Nationals Select Tom Cosgrove
1:35pm: The Nats have now officially announced their selection of Cosgrove. Right-hander Jake Irvin has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. A shoulder strain put Irvin on the 15-day IL on May 24. His 60-day count is retroactive to that day, so he’ll be eligible for reinstatement in a couple of weeks. He faced live hitters this week and could begin a rehab assignment soon, per Nusbaum.
8:32am: The Nationals are going to select the contract of left-hander Tom Cosgrove, reports Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. The Nats have an open spot on the active roster as they put right-hander Brad Lord on the 15-day injured list yesterday with left side tightness and didn’t make a corresponding move. The 40-man roster is full, so the Nats will have to open a spot there.
Cosgrove, 30, was just acquired from the Astos a week ago. He had begun his season with Houston on a minor league deal. He logged 29 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.30 earned run average and an average-ish 21.3% strikeout rate. However, he walked 21 of the 136 batters he faced, an awful 15.4% pace. He also hit nine batters, so it was actually 22% of opponents getting a free pass to first base.
Despite that concerning lack of control, the Nats sent cash considerations to the Astros and picked Cosgrove up. He has since made one appearance for Triple-A Rochester, putting up a zero while striking out three of the five batters he faced.
Cosgrove doesn’t throw especially hard, averaging in the 87-89 mph range with his four-seamer and sinker, but he pitches from a low slot that has occasionally worked on hitters. With the Padres in 2023, he posted a 1.75 ERA in 51 1/3 innings. That was the result of some good fortune, as his .205 batting average on balls in play and 84.6% strand rate were both to the fortunate side. Regression hit hard in 2024, as Cosgrove posted an 11.66 ERA in 14 2/3 innings.
He was designated for assignment in 2025 and flipped to the Cubs. He only made two appearances for Chicago as they mostly kept him in the minors. He was outrighted off the roster in September and became a free agent at season’s end, which led to his aforementioned deal with the Astros.
Washington doesn’t have a good bullpen in general, as their relief corps has a collective 5.04 ERA, which is better than just three other teams. In terms of the southpaw contingent, Mitchell Parker and Richard Lovelady have been two of the main arms but both landed on the injured list recently. Parker will likely require Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the season. Lovelady has a triceps strain and a less clear timeline.
Since those injuries, the Nats have been trying to bolster that part of the roster. They picked up Cosgrove, claimed Matt Krook off waivers and signed Konnor Pilkington to a minor league deal. At the big league level, they currently have Krook, PJ Poulin and Carson Palmquist in the lefty group. They will add Cosgrove in there today.
The Nats are 48-46 and four games out of a playoff spot. If they hang in the race, perhaps they can make some more moves to address the bullpen before the August 3 deadline. Though if they fall back, they would become more likely to trade pitching away.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Astros Trade Tom Cosgrove To Nationals
The Astros traded minor league reliever Tom Cosgrove to the Nationals for cash considerations, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. The left-hander was on a minor league contract with Houston and won’t occupy a 40-man roster spot with Washington unless the move was spurred by an upward mobility clause.
Cosgrove signed with Houston in January. He has spent the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, working to a 4.30 ERA over 29 1/3 innings. Cosgrove has a slightly below average 21.3% strikeout rate and has walked an untenable 15.4% of opponents. He has also plunked nine batters, so he has more total free passes (30) than strikeouts (29).
The command has been an issue for Cosgrove throughout his career. He gets a lot of weak contact and throws from a lower arm angle that it is difficult for left-handed batters, but he hasn’t thrown enough strikes to carve out a permanent MLB role as a matchup arm. Cosgrove made 54 appearances for the Padres as a rookie in 2023. He combined for 20 big league games over the next two seasons and hasn’t reached the MLB level this year.
There was no real path for Cosgrove to get a big league look from Houston. They’re already carrying three above-average lefty relievers in Josh Hader, Steven Okert and Bryan King. They could get another, Bennett Sousa, back from an elbow injury in the second half.
