Braves Outright Ian Hamilton
The Braves have sent right-hander Ian Hamilton outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.
Hamilton has the right to elect free agency but probably won’t exercise that right. Players with at least three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments but those under five years of service have to forfeit their remaining salary commitments when they do so. Hamilton is in that three-to-five window and is making $1.05MM this year. With almost half a million still to be paid out, he will probably accept his assignment to keep making that money.
Atlanta signed him to that deal in the offseason, likely with the knowledge that he would probably end up in this position. They outrighted him off the roster in March. This this year, he has twice been added back to the roster for a few games before being put through waivers again. It’s somewhat akin to the Carlos Carrasco situation. The details aren’t exactly the same but both pitchers have been cycled on and off the roster this year to give Atlanta a fresh arm from time to time.
Around the transactions, Hamilton has made just four appearances this year, allowing four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He now has a total of 155 career big league innings under his belt with a 3.72 earned run average, 25.2% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate and 46.8% ground ball rate. This year’s time in Triple-A has led to 22 2/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 30.4% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 39.3% ground ball rate.
Assuming Hamilton does accept his assignment, as he has already done twice this year, he should suit up for the Stripers in the coming days. He’ll stay game ready and could be called back up again at some point, whenever the big league club needs him.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Braves Designate Ian Hamilton For Assignment
The Braves announced a handful of roster moves on Friday ahead of a matchup against the Mets. With lefty Danny Young returning from the 60-day IL, right-hander Ian Hamilton was designated for assignment. Atlanta also recalled righty Anthony Molina. He’ll take fellow righty James Karinchak‘s spot on the roster.
Hamilton was part of a disastrous seventh inning last night against the Cardinals. He and two other relievers combined to allow seven runs, turning a slim lead into a big deficit. Hamilton has permitted four earned runs in four appearances with the Braves.
It’s the second DFA of the campaign for Hamilton. He signed a minor league deal with the Braves in December and made it up to the big-league club a few weeks into the season. The veteran righty was bumped off the roster after one appearance in April. Hamilton went unclaimed on waivers and chose to accept an outright assignment to the minors. He’ll go through the process once again, with another opportunity to reject a minor league assignment and choose free agency if no club grabs him off waivers.
Young’s 2025 campaign was cut short by an elbow sprain in April. The injury ultimately required reconstructive surgery. He signed with the Braves over the winter. The lefty made five scoreless appearances during his rehab stint. Young should immediately make an impact in a Braves bullpen that has leaned heavily on Dylan Lee this season.
The 32-year-old Young is coming off a little more than a season of decent production with the Mets. He posted strong strikeout numbers out of New York’s bullpen, but struggled with walks at times. Young worked his way into the late-inning mix in 2024. He picked up seven holds as a key left-handed option.
Molina is one of several veteran arms to be up and down frequently with Atlanta. This will be his third stint in the majors this year. He has a 5.40 ERA across 5 innings. Molina’s fastball velocity is up more than 1 mph with the Braves. He’s also throwing a harder slider.
Karinchak made his long-awaited MLB return this season. He hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2023 with the Guardians. The righty has kept runs off the board in eight appearances, recording a 2.08 ERA, but it’s come with an underwhelming 21.2% strikeout rate and a bloated 12.1% walk rate. Karinchak is in his final minor league option year. There’s a decent chance he gets another shot in the majors this year.
Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images
Braves Designate Carlos Carrasco For Assignment, Select Ian Hamilton
The Braves announced some moves on the pitching staff today. They reinstated right-hander Tyler Kinley from the 15-day injured list and selected the contract of righty Ian Hamilton. In corresponding moves, they optioned righty JR Ritchie and designated righty Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
Ritchie has been up-and-down for Atlanta this year. His last two starts didn’t go particularly well, as he allowed nine earned runs in ten innings. One of those starts was yesterday, with Ritchie allowing the Padres to score four times in five frames. Carrasco tossed an inning and two thirds of relief, throwing 30 pitches in the process. The club has off-days tomorrow and on Monday, so they could go down to a four-man rotation for a while. Ritchie’s optional assignment leaves them with Chris Sale, Martín Pérez, Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes.
On Tuesday, the club starts a stretch of 13 games in a row going into the All-Star break. They will need some kind of solution next week, whether that’s a spot starter or a bullpen game. Reynaldo López just tossed three innings of long relief on Sunday, throwing 58 pitches in the process, so he’s available for some bulk work. Hurston Waldrep and Anthony Molina are on optional assignment, although Molina was himself just optioned. Owen Murphy is a non-roster option.
