Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Greg Weissert

Red Sox Select Joely Rodríguez

By | at

The Red Sox announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Joely Rodríguez. Right-hander Greg Weissert was optioned to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man roster spot, lefty James Paxton was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic was among those to relay the moves on X.

Rodríguez, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in the offseason. He cracked their Opening Day roster but didn’t post strong results initially. He made 11 appearances for the club with a 6.55 earned run average, the same numbers he had in limited time with them last year.

He was designated for assignment at the end of April and accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers. He then spent about six weeks on the minor league injured list from the middle of May until late June. That has left him with just 14 1/3 Triple-A innings pitched this year, but with a strong 1.88 ERA. There’s likely a good deal of fortune in there, based on his .175 batting average on balls in play in that small sample. His 20.6% strikeout rate and 12.7% walk rate in that time were subpar, though he did get grounders at a strong 52.6% clip.

Those rate stats aren’t too far off of his major league track record. In 168 innings dating back to his 2016 debut, he has a 4.82 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. He’ll give the club a second lefty in the bullpen alongside Brennan Bernardino. He is out of options but can be retained beyond this season via arbitration if he holds onto his roster spot through the end of the year.

As for Paxton, it’s not a surprise to see him moved to the 60-day IL. He suffered a partially torn right calf muscle last week and manager Alex Cora said it was unlikely that the lefty would be able to return this year. He’s now officially ineligible to be reinstated until the second week of October. Unless the Sox make a deep playoff run and he heals up in the next two months, his season is over.

Yankees Acquire Alex Verdugo

By | at

The Yankees and Red Sox have lined up on a rare major trade. The teams announced a deal sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Bronx for reliever Greg Weissert and minor league pitchers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.

Verdugo, who turns 28 in May, has spent the past four seasons in Boston. The Sox acquired him from the Dodgers as the key piece of the Mookie Betts trade return. The left-handed hitting outfielder never quite lived up to that lofty billing. Verdugo has settled in as a solid regular without emerging as an impact player on either side of the ball.

Over his time with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit .281/.338/.424 in a little more than 2000 plate appearances. His strongest season was the shortened 2020 campaign. After posting a .308/.367/.478 slash, he has hit at a league average level for three years running. Verdugo owns a .277/.334/.417 mark since the start of 2021. This past season’s .264/.324/.421 line over 602 plate appearances fit that recent body of work.

Verdugo doesn’t have prototypical home run power for a corner outfielder. He has hit between 11 and 13 longballs in each of the last three years. Verdugo has topped 30 doubles in each season, however. He has always had excellent bat-to-ball skills and generally shows an all-fields approach. Aside from a 15-game debut showing in 2017, he has hit .260 or better in every year of his big league career.

Bringing in a hit-over-power lefty bat seems a deliberate effort by the New York front office to add balance to the lineup. The Yankees have skewed right-handed and leaned heavily on power hitters in recent years. They’ve found themselves generally lacking in consistent offensive production beyond Aaron Judge and, to a lesser extent, Gleyber Torres.

Verdugo isn’t an impact lineup presence, but he checks a box which general manager Brian Cashman had identified as a priority. Cashman expressed a desire for two outfielders to join Judge, preferably ones who hit from the left side. Top center field prospect Jasson Domínguez will be out into the middle of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, while left field has been a significant problem for the past couple years. 22-year-old Everson Pereira might be a longer-term solution there but limped to a .151/.233/.194 line in his first month as a big leaguer.

The desire for multiple outfield additions still leaves the Yankees very much in play for bigger stars. New York has been tied to Juan Soto in trade rumors and Cody Bellinger on the free agent market. Various reporters (including Andy Martino of SNY) unsurprisingly relay that the Yankees are still involved on Soto. Talks between the Yankees and Padres reportedly slowed over the weekend after San Diego demanded a pitching-heavy return built around Michael King and prospect Drew Thorpe.

Verdugo won’t take them out of that mix (or presumably impact a run at Bellinger if they can’t line up on a Soto deal). However, it could require the Yankees to lean on Judge in center field for a season if they were to acquire Soto. Verdugo hasn’t played center field since 2021. He has generally received solid marks for his glove in right field. Verdugo has one of the game’s better arms, although his speed and overall range are closer to average.

