AL West Notes: Astros, Anderson, Rendon, Murphy
The Astros have been without outfielder Michael Brantley for most of the past week due to soreness, which according to manager Dusty Baker (as relayed by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) is “mostly” in his surgically repaired shoulder. That’s troublesome news for Houston, as the veteran outfielder has played in just 12 games since he was shut down for shoulder surgery last summer. That Brantley’s been forced off the field by his ailing shoulder once again raises questions as the Astros gear up to defend their title as the reigning World Series champions this fall, though it’s at least somewhat encouraging that the club hasn’t yet elected to place him on the injured list.
Brantley’s absence would normally be expected to allow Yordan Alvarez to move into left field, freeing up the DH spot for a bat like rookie catcher Yainer Diaz. Things aren’t quite that simple, however, as Alvarez is dealing with injury issues of his own. The slugger told reporters, including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, recently that he hasn’t been able to play the field recently after “feeling something” in his elbow earlier in the month while swinging the bat. The incident has left the Astros acting cautiously with their superstar slugger, who has slashed .293/.410/.578 in 106 games with the club this year. While Rome notes that Alvarez was taking fly balls and throwing in the outfield before today’s game, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relayed yesterday that Baker is still trying to avoid using Alvarez in the outfield during games.
With Brantley unavailable and Alvarez seemingly restricted to DH, the club figures to rely on the services of Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubon in the outfield for the time being. With Kyle Tucker entrenched in right field on an everyday bases and both Meyers and Dubon grading out as solid center fielders defensively, the unfortunate injury situation with Brantley and Alvarez has nonetheless allowed the Astros to improve their outfield defense by moving Chas McCormick into left field rather than utilizing him in center.
More from the AL West…
- Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson saw his season come to an end today, as the club placed him on the 15-day IL with left knee soreness (as noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) following today’s game against the Twins. Anderson was poised to start tomorrow’s game for Anaheim, though no replacement starter has been announced to this point. Anderson’s first year with the Angels was a difficult one, as the lefty posted a 5.43 ERA and 4.93 FIP in 141 innings of work. Anderson signed a three-year, $39MM deal with the club early last offseason after posting a fantastic season in 2022 with the Dodgers.
- Sticking with the Angels, Bollinger also relays that third baseman Anthony Rendon isn’t expected to return from the injured list this season, according to club manager Phil Nevin. 2023 will go down as yet another injury-marred campaign for the veteran third baseman, who has been on the shelf since early July with a shin injury and has played just 148 games since the start of the 2021 campaign. Rendon, who slashed .236/.361/.318 with a wRC+ of 95 in 183 trips to the plate this year, has three years and roughly $116MM left on his contract with the club headed into 2024.
- The Mariners have been without catcher Tom Murphy for over a month due to a thumb fracture and was shut down from baseball activity earlier in September due to the issue. While that diagnosis put the remainder of his 2023 in doubt, it’s possible that there’s reason for optimism regarding Murphy’s ability to return this year, at least in the event that Seattle makes it to the postseason. MLB.com notes that Murphy was poised to undergo an MRI yesterday to determine whether he could resume baseball activities, though no update has been provided regarding the catcher’s status at this point. Murphy’s hit exceptionally well in a back-up role this year behind Cal Raleigh, with a .290/.335/.538 slash line in 159 trips to the plate this year. The club has recently been relying on Luis Torrens as their second catcher in Murphy’s absence.
Sean Doolittle Announces Retirement
Veteran left-hander Sean Doolittle announced on Instagram this morning that he’s retiring after 17 years in professional baseball. He spent the season with the Nationals organization, hoping for a comeback bid in the Majors after undergoing UCL surgery last summer, but the recovery from that procedure and a subsequent knee injury limited him to just 10 2/3 minor league innings this season. He’s been on the minor league injured list since late June.
“After 11 incredible seasons playing the sport I love, I can say with gratitude and a full heart that I am retiring from baseball,” Doolittle wrote in announcing his decision.
“Seventeen years ago the Oakland Athletics drafted me as a first baseman out of the University of Virginia. However, as some of you may know, my career nearly ended before it began. After a spate of early injuries, I was nearly ready to hang it up. But then the team approached me and asked if I’d be willing to give pitching a try. With the direction and unwavering support of A’s farm director Keith Liepmann and pitching coach Garvin Alston, I found my second chance. I am forever grateful to them for helping me turn a second chance into a career.”
Doolittle went on to issue heartfelt thank yous to his family, fans of the A’s and Nationals, his managers, his teammates, his coaches, and to the Reds and Mariners for his time spent with each organization (and, as the always-humorous southpaw notes, for “increasing [his] chance for getting on the Immaculate Grid”).
Doolittle’s second chance indeed became a career — and a very fine one at that. The No. 41 overall pick in the 2007 draft debuted with the 2012 A’s and hit the ground running, pitching 47 1/3 innings of 3.04 ERA ball with a huge 31.4% strikeout rate and excellent 5.8% walk rate. Doolittle almost immediately cemented himself as one of the top lefty relievers in the game, and by his third MLB season in 2014, he’d seized the closer’s role in Oakland and been named to his first of two All-Star teams.