Carrasco is plenty familiar with the club’s roster cycle. He and Atlanta clearly have some kind of understanding. This is the sixth time the club has designated him for assignment in the past year. Each time, he clears waivers, elects free agency and re-signs with the club. At some point, he’ll be put back on the roster to give the club a fresh arm in the bullpen. When his arm is not so fresh, the cycle will continue again. As mentioned, he tossed 30 pitches yesterday and may not have been available today.
It’s a great setup for the team, as they effectively get a 41st man on their 40-man roster. Around the transactions, Carrasco has covered 14 2/3 innings this year with a 3.68 earned run average. For Carrasco, he would presumably prefer a more steady gig somewhere, but no other club is claiming him off waivers and giving him that. This way, at least he gets sporadic big league opportunities, and the pay that goes with those.
Several clubs around the league have been hit hard by recent injuries, such as the Diamondbacks and Cubs, so perhaps Carrasco will garner some interest this time. But based on recent precedent, he will most likely be a free agent in a few days, at which point he will sign a new deal with Atlanta.
The open roster spot allows Hamilton to get back to the majors. He signed a major league deal with Atlanta in the offseason, a pact that paid him a $1.05MM salary. Hamilton was outrighted off the roster in March and accepted his assignment. As a player with at least three years of big league service but less than five, he had the right to elect free agency but would have forfeited that money if he exercised that right. He was added back to the roster in April but was designated for assignment a week later. Again, he was outrighted and stuck with the club.
Around those transactions, he made one major league appearance, allowing three earned runs in one inning. His Triple-A work has been much better, as he has a 3.18 ERA in 22 2/3 innings. He has struck out 30.4% of batters faced while only walking 6.5% of opponents. He will lengthen out the bullpen for now. If he gets squeezed out of the club’s plans in the future, he is out of options.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
Braves Outright Ian Hamilton
Right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Braves and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, per Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a player who’s been outrighted previously (and who has three-plus years of MLB service), he’ll have the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.
Hamilton made only one appearance with Atlanta. He was tagged for three runs in an inning of work. He fared better during his initial run with Gwinnett, holding opponents to a pair of runs with a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio in 6 1/3 innings of work.
The 30-year-old Hamilton has pitched 151 1/3 innings in the majors. In addition to this very brief appearance with Atlanta, he’s pitched for the White Sox, Yankees and Twins. The 2016 11th-rounder (White Sox) has a 3.75 ERA, though most of his success came in a 2023 season that saw him post a 2.64 ERA in 58 frames with the Yankees. He’s generally posted mid-4.00s ERAs in his other exposure to big league hitters.
Hamilton has little problem missing bats. He’s fanned more than one quarter of his major league opponents and carries a career 14.5% swinging-strike rate. He’s also kept the ball on the ground at a nice 45.9% clip, avoided home runs and avoided hard contact in general. He’s far too prone to walks, however, as evidenced by a career 11.3% mark.
Even if Hamilton elects free agency, the Braves have a habit of passing veterans of this ilk through waivers and quickly re-signing them. They did so with Jesse Chavez for several years and have done so with both Carlos Carrasco and Martín Pérez over the past calendar year.
Braves Recall Didier Fuentes, Designate Ian Hamilton For Assignment
The Braves announced Wednesday morning that they’ve recalled right-hander Didier Fuentes from Triple-A Gwinnett. Fellow righty Ian Hamilton was designated for assignment to open a spot on the active roster. Fuentes will start tonight’s game against the Nationals.
Hamilton’s contract was just selected to the big league roster last week. He made only one appearance with Atlanta and was tagged for three runs in an inning of work. He’ll now be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days.
With his latest appearance, the 30-year-old Hamilton has now pitched 151 1/3 major league innings between the White Sox, Twins, Yankees and Braves. He’s worked to a solid 3.75 ERA overall, although a terrific 2023 season (2.64 ERA, 58 innings) disproportionately affects that career-long mark; Hamilton had a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings prior to that season and has a 4.35 earned run average in 78 2/3 frames since.
Hamilton has fanned just over one quarter of his major league opponents (25.4%) but also carries a bloated 11.3% walk rate that’s nearly three percentage points north of the league average. He’s shown above-average grounder tendencies (45.9%) and has done a nice job of avoiding homers and hard contact in general. The right-hander sat 96 mph with his heater for the 2024-25 Yankees but averaged 94.4 mph in his lone Braves appearance. His sinker velocity dipped similarly. Hamilton’s primary breaking pitch is a slider that he’s typically thrown at a near 50% clip.
