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John McMillon

Phillies Outright John McMillon

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The Phillies announced that they have selected right-handers Moisés Chace, Mick Abel and Jean Cabrera to their 40-man roster. Fellow righty John McMillon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 40-man roster count is now 39. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had the Chace move on on X earlier today.

Chace, 22 in June, was an international signing of the Orioles who was flipped to the Phillies a few months ago when the O’s acquired left-hander Gregory Soto. Chace has posted some big strikeout numbers but also given out his fair share of walks during his time in the minors. He has logged 230 1/3 innings thus far with a 4.42 earned run average, 31.6% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate.

The control is clearly a work in progress but the Phillies are understandably intrigued by the punchouts. Baseball America currently lists him the #15 prospect in the club’s system, heaping praise on his fastball while noting that he also has a slider, sweeper and a changeup in his repertoire.

He hasn’t yet reached Triple-A and only has four starts at the Double-A level, so he likely won’t be an immediate option for their rotation. However, the Phils didn’t want to take the risk that some other club would try to stash him on their roster next year, so they will protect him from Rule 5 selection today. If he can better harness his arsenal, he will creep into the rotation picture in time.

Currently, the starting mix includes Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker. Suarez only has one year of club control remaining, which will open one spot. Walker has two years left on his contract but he’s been bumped from the rotation before and the Phils could look into moving him. Wheeler has three years left until he’s slated for free agency. Chace and other prospects like Andrew Painter will look to position themselves to step into those openings when they arrive.

Abel will also be in that mix. He was Philadelphia’s first-round pick from 2020, getting selected 15th overall. Since then, he has posted big strikeout numbers but also given out plenty of walks. He has 375 minor league innings under his belt at this point with a 4.78 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate. BA still likes him enough to rank him 12th in the system but he’ll obviously need to rein in his stuff if he’s to unlock his potential.

Cabrera, 23, was an international signing out of Venezuela. He has thrown 287 minor league innings thus far with a 3.76 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. He will eventually be a part of the club’s rotation picture but is more of a long-term play. He has yet to reach Triple-A and has less than 30 innings at the Double-A level.

McMillon, 27 in January, was just claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. He has flashed some strikeout stuff but also poor control so far. In 130 2/3 innings in the minors, he has a 4.75 ERA, 35.3% strikeout rate but a 17.8% walk rate. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, therefore providing the Phils with some non-roster depth.

Phillies Acquire Devin Sweet, Claim John McMillon

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The Phillies announced they acquired reliever Devin Sweet from the Tigers and added him to the 40-man roster. Philadelphia also claimed reliever John McMillon off waivers from the Marlins and selected righty Alan Rangel onto the 40-man. The Phils dropped Kolby Allard, Yunior Marté, Freddy Tarnok, Luis Ortiz and Rodolfo Castro from the roster by running them through outright waivers.

Sweet had not been on Detroit’s 40-man roster. He was set to reach minor league free agency today. While Detroit evidently wasn’t going to select his contract, the Phils were intrigued enough to carry him on the roster. The 28-year-old righty posted big numbers for the Tigers’ top affiliate in Toledo. Sweet struck out almost 34% of Triple-A hitters and posted a 3.91 ERA through 76 innings. He has limited MLB experience, allowing 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings between two teams in 2023.

McMillon changes hands via waivers for the second time in a few months. Miami grabbed the 6’3″ righty from Kansas City in early August. McMillon pitched well over 10 appearances for the Fish but ended the year on the injured list with elbow tightness. The Texas Tech product has an earned run average approaching 5.00 over four seasons in the minors. He averages north of 95 MPH on his fastball, so it’s a low-risk flier on a pitcher with a decent arm and two minor league options remaining.

Rangel, 27, signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia in July. The Mexican-born righty tossed 29 1/3 innings of 4.30 ERA ball in a swing role in Triple-A. He didn’t miss many bats but showed solid control. Rangel, who has yet to make his big league debut, would have been eligible for minor league free agency again this winter.