The Nationals aren’t positioned nearly as well in that regard. They lost lefty relievers Mitchell Parker and Richard Lovelady to the injured list this week. Lovelady has a seemingly minor triceps strain, but Parker is expected to undergo season-ending surgery. Lefty relief wasn’t a strength even before those injuries, which now leave them with a combination of PJ Poulin and Carson Palmquist in the big league bullpen. The front office has taken a couple dart throws on depth options. In addition to the Cosgrove trade, they brought back Konnor Pilkington on a minor league deal last night.
Washington took tonight’s series opener over the Pirates to improve to 46-43 on the season. They’re still in fourth place in the NL East but within two games of a Wild Card spot. That sets up an interesting deadline for a front office that probably expected another rebuilding year. The bullpen should be the focus if they add, even if only on the margins of the roster so as not to subtract too heavily from the farm system.
Astros, Tom Cosgrove Agree To Minor League Deal
The Astros are in agreement with lefty reliever Tom Cosgrove on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The CAA client gets a non-roster invite to MLB camp and would be paid at a $900K rate if he makes the team.
Cosgrove has pitched in the majors in each of the past three seasons. The majority of his experience came in his rookie year with the Padres. He tallied 51 1/3 innings of 1.75 ERA ball in 2023. His underlying numbers weren’t nearly as impressive, and Cosgrove hasn’t gotten much of an MLB look in the past two seasons. He was blitzed for 19 runs across 14 2/3 innings in ’24. The Padres designated him for assignment and sold his contract to the Cubs last April.
The 29-year-old only made two appearances in a Cubs uniform. He worked four innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts and a walk. Chicago ran him through waivers in early September. Cosgrove finished the season with a 4.53 ERA across 49 2/3 Triple-A frames. He punched out a quarter of opponents but walked almost 13% of batters faced. He elected minor league free agency at year’s end.
While Houston has lacked left-handed relief depth over the past few seasons, that looks like a strength after last year. Josh Hader will be back in the ninth inning. Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa are coming off career years, while Bryan King had an impressive first full season in his own right. Cosgrove probably doesn’t have a path to an Opening Day job barring multiple Spring Training injuries. All of Houston’s previous non-roster invitees were right-handed, though, so it’s sensible to add at least one southpaw to the camp mix.
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Cubs Outright Tom Cosgrove
The Cubs sent lefty reliever Tom Cosgrove outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on August 31. Cosgrove was the 40-man roster casualty when the Cubs claimed Aaron Civale off waivers from the White Sox.
Chicago acquired Cosgrove from the Padres in the middle of April. He has spent most of the season in the minor leagues. The 29-year-old has made two big league appearances, allowing one run in four innings. The Manhattan University product has a 4.71 ERA across 42 frames with Iowa. Cosgrove has fanned a quarter of opponents but walked too many hitters, issuing free passes at a 14% clip.
Cosgrove pitched 51 1/3 innings of 1.75 ERA ball for San Diego two years ago. He hasn’t gotten much major league work since then. His Triple-A production over the past couple seasons has been middling as he has struggled to throw strikes consistently. This is Cosgrove’s first career outright assignment. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency, so he’ll stick with Iowa as non-roster bullpen depth for the rest of the season. Cosgrove will become a minor league free agent at year’s end if the Cubs don’t call him back up.
Cubs Claim Aaron Civale
The Cubs have claimed right-hander Aaron Civale off waivers from the White Sox, according to a team announcement. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was designated for assignment to make room for Civale on the 40-man roster. In addition the White Sox announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Bryse Wilson to replace Civale on the club’s active and 40-man rosters.
Civale, 30, made his big league debut with Cleveland back in 2019 and posted a 3.77 ERA across 76 starts with the organization, but is now on his fifth team in the past three years as he’s changed hands between Cleveland, Tampa, Milwaukee, and now both Chicago teams. His numbers haven’t been nearly as good since he left the Guardians; since he was traded to Tampa, he’s pitched to a lackluster 4.78 ERA in 59 appearances with a 4.53 FIP and a 22.1% strikeout rate against a 7.5% walk rate. The numbers have been even less impressive this year, as he’s posted a 5.26 ERA with a 4.60 FIP in 16 starts between the Brewers and White Sox this year.