Fuentes, 10 years younger than Hamilton, won’t turn 21 until mid-June. Despite that youth, he’s auditioning for a role in the Atlanta rotation. The right-hander struggled in a four-start cup of coffee last summer but had a big spring showing and has been excellent in Gwinnett thus far. Through his first 16 2/3 frames, Fuentes sports a tidy 2.16 ERA with a 31.7% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. He made one long relief appearance with the Braves early this season before being sent down and shined there as well, holding the Royals to a run on two hits and a walk with four punchouts in four innings.
Atlanta’s pitching injuries have been chronicled at length. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had surgery to remove loose bodies from their elbows before the season started. Joey Wentz tore his ACL during spring training. Spencer Strider opened the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain and has yet to return.
The Braves have been left with a group of Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez to shoulder the rotation load thus far. To call Elder (1.50 ERA in 30 innings) and Pérez (2.21 ERA, 20 1/3 innings) “pleasant surprises” thus far would be an understatement. Pérez has pitched like a fifth starter when healthy for the bulk of the past five seasons. Elder was one of the least-effective pitchers in baseball in 2024-25.
It’s not reasonable to expect either Elder or Pérez to sustain this level of production, but there’s no taking away what’s already in the books; these impeccably timed hot streaks have helped the Braves weather a storm of early injuries that threatened to dig them in a massive hole for a second straight season. Instead, Atlanta has an NL-best 2.98 ERA from the rotation and sits at 16-8 with a five-game cushion in a disappointing NL East division. With Strider on a minor league rehab assignment, Fuentes now in the majors, top prospect JR Ritchie performing well and injured arms like Schwellenbach, Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver (Tommy John surgery last year) all progressing through their rehab windows, Atlanta could be on the cusp of escaping those early health setbacks with an improbable division lead, which would set the Braves up incredibly well for the remainder of the season.
Braves Designate Osvaldo Bido, Select Ian Hamilton
The Braves have designated right-hander Osvaldo Bido for assignment, per a team announcement. Right-hander Ian Hamilton‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. Atlanta also optioned southpaw reliever Hayden Harris to Gwinnett. That’ll clear another active roster spot for veteran lefty Martín Pérez. Braves skipper Walt Weiss said last night that Pérez, who quickly re-signed on a minor league deal after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers, will start Friday.
Bido, 30, has become the poster boy for the perpetual DFA carousel that some players ride in today’s game. Since the end of the 2025 season, he’s been on six different 40-man rosters via a series of DFAs and waiver claims. He spent the 2025 season with the A’s and has since bounced to the Braves, Rays, Marlins, Yankees, Angels and back to the Braves. It’s feasible he could now find himself with a seventh organization in the span of about five calendar months.
On the one hand, the parade of DFAs might suggest that teams don’t feel Bido is a big league-caliber arm. On the other, he’s yet to make it through waivers. Twenty percent of the league has rostered Bido since the 2025 Winter Meetings commenced. Clubs clearly think there’s major league potential in the lanky right-hander, but he’s yet to put things together with any real consistency.
Bido pitched 10 innings with Atlanta and was tagged for seven runs on seven hits and five walks. Walking five of the 41 hitters he faced (12.2%) is already problematic, but Bido also plunked a pair of batters and rattled off four wild pitches. Suffice it to say, his command has not been there in 2026.
Command has never been an especially strong point for Bido, but he hasn’t struggled to this extent in the past. He entered the season having walked or hit 12% of the batters he’s faced in the majors. He’d averaged a wild pitch every 10 innings or so. He’s walked/hit 17.1% of his opponents this year and averaged a wild pitch every two and a half innings — certainly not ideal.
Bido has had an up-and-down run in the majors, logging poor numbers in 2023, strong output in 2024 and more struggles in 2025. The 2026 season clearly hasn’t been kind to him. Overall, metrics like SIERA (4.62) and FIP (4.70) view him a bit more favorably than his career 5.13 ERA, but Bido has typically pitched like a swingman or sixth starter. He averages 94.7 mph on his four-seamer and sinker alike. He’s only a bit worse than average in terms of strikeout rate (20.6%) and walk rate (9.7%), but he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher whose best season was spent pitching home games in the cavernous Oakland Coliseum during the Athletics’ final season there.
Last year’s move to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, which played like an absolute launching pad, did Bido no favors. He served up 13 big flies in only 44 1/3 home innings, compared to just six on the road (35 1/3 innings). He’s been tagged for one home run in his 10 innings with the Braves.