Of the players coming off the roster, Allard and Marté had the biggest roles this year. The former worked as a depth starter and posted an even 5.00 earned run average through 27 innings. The latter was hit hard to the tune of a 6.92 ERA across 26 frames in a middle relief role. Ortiz made one appearance but missed the majority of the year to ankle and shoulder problems. Castro played in Triple-A, where he tore a thumb ligament in August. Tarnok didn’t pitch in the majors after the Phillies claimed him from the A’s in June.

Marlins Designate Jonathan Bermudez For Assignment

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The Marlins announced a series of roster moves today, most notably designating lefty Jonathan Bermudez for assignment in order to clear roster space for righty Jeff Lindgren, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Jacksonville. Miami also placed righty John McMillon on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his right elbow. McMillon’s roster spot will be filled by righty Michael Petersen, whom the Fish claimed from the Dodgers earlier this week and who’ll now jump right onto the big league roster.

As Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald points out (on X), once either Lindgren or Petersen take the mound for the Marlins, the team will set a new major league record for most players used in a single season. They’re currently tied with the 2019 Mariners at 69 players. It’d be somewhat poetic if Petersen gets the distinction, as Miami announced he’ll wear No. 70 with the club.

Bermudez, 28, joined the Marlins on a minor league deal in April 2023. The former Astros draftee had been released by the Giants prior to that deal. He’s pitched 6 2/3 innings this season, his first career action at the MLB level, and allowed six runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. He’s had a rough showing in Jacksonville, too, logging a 6.46 ERA in 24 2/3 frames.

Bermudez has worked more in the bullpen this season than in years past. He spent the 2023 campaign in the Double-A rotation for the Marlins, where he made 18 starts and posted a 4.58 ERA in 94 1/3 innings. Bermudez punched out 26.6% of his opponents there against a 9.5% walk rate. The former 23rd-round pick (2018) briefly snuck onto the back end of Baseball America’s top-30 Astros prospects back in 2022, but he’s taken some steps back since that point.

Lindgren, 27, pitched seven innings for the Marlins last year in his MLB debut but was eventually removed from the 40-man roster. He’s been hit hard in the upper minors this year, combining for 75 2/3 innings of 6.19 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A.

Since he’s been working out of the Jacksonville rotation, he’s stretched out for multiple innings of relief if needed. The Marlins’ pitching staff is in shambles following injuries to Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, Ryan Weathers, Calvin Faucher and Andrew Nardi, among others (plus trades of Trevor Rogers, Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, Bryan Hoeing, JT Chargois and Huascar Brazoban). Lindgren can fill any role necessary down the stretch but will likely be removed from the 40-man once again at some point.

Marlins Claim John McMillon

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The Marlins have claimed right-hander John McMillon off waivers from the Royals, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty was designated for assignment when Kansas City acquired infielder Paul DeJong. Miami had open roster spots after its deadline selloff and their 40-man roster count goes to 39.

McMillon, now 26, wasn’t selected in the shortened five-round 2020 draft and then signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent. He is a pitcher who was been considered to have a wide range of potential outcomes because he can regularly send batters back to the dugout but also to first base. He has 129 2/3 innings on his minor league résumé with a 4.79 earned run average. He has struck out 35.2% of batters faced in that time but also given out walks at a massive 17.7% clip.

He was selected to the Royals’ roster in August of last year and pitched four major league innings for them. He allowed one earned run and struck out eight opponents without issuing a walk. But he’s been on optional assignment for all of this year, pitching 30 1/3 innings of the minor league total mentioned above. He’s still walking 17.7% of batters that step into the box but his 23.8% strikeout rate is a bit of a dip from previous seasons, leading to a 6.53 ERA.

It’s understandable that the Royals gave up on a pitcher that clearly still needs some fine tuning, while he’s a sensible flier for the Fish. McMillon can still be optioned for the rest of this season and two more campaigns. They just traded away A.J. Puk, Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, JT Chargois and Huascar Brazobán in the past few days, blowing a huge hole in their bullpen. McMillon is an upside flier with plenty of time for the Marlins to unlock it.