The outfield alignment is to be determined based on future moves. Verdugo steps in a short-term acquisition who’ll solidify one position while buying time for Domínguez to rehab and Pereira to see more action in Triple-A. The veteran outfielder is a year away from free agency. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz forecasts him for a $9.2MM salary in his final season of arbitration.

That pushes the Yankees’ projected spending to roughly $246MM, as calculated by Roster Resource. Their luxury tax number sits right at the $257MM line that marks the second tier of penalization. Since they’re paying the CBT for what’d be a third consecutive season, the Yankees are taxed at a 50% rate on spending between $237MM and $257MM. That’ll push their overall tab on Verdugo into the $14MM range, while they’re sure to continue adding to the roster (with accompanying higher penalties beyond the $257MM mark).

On the other side of the equation, Boston offloads Verdugo’s salary projection. They’re moving on from a player who, while reasonably effective, had a somewhat disappointing overall run at Fenway Park. In addition to the leveling off in his performance, Verdugo occasionally came under fire with the organization for perceived effort questions.

Beyond that, it’s not uncommon for an incoming baseball operations leader to reshape a roster. This is the first significant trade of Craig Breslow’s tenure as chief baseball officer. It leaves a vacancy in right field, where the Sox seem likely to look to free agency or the trade market. Boston has left-handed hitting Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida in the outfield mix, so the pursuit of a righty bat might make the most sense.

They’ll also add controllable pitching help, with Weissert standing as the most immediate upgrade. The 28-year-old righty has pitched at the MLB level in each of the past two seasons. Weissert has worked 31 1/3 innings, allowing a 4.60 ERA. His underlying numbers are more intriguing. The Fordham product has averaged around 94 MPH on his sinker and four-seam fastball. He has struck out a solid 24.4% of batters faced while keeping the ball on the ground at a 47.3% clip.

Weissert also had an excellent year in Triple-A in 2023. Over 40 1/3 frames, he pitched to a 2.90 ERA while punching out more than 34% of batters faced. Control has been an issue throughout his career, but Weissert has consistently shown the ability to miss bats in the minors. He still has two option years remaining and won’t reach arbitration for three seasons, making him an affordable and flexible bullpen piece.

Fitts, who turns 24 in a few weeks, is the more intriguing of the minor leaguers involved. An Auburn product, he was drafted in the sixth round in 2021. The 6’3″ righty had an impressive year at Double-A Somerset, working to a 3.48 ERA across 152 2/3 innings. He punched out nearly 26% of batters faced against a tidy 6.8% walk percentage. Prospect evaluators praise Fitts’s slider and overall command, projecting him as a potential back-end starter. Boston doesn’t need to add him to the 40-man roster until next offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, but it’s possible he pitches his way into the MLB rotation mix at some point during the summer.

Judice was an eighth-round pick this year out of UL-Monroe. The 6’8″ hurler had posted a 3.74 ERA over 53 innings in his draft year. BA’s draft report praised his potential plus slider and mid-90s velocity. Judice projects as a reliever and is a low minors development flier.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the trade terms. Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Yankees Select Nick Ramirez

By | at

The Yankees announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Nick Ramirez while righty Greg Weissert has been optioned in a corresponding move. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster when right-hander Colten Brewer was designated for assignment a couple of weeks ago. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com announced the promotion of Ramirez prior to the official announcement.

Ramirez, 33, pitched in the majors from 2019 to 2021, getting into 64 games between the Tigers and Padres in those years. He logged 110 2/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 20.4% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. He was outrighted by the Padres towards the end of the 2021 season and became a free agent at season’s end. After signing a minor league deal with the Mariners going into 2022, he posted a 2.93 ERA in 53 Triple-A appearances but didn’t get back into the big leagues.

The Yanks signed Ramirez to a minor league deal this winter and have seen him start out well, with a 1.74 ERA through 10 1/3 Triple-A innings. He surely won’t sustain a .179 batting average on balls in play, but that number could be on the low side due to a strong 60.7% ground ball rate. He’ll give the club a second left-handed option in the bullpen alongside Wandy Peralta. Ramirez still has a couple of options and can be send back down to the minors when a fresh arm is needed as the season goes along.