All of that might make it seem somewhat surprising that a Cubs team with designs on making it back to the postseason for the first time in a 162-game season since 2018 would have interest in his services. Despite Civale’s middling results, however, he’s still an appealing addition for Chicago thanks to the fact that he can log reliable innings for the club and help keep their top pitchers fresh ahead of the postseason. 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd has already logged 153 1/3 innings this year despite having last thrown even 80 innings in a single season all the way back in 2019. Meanwhile, rookie Cade Horton has racked up 127 1/3 frames between Triple-A and the majors despite having never even thrown 90 innings in a season before.
Those heavy workloads could come with consequences by the time October rolls around, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported this morning that the Cubs are already keeping a close eye on Boyd’s workload after he posted a 4.10 ERA in his last seven starts. Horton, meanwhile, has been among the very best pitchers in baseball since the All Star break with a 0.86 ERA in eight starts, but even he has thrown more than 74 pitches in just one of his six starts during the month of August. With Horton and Boyd likely to join Shota Imanaga at the front of Chicago’s rotation for the playoffs, it would make sense for the Cubs to try and ease off the gas for those players while leaning on their depth for the stretch run.
The problem with that plan is that Chicago’s depth has been taxed heavily by injuries. Front-of-the-rotation lefty Justin Steele has been out almost the entire year due to UCL surgery, and since then the Cubs have also lost both Jameson Taillon and deadline addition Michael Soroka to the injured list. Javier Assad has looked quite good since returning from his own stint on the injured list, but other arms will need to join him in helping lift up the front of the rotation if the Cubs are going to be able to rest Boyd and Horton this September.
That’s where Civale comes in, as he can join with other back-end starters and swingmen the Cubs have at their disposal like Assad, Ben Brown, and Colin Rea to help take the load off of Chicago’s projected playoff starters. At the very least, he should be able to serve as a capable bridge to players like Soroka and Taillon, who may be activated off the injured list before the end of the regular season. It’s also possible the Cubs will be able to get something more than innings out of Civale, given his past success and the solid enough 4.28 FIP he posted during his time with the White Sox.
In exchange for Civale’s services, the Cubs will pay the remainder of the right-hander’s $8MM salary for the 2025 campaign. That should free up some money for the White Sox as they look ahead towards the 2025-26 offseason and hope for better days next year. It will also provide opportunities for other arms to step into the rotation and show what they can do ahead of the offseason. Perhaps that will include Wilson, who was outrighted off the White Sox roster back in June after surrendering a 6.95 ERA in 45 1/3 appearances. Now that he’s back on the roster, perhaps Wilson will be able to finish the season strong at the big league level as he heads towards what will likely be free agency in the offseason, unless he pitches so well that the White Sox are convinced to tender him a contract for 2026.
As for Cosgrove, the lefty has a 2.25 ERA across four appearances with the Cubs this year after spending most of the season at Triple-A. He’s logged 70 big league innings in total over the past three years, the majority of which came as a member of the Padres, and in that time he’s pitched to a 3.86 ERA with a 4.07 FIP. The Cubs will have one week to try and pass Cosgrove through waivers, at which point they’ll have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minors if he goes unclaimed.
Cubs Promote Cade Horton
May 10: The Cubs have officially selected Horton’s contract, according to a team announcement. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Horton on the active roster, while right-hander Eli Morgan was transferred to the 60-day injured list due to an inflamed ulnar nerve in his right elbow.
May 8: The Cubs are promoting pitching prospect Cade Horton, per reporting from Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register first reported this afternoon that Horton was traveling to New York in advance of this weekend’s series against the Mets. The young righty is not yet on the club’s 40-man roster, so they will need to open a spot for him.
Chicago’s rotation has taken a few notable hits recently. They came into the season with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga as a one-two punch atop the rotation. Unfortunately, Steele required UCL surgery last month, putting him out of action for the rest of the year. Imanaga suffered a hamstring strain a few days ago. He is surely facing a far shorter absence than Steele but has been placed on the 15-day IL, meaning he’ll miss at least a few turns through the rotation.
Those are the two most obvious losses, but the clubs has also been without Javier Assad all year. He started the season on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain. He started a rehab assignment last month but re-aggravated the same muscle, suffering a Grade 2 strain.