Royals Acquire Paul DeJong

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4:01PM: The trade has been officially announced, and the Royals have designated righty John McMillon for assignment to create roster space for DeJong.  McMillon made his MLB debut with four innings of 2.25 ERA ball with K.C. in 2023, but has struggled in posting a 6.53 ERA across 30 1/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha this year.

2:51PM: The Royals have bolstered their infield depth by acquiring shortstop Paul DeJong from the White Sox, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via X).  Right-handed pitching prospect Jarold Rosado is headed to the Sox in return, as per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The deal will become official after a medical review.  Since the Royals and White Sox are playing each other tonight in Chicago, DeJong might be able to make a quick debut for his new club against his old club.

In a dismal White Sox season, DeJong has been a relatively bright spot, hitting .228/.275/.430 with a team-leading 18 homers in 363 plate appearances.  While his 95 wRC+ is still below the league average, it still represents a significant step up from the 73 wRC+ DeJong posted over the 2020-23 seasons, while hitting .200/.273/.352 in 1213 PA for the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Giants.

DeJong’s strikeout and walk rates are among the worst in baseball, but he still makes a decent amount of hard contact and can generate power when he does square up.  Beyond the power-centric offensive profile, DeJong doesn’t offer much in the field, as his glovework has sharply declined after once being one of the sport’s better defensive shortstops.

While the Royals are more than set already at shortstop with Bobby Witt Jr., DeJong brings some extra pop to a K.C. team that ranks 19th of 30 teams in homers.  Witt and Salvador Perez (each with 19 round-trippers) are the only Royals players with more home runs than DeJong, so he could bring some power off the bench, or in a part-time capacity at second or third base.

The right-handed hitting DeJong could pair with the left-handed hitting Michael Massey for a natural platoon at the keystone, or DeJong could get some at-bats ahead of the offensively-struggling Maikel Garcia at third base.  DeJong hasn’t played much second base in his career and had never played any third before this season, but another infield position might be the better option given the decline in his shortstop work.

DeJong is a free agent after the season, making him one of the more clear-cut players to be dealt by the rebuilding White Sox.  The infielder (who turns 31 later this week) signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Chicago last winter, so the remaining $580K or so on his deal represents a pretty small financial burden for Kansas City to assume.

Rosado just turned 22 earlier this month, and the former international signing has a 1.85 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 39 relief innings for A-level Columbia this season.  Injuries cost Rosado the entire 2022 season and limited him to 10 innings in 2021 and 26 innings last year, but he has looked much sharper and reduced his walk rate significantly in his first healthy pro season.

Royals Select John McMillon

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The Royals announced that they have selected right-hander John McMillon. In corresponding moves, right-hander Nick Wittgren was optioned to Triple-A while righty Brad Keller was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

McMillon, 25, was signed by the Royals in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. Since then, he’s climbed the minor league ranks by racking up huge strikeout totals, but also demonstrating a clear lack of control. He spent last year in Single-A, tossing 31 innings at that level with a 6.10 earned run average. He struck out 30.8% of batters faced but also walked an eye-popping 26%.

Here in 2023, he’s already covered three levels, going from Single-A to High-A and Double-A. He’s thrown a combined 51 1/3 frames between those stops with a 2.10 ERA. The 12.4% walk rate is still on the high side but a massive improvement over last year. He hasn’t lost any strikeout stuff either, punching out 45.3% of opponents.

With those extremes in his performance, there’s naturally some variation in the evaluations on his abilities. FanGraphs ranked him the #11 prospect in the system last month while Baseball America recently pegged him at #29. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs highlights McMillon’s fastball and slider, giving both pitches a 70 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale, adding that the righty could be an elite reliever right now with better control.

The Royals are well out of contention with a record of 39-82, second-worst in baseball with only the A’s beneath them. They can use the remainder of the season to give McMillon a shot at getting big league hitters out, skipping him over Triple-A, at least for the time being.

As for Keller, his transfer is largely a formality since he’s already been on the IL longer than 60 days, landing there back on May 19 due to right shoulder impingement syndrome. He started a rehab assignment in June but his discomfort eventually returned, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. He started another rehab assignment earlier this week but will have to ramp up and stay healthy before he’s likely to be activated. He’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

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