Yankees Designate Colten Brewer For Assignment

By | at

The Yankees announced that they have recalled right-hander Greg Weissert from Triple-A, with fellow righty Colten Brewer designated for assignment in a corresponding move. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Brewer, 30, began the year in the Rays’ system on a minor league deal. He had a strong performance in spring but didn’t make that club’s Opening Day roster, but a clause in his contract allowed the Yankees to give him the roster spot that the Rays would not. The out-of-options righty was installed into the Yankee bullpen and has served a multi-inning role recently, tossing two scoreless innings in his first appearance and three scoreless innings in his second.

Unfortunately, the club’s pitching staff was dealt a very unfortunate blow yesterday. Starter Jhony Brito was shelled for seven runs while only recording two outs, leaving manager Aaron Boone in a difficult spot to get through the game. Brewer was brought in to get the final out of the first inning and stayed for three more innings after that. He eventually yielded four earned runs over his 3 1/3 innings, tossing 52 pitches in the process. The Yanks also used Ian Hamilton for three innings and Jimmy Cordero for one before throwing utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa in there for a frame in the 11-2 loss. With the low-leverage half of their bullpen essentially torpedoed, they clearly felt the need to get a fresh arm in the mix and Brewer has lost his roster spot as a result.

Prior to this season, Brewer had pitched for the Padres and Red Sox but spent 2022 with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate. He recorded a 4.76 ERA over 36 appearances with a 24.9% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate. The Yanks will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, by virtue of having a previous career outright.

Oswald Peraza, Frankie Montas Added To Yankees’ Roster For ALCS

By | at

The Yankees announced their roster for the ALCS, with infielder Oswald Peraza, right-handers Frankie Montas and Greg Weissert as new additions from the ALDS. They will take the place of outfielder Aaron Hicks, who is done for the year, as well as utility player Marwin Gonzalez and left-hander Lucas Luetge. Also of note, infielder DJ LeMahieu and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, both out with injuries, have not been added.

Here is the full roster for the Yankees, as they get set to take on the Astros:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated Hitter

The injury sustained by Hicks has led to a domino effect, necessitating some of today’s switches. For the last two games of the ALDS, Hicks started in left field with Oswaldo Cabrera at short, bumping Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the bench. After Hicks was injured yesterday, Kiner-Falefa was eventually installed at short with Cabrera going out to the left field. Without Hicks, it seems possible that the Yanks will use Aaron Judge, Harrison Bader and Cabrera as their regular outfield mix. That subtracts Cabrera from the infield picture, which Peraza will now step into. Gonzalez is capable of playing anywhere, though he hit just .185/.255/.321 this year. It seems the Yanks would prefer the rookie Peraza, who hit .306/.404/.429 in his 18-game debut this year.

Benintendi underwent hamate surgery in early September and has recently been working out, trying to get healthy enough to rejoin the club. However, recent reporting indicated he’s been experiencing continued soreness, leading to an injection in his wrist. With him not able to return, Cabrera could be in line for regular outfield duty. Giancarlo Stanton could theoretically be an option, having played 38 games in the outfield this year, though the Yanks might also opt to keep him as the designated hitter.

Similar to Benintendi, LeMahieu has been out of action for a while and has been trying to get healthy enough to return. His absence has been due to a ligament issue with the second toe of his right foot. It appears that he hasn’t recuperated enough to get a roster spot. With LeMahieu’s lingering issue, Cabrera likely in the outfield and Kiner-Falefa struggling, Peraza has been swapped in for Gonzalez to contend for shortstop playing time.

As for Montas, he was the Yankees’ big deadline acquisition for the pitching staff. However, he struggled badly after coming over from the A’s. He had a 3.18 ERA with Oakland but then a 6.35 ERA after the deal. It’s possible that shoulder issues were hampering him, as he missed a few starts prior to the trade and was eventually placed on the IL by the Yanks due to shoulder inflammation. He hasn’t been fully stretched out and won’t be a candidate for a starting job, though manager Aaron Boone recently said Montas could throw some multi-inning outings.

With the additions of Montas and Weissert and the subtraction of Luetge, the Yankees are left with Wandy Peralta as the only lefty in their bullpen. The Astros are very right-handed, having just two lefties in their lineup, though the two are Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. It seems the Yanks have a bit more faith in some of their right-handers to face the middle of the Houston lineup, with Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga and Miguel Castro perhaps in line to try to quell Alvarez and Tucker.