Those injuries have created an opening for Horton to make it to the majors for the first time. The Cubs have “TBD” listed as their starter for Saturday’s game at Citi Field, which will seemingly be when Horton takes the ball. It seemed the decision on Imanaga’s rotation spot came down to promoting Horton or stretching out veteran swingman Chris Flexen.
Horton is the higher-upside play. Chicago selected him out of Oklahoma with the seventh overall pick in 2022. The 6’1″ righty has been the organization’s top pitching prospect over the past few seasons. His arsenal is headlined by a mid-90s fastball and a slider that grades as a plus pitch. Horton’s fastball velocity had dipped slightly to the 94 MPH range last year but has rebounded to sit at 95.8 MPH on average with Triple-A Iowa this season.
The 23-year-old has been out to an excellent start in Triple-A. Horton carries a 1.24 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced through 29 innings. He’s issuing walks at a lofty 12% clip, but the high-octane stuff will get him an opportunity to step into Imanaga’s rotation spot. If Imanaga makes it back within a few weeks, it might be a brief call-up, but the Cubs could theoretically push Ben Brown or Colin Rea to the bullpen if Horton forces their hand with a strong showing over his first few starts.
It’s too late for Horton to reach a full year of service time the traditional way. He meets the necessary prospect criteria to qualify for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, however. That means he could earn a full service year if he finishes in the top two in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. The Cubs would not receive a bonus draft choice if that happens because they didn’t promote Horton early enough to spend 172 days in the majors.
Cubs Acquire Tom Cosgrove From Padres
The Padres announced that they’ve dealt reliever Tom Cosgrove to the Cubs for cash considerations. Chicago designated righty Caleb Kilian for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot. San Diego had designated Cosgrove for assignment over the weekend.
Cosgrove, 28, was drafted by the Padres in 2017. San Diego added him to the 40-man roster during the 2022-23 offseason, a testament to the bat-missing ability he’d shown in the minors. Cosgrove made his major league debut the following April and managed strong numbers as a rookie. He turned in a 1.75 earned run average through 51 1/3 innings. His strikeout and walk profile was pedestrian, but he very rarely allowed hard contact and pitched well against lefty and righty batters alike.
The pendulum swung dramatically in the other direction last year. Cosgrove gave up 19 runs in 14 2/3 MLB innings spanning 18 appearances. Opponents’ average exit velocity jumped by three ticks while his strikeout rate dropped from 21.5% to 19.7%. Cosgrove spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he posted a 4.85 ERA with an above-average 26.8% strikeout percentage in 32 appearances.
Cosgrove did not break camp after a rough Spring Training, in which he gave up seven runs through 5 1/3 frames. He has gotten out to a slow start in Triple-A as well, allowing three runs with four walks and two strikeouts in four appearances. The Cubs immediately optioned him. He’ll begin his Chicago tenure with their top affiliate in Iowa. This is his final minor league option year.
Kilian is in his last option season as well. The Texas Tech product was a decent prospect in the San Francisco farm system whom the Cubs acquired in the Kris Bryant deadline deal in 2021. Chicago also acquired outfield prospect Alexander Canario, whom they DFA and traded away a couple months ago. It’s possible they’ll lose Kilian via trade or waivers within the next week.
The 27-year-old righty never established himself on Chicago’s staff. He has made five starts and three relief appearances going back to 2022. Kilian owns a 9.22 ERA in 27 1/3 innings thus far. He has issued 20 walks while recording only 21 strikeouts. Kilian has better numbers over four seasons at the Triple-A level. He carries a 4.37 ERA with a slightly below-average 21.8% strikeout rate across 274 innings at the top minor league level. Most of that has come as a starter. Kilian has only started one Triple-A game so far this season. He was tagged for six runs on a trio of homers in 2 1/3 innings.
Padres Select Logan Gillaspie, Designate Tom Cosgrove
The Padres announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, left-hander Omar Cruz was optioned to Triple-A, and left-hander Tom Cosgrove was designated for assignment.
Gillaspie first joined San Diego’s organization as a waiver claim off the Red Sox roster in November 2023, and he tossed 11 1/3 MLB innings (to a 7.15 ERA) last season. The Padres didn’t tender him a contract after the season, but then re-signed Gillaspie to a minors deal in December, and the righty has 2 2/3 innings of 6.75 ERA ball under his belt at Triple-A El Paso so far in the young minor league season.