Bido would ideally land in a more pitcher-friendly home park than he had with either the A’s or Braves. Sutter Health Park was the fifth-most homer-friendly park for left-handed batters in 2025, per Statcast’s Park Factors. Atlanta’s Truist Park was just behind, sitting sixth in MLB. Time will tell whether that happens. The Braves have five days to trade Bido or place him on waivers. Outright waivers are a 48-hour process, so today’s DFA will be resolved in no more than a week’s time.
As for Hamilton, he’ll be suiting up for a seventh major league season. He’s pitched 150 1/3 innings for the White Sox, Twins and Yankees in his career, turning in a sharp 3.59 ERA overall. A terrific 2023 season (2.64 ERA, 58 innings) disproportionately affects that career-long mark; Hamilton had a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings prior to that season and has a 4.06 earned run average in 77 2/3 frames since.
Hamilton, 30, has fanned just over one quarter of his opponents in the majors but also sports an 11.1% walk rate that’s nearly three percentage points north of average. He’s shown above-average grounder tendencies (45.9%) and has done a nice job of avoiding homers and hard contact in general. His first year with the Braves organization has kicked off nicely, with 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball and a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio in Triple-A Gwinnett.
Like nearly everyone else in the Atlanta bullpen, Hamilton is out of minor league options. At present, southpaw Dylan Lee is the only optionable pitcher — bullpen or rotation — on the Braves’ major league roster. It’s an untenable setup in the modern game, where teams tend to cycle various relievers through the final couple bullpen spots to maintain a stock of fresh arms in support of starters who rarely work deep into games. That’s all the more true given that Lee, while technically optionable, almost certainly isn’t being sent down anytime soon. He’s been one of Atlanta’s most consistently effective relievers dating back to 2024, with an overall 2.65 ERA and a 1.13 mark through his first eight frames in 2026.
Braves Outright Ian Hamilton
The Braves announced that right-hander Ian Hamilton has been sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. There wasn’t any previous indication he was on waivers but it appears he was quietly passed through unclaimed in recent days. The move drops Atlanta’s 40-man roster count from 39 to 38.
Hamilton was non-tendered by the Yankees after the 2025 season. Atlanta gave him a roster spot in December. Hamilton’s deal has a non-guaranteed $1.05MM salary, per the Associated Press. By cutting him from the roster before Opening Day, Atlanta will only owe him 45 days’ prorated termination pay, or about $254K.
The righty has at least three years of service time, meaning he has the right to elect free agency. Since he has fewer than five years of service, he would have to forfeit any remaining salary commitments on his deal by exercising that right. It’s unclear what kind of salary he would be paid as a minor leaguer, which would impact his decision.
Hamilton had some good seasons in the Bronx. He gave the Yanks 95 2/3 innings over 2023 and 2024, allowing 3.10 earned runs per nine. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 27.4% of batters faced and induced ground balls at a 50.4% clip. His results backed up last year, as he posted a 4.28 ERA. His 25.3% strikeout rate was still good but a drop of a few ticks. He also saw his ground ball rate fall to 37.8% as his walk rate climbed to 13.3%. He was optioned to the minors for the final two months of the season.
That exhausted his final option year, so he will now be out of options going forward. That probably contributed to him getting pushed off the Yankee roster. He could have been retained for 2026 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $941K salary, barely above this year’s $780K minimum. The Yankees decided to non-tender him instead, sending him to free agency.
Atlanta now has a couple of roster spots to play with. They are likely to use one on Dominic Smith, whose path to playing time was opened by the Jurickson Profar suspension. The club might also select Martín Pérez or JR Ritchie to the roster. Atlanta also has several candidates to move to the 60-day injured list, with Joey Wentz, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep and Danny Young all possibilities. With that flexibility, this Hamilton move was probably less about opening a 40-man spot and more just a reflection of the fact that he wasn’t going to crack the Opening Day active roster.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Braves Sign Ian Hamilton To Major League Deal
The Braves announced the signing of reliever Ian Hamilton to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. Atlanta opened a 40-man roster spot this afternoon when they ran Anthony Molina through waivers. Hamilton is represented by ALIGND Sports Agency.
Hamilton hit the market last month when he was non-tendered by the Yankees. His projected arbitration salary wasn’t far above the league minimum, but he had spent the final two months of the season on optional assignment to Triple-A. Hamilton made 36 appearances before being sent down. He pitched 40 innings of 4.28 ERA ball, striking out a quarter of opponents against a worrisome 13.3% walk rate.