Yankees Select Greg Weissert

By | at

5:56pm: New York officially announced Wiessert’s selection, as well as the previously-reported placement of Nestor Cortes on the 15-day IL and the reinstatement of Giancarlo Stanton. In order to create a spot on the 40-man roster, New York transferred center fielder Harrison Bader from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Bader has already been on the IL since June 27, so the move is procedural and doesn’t affect his return window. Bader, who’s dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, hasn’t yet begun a minor league rehab assignment.

11:57am: The Yankees will select the contract of right-hander Greg Weissert prior to tomorrow’s game with the Athletics, according to Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports (Twitter link).  A corresponding move will need to be made to officially add Weissert to the 40-man roster, and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that the Yankees will be placing another pitcher on the injured list.

Weissert’s first MLB appearance will be his debut in the Show.  An 18th-round pick out of Fordham in the 2016 draft, Weissert posted solid but unspectacular numbers in his first pro seasons before returning with a flourish after the canceled 2020 minor league season.  The right-hander has been getting better as he has gotten closer to the majors, with a 1.47 ERA over 36 2/3 innings of Double-A ball and a 1.85 ERA in 82 2/3 Triple-A frames.

This season has seen Weissert deliver a 36.8% strikeout rate in 46 innings of Triple-A ball, which is more than enough to counter a more average 10.4% walk rate.  Batters have simply not been able to do much against Weissert this year, with only 22 total hits.  Over his last 23 games and 23 1/3 innings, Weissert also hasn’t allowed a single run, either earned or unearned.

The bullpen went from being a major strength to more of a question mark for the Yankees in recent weeks, as Chad Green and Michael King were both lost to season-ending injuries and the likes of Clay Holmes, Miguel Castro, Albert Abreu, and — just yesterday — trade deadline acquisition Scott Effross were also lost to the injured list.  Weissert will provide some reinforcement, while Holmes, Castro, and Zach Britton are all on the way back, though it remains to be seen which new pitcher (as per Sherman’s report) has now also been sidelined.

Yankees To Place Nestor Cortes On 15-Day Injured List

By | at

The Yankees will place left-hander Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, according to The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.  Cortes is suffering from a groin injury.  As reported earlier today, New York was preparing to place a then-unknown pitcher on the IL to make room for the promotion of minor league right-hander Greg Weissert.

While any pitching injury would’ve been a setback, losing Cortes for any amount of time is a tough blow to the Bronx Bombers.  “Nasty Nestor” has been arguably the Yankees’ best starter this season, and one of the better pitchers in all of baseball.  After surprisingly emerging as a rotation stalwart in 2021, Cortes has kept on rolling, posting a 2.68 ERA and above-average strikeout (25.9%) and walk (5.8%) rates over 131 innings of work.  Despite a low-velocity four-seamer, Cortes’ fastball has been extremely effective, and his cutter isn’t far behind in terms of sheer effectiveness.

Though Cortes’ 131 innings is a new career high for the 27-year old over any pro season, there hasn’t been much sign that Cortes is slowing down, and he was expected to be a big weapon for the Yankees in October.  This 15-day IL stint could perhaps serve as a bit of break in terms of keeping Cortes’ arm fresh, though naturally his groin issue is now a new concern.  The severity of the injury or a possible timeline for Cortes’ return isn’t yet known.

New York enjoyed a great run of pitching health over the first half of the season, but several injuries have cropped up in recent weeks.  The bullpen has taken the brunt of the injury woes, but the rotation hasn’t been immune, with Luis Severino out until mid-September due to a lat strain and now Cortes’ injury.  The Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from the A’s at the deadline but also moved Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals in another trade, plus Domingo German has been a little inconsistent (if generally solid) since making his season debut in July, after shoulder problems kept him on the sidelines.

Clarke Schmidt was recently called back up to the active roster, and the former first-rounder seems like the probable candidate to step into Cortes’ rotation spot.  Over 22 games and 45 2/3 career innings at the MLB level in 2020-22, Schmidt has only made three starts, but the Yankees have mostly been using him in long relief this season and were stretching him out at Triple-A.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top