Gillaspie is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to be designated for assignment the next time the Padres want to send him back to the minors. This could happen in relatively short order, as it would seem like Gillaspie has been promoted just to give San Diego a fresh arm in the bullpen. Cruz tossed 68 pitches over three innings of relief in yesterday’s 6-4 loss to the Cubs, and the Padres don’t have another off-day until Thursday. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Cruz recalled before the week is over, and once he’s had time to rest up from his extended outing.
Cosgrove is the other pitcher involved in today’s set of roster moves, and the 28-year-old heads to DFA limbo for the first time in his pro career. A 12th-round pick for San Diego in the 2017 draft, Cosgrove had an excellent 1.75 ERA in 51 1/3 innings during his 2023 rookie season, though secondary metrics indicated that Cosgrove enjoyed a lot of good fortune in managing that stellar ERA.
The luck turned in the other direction last season, as Cosgrove had only an 11.66 ERA in 14 2/3 big league innings, and he also struggled at the Triple-A level. In 2025, Cosgrove got off to another rough start, with a 7.36 ERA and four walks in his first 3 2/3 innings of work in El Paso. It was enough to make him the odd man out on the Padres’ 40-man roster, and Cosgrove will have to accept an outright assignment if he clears waivers since he doesn’t the service time or the past outright on his resume that would allow him to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
Padres To Select Elias Diaz
The Padres are set to select the contract of catcher Elias Diaz tomorrow, according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee writes that Diaz will take the active roster spot created for a position player by tomorrow’s roster expansion, while left-hander Wandy Peralta will be activated from the 15-day Injured List to take the spot created for a pitcher. Lefty Tom Cosgrove will also be recalled from the minor leagues, though a corresponding move will be necessary to add him to the active roster. A corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster will be necessary to accommodate Diaz.
Diaz, 33, joined the Padres on a minor league deal earlier this week after being released by the Rockies earlier this month. That release brought to an end a five-season stretch in Colorado that saw Diaz slash a solid .253/.305/.403 in 462 games with the club. That slash line was good for a wRC+ of just 80 due to the inflated offensive environment at Coors Field, but even that diminished figure is still well within the acceptable range for a glove-first catcher. Diaz proved to be a solid if unspectacular regular for the club behind the plate, even earning an All-Star appearance last year.
After a solid start to the 2024 campaign, the Rockies reportedly entertained trade offers for Diaz’s services, but the club’s plans to deal the veteran in his final year before free agency were thrown off course when he suffered a calf strain that caused him to miss three weeks in June. After returning, Diaz’s offense took a nosedive with a .194/.239/.239 slash line in 18 games in the run-up to the deadline. That seemingly scared off suitors to the point where the Rockies weren’t able to get a deal done, and it left them to try placing Diaz on waivers in mid-August in an attempt to find a suitor willing to absorb what remained of his salary. His offensive production had only improved marginally when the calendar flipped to August, however, and the club eventually released Diaz to allow him the opportunity to try and catch on with a contender elsewhere.
He’s now done just that with the Padres, and will have the opportunity to share catching duties with the club’s existing tandem of Luis Campusano and Kyle Higashioka down the stretch. Higashioka is in the midst of a career year at the plate with an excellent .230/.276/.520 slash line and 16 homers in just 215 trips to the plate, while Campusano has endured a bit of a down season with a slash line of just .233/.283/.372 in 87 games. Diaz should offer the club a solid defensive option behind the plate who, if he can regain his early season form, could offer an on-base ability that both of their current catchers lack.
As for Peralta, the veteran lefty has pitched to somewhat middling results in the first year of a complex four-year deal he signed with the Padres this winter. In 34 innings, the 32-year-old hurler has posted a 4.50 ERA despite a 5.70 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 13.6%. He’ll join fellow lefties Tanner Scott, Yuki Matsui, and Adrian Morejon in the club’s bullpen down the stretch, where the club will surely hope for Peralta to recapture the form that allowed him to post a 3.01 ERA in 200 appearances with the Giants and Yankees over the past four seasons.