The 30-year-old righty has pitched parts of six MLB seasons between the White Sox, Twins and Yankees. He had a career-best 2.64 ERA behind a 29% strikeout rate for New York back in 2023. His production hasn’t been as strong over the past couple years. Hamilton’s grounder rates have fallen while the free passes jumped this year. He gets plus swing-and-miss rates on his slider but hasn’t gotten great results on his 95-96 MPH sinker.
The 2025 season was Hamilton’s third and final minor league option year. He’ll battle for a middle relief spot in camp. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, the Braves would need to take him off the 40-man and either trade him or run him through waivers.
Hamilton has between three and five years of MLB service time. He’d therefore have the right to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency if the Braves get him through waivers unclaimed, but doing so would mean forfeiting his salary. If he pitches well enough to stick on the roster, Atlanta could control him via arbitration through 2028.
Atlanta doesn’t have a ton of roster flexibility with regards to the bullpen. Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez and Aaron Bummer are locked in at the back end. Dylan Lee has two minor league options but is certainly going to be on the roster. Hamilton, Joel Payamps, Danny Young and swing types Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, José Suarez and Joey Wentz are all out of options. While an injury or two in Spring Training could open roster space, they’re certainly not going to have room for all those pitchers on Opening Day.
Image courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images.
Note: This post initially incorrectly referred to Hamilton’s contract as a split deal.
American League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25
Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.
Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
- The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
- The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
- The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
- The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
- The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
- The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reports Francys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relievers Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom was designated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
- The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
- The Rangers non-tendered each of Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves in greater detail.
- The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
- The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
- The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according to Romero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’d designated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
- The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d been designated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
- The White Sox non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, as first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
- The Yankees announced five non-tenders. Relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.
The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.
Yankees Designate Adam Ottavino For Assignment
The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve designated veteran righty Adam Ottavino for assignment in order to clear roster space for fellow righty reliever Ian Hamilton, who’s being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
It’s the second time the Yankees have designated Ottavino for assignment in the past week; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed after his previous DFA. The 39-year-old righty and New York City native has pitched in three games with the Yankees and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings — albeit with four walks. He’s also punched out three of the nine batters he’s faced.
The swift turnaround likely didn’t come as a surprise after his quick DFA and re-signing. Veteran pitchers, especially relievers who can’t be optioned to the minors, can often find themselves in this situation. The Yankees themselves have gone through similar situations in the past with righties David Hale and Ryan Weber; both pitchers were designated for assignment by the Yankees several times in the same season, quickly clearing waivers and re-signing on each occasion.
If Ottavino is comfortable with the setup, it’s quite possible he’ll go the same route following this DFA. Fans sometimes bristle at the nature of these carousel scenarios, but the player tends to be on board. Since he can’t be optioned, the recurring DFAs/re-signings effectively amount to being optioned and resummoned to the majors when a fresh arm is needed. If Ottavino (or any other player in this situation) grows weary of the gambit, electing free agency presents a clear path to finding a more palatable situation. However, as a Brooklyn native, he may be more amenable to a cyclical arrangement of this nature than most other veterans with his level of service time (13+ years). And, of course, if another club chooses to claim Ottavino, he’d gladly head to a new club willing to carry him in the big league bullpen.
Selected 30th overall by the Cardinals back in 2006, Ottavino made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2010 and then spent the 2012-18 seasons as a mainstay in the Rockies’ bullpen after being claimed off waivers by Colorado early in the 2012 campaign. Since reaching free agency, he’s repeatedly signed with his hometown Yankees and Mets, plus a one-year stay in Boston (where he attended college) after being traded over from the Yankees in 2021.
In his more than 13 years of MLB service, Ottavino has tallied 744 2/3 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 46 saves, 194 holds, a 27.2% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. He’s tacked on another 12 2/3 innings across five years and eight series in the postseason.
As for the 29-year-old Hamilton, he opened the season on the 15-day injured list. He was slowed by a lengthy bout with a viral illness early in camp which set him back a few weeks. He was hit hard in three Triple-A rehab outings, but the Yankees apparently feel his stuff is crisp enough and his arm is built up enough to rejoin the big league ‘pen.
Hamilton was a minor league signee for the Yankees in 2023. He’d previously bounced from the White Sox, to the Mariners, to the Phillies, to the Twins, to the Guardians via the DFA carousel but has since broken out as a steady member of Aaron Boone’s relief corps. In 95 2/3 innings for New York across the past two seasons, he’s posted a 3.10 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate, 16 holds and three saves.