 18.2% strikeout rate is well below average. He does have a solid 7.8% walk rate in that time, however, and Bazardo has been sharp in Triple-A this year: 33 1/3 innings, 3.51 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 27.7% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate.

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