For five and a half seasons, Doolittle anchored the Oakland bullpen, posting a 3.09 ERA in 253 innings with 68 holds and 36 saves. He and righty Ryan Madson were traded to the Nationals in a July 2017 swap that sent a struggling (at the time) Blake Treinen, then-prospect Jesus Luzardo, and minor league infielder Sheldon Neuse back to Oakland. It was a steep price for the Nats to pay, but it’s doubtful Washington has any regrets.
Doolittle stepped back into a ninth-inning role in D.C. and thrived, saving 21 games and pitching to a 2.40 ERA down the stretch with his new club before tossing three brilliant frames in the postseason. From 2017-19, the left-hander logged a 2.87 ERA and saved 75 games for the Nationals. The 2019 campaign saw Doolittle finish an NL-best 55 games and pick up a career-high 29 saves.
Despite a rocky month of August, he played a significant role in the Nationals’ now-legendary 2019 turnaround, particularly once the postseason rolled around. Doolittle was one of manager Davey Martinez’s most trusted arms during the Nationals’ playoff run, tossing 10 1/3 innings with a 1.74 ERA and 8-to-1 K/BB ratio. While it was teammate Daniel Hudson who threw the iconic final pitch of the Nationals’ World Series win, Doolilttle saved two games and collected three holds over the course of the 2019 postseason. That includes three shutout frames in the World Series itself, highlighted by Doolittle nailing down a four-out save when he set down Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa in order in a Game 1 victory.
Injuries have marred the final few seasons of Doolittle’s career, but he’ll nevertheless retire as a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion. He totaled 450 2/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball in parts of 11 big league seasons, adding in another 22 1/3 innings with a 2.42 mark in the postseason. Doolittle also logged 112 saves (115 including postseason play) and 82 holds (plus five more in the playoffs). Between his trips to free agency and an early $10.5MM extension that included a pair of club options for another total $12.5MM, Doolittle earned $26MM over the course of his career.
Beloved for his clutch performances, candid and often eccentric personality, and thoughtful approach to pitching, Doolittle would likely have myriad opportunities to continue his career in baseball as a coach, scout or executive if he aspires to do so. Congratulations on an outstanding career and best wishes to the southpaw in his post-playing days, whichever path he chooses to take.
Mariners Select Luis Torrens
The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Luis Torrens, with fellow backstop Brian O’Keefe placed on the paternity list in a corresponding move. There was already a vacancy on their 40-man roster.
Seattle was operating with Tom Murphy as its backup to Cal Raleigh for much of the year, but Murphy landed on the injured list in August due to a thumb issue, which bumped O’Keefe into the job. It was reported earlier today that Murphy’s injury, initially reported as a displaced tendon, was actually revealed to be a fracture once the swelling subsided. He’s been shut down from baseball activities for the next 10 days and may not be able to return to the team this year.
Now with O’Keefe leaving the club for a few days, that has bumped Torrens up to the big league club. Torrens was signed to a minor league deal in August to provide some extra depth after Murphy’s injury and O’Keefe’s promotion. He’s been wearing many jerseys this season, having signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and cracking that club’s Opening Day roster. But he was designated for assignment about a month into the season and traded to the Orioles for cash. But he got the DFA treatment again less than a week later, eventually clearing waivers before electing free agency and signing another minors deal with the Nationals. After about six weeks without getting promoted to the big leagues, he opted out of that deal, which allowed him to sign with the M’s.
Amid all of those transactions, he hit .250/.318/.300 in 22 big league plate appearances and .244/.295/.442 in 95 trips to the plate in the minors. He’s generally considered to be a bat-first catcher, which he showed with the Mariners in 2021. He hit 15 home runs in 378 plate appearances that year but his 26.2% strikeout rate has ticked up since. It climbed to 30.1% last year and 36.4% this year, leading to his nomadic trip around the league.
He’ll now get another shot at the big leagues, which may be brief, depending on what happens when O’Keefe comes back. The latter has options and could be sent down to the minors in order to preserve depth, though Torrens is out of options. It’s also possible the club keeps three catchers for the stretch run, with expanded rosters giving them a bit more roster flexibility. If Torrens hangs onto his roster spot, he can be retained via arbitration for three more seasons.
Yankees Claim Luke Weaver From Mariners
The Yankees have claimed right-hander Luke Weaver off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both clubs. Weaver had recently been designated for assignment by the M’s. Lefty Nestor Cortes was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to open up a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.
Weaver, 30, began the year with the Reds, signing with them in the offseason on a one-year contract worth $2MM. Although he had shown some encouraging signs working as a reliever in 2022, the Reds tried moving him back to a starting role this year, which didn’t work out. He tooks the ball 21 times for the Reds but posted a 6.87 earned run average in 97 innings, getting released in August.
The Mariners decided to take a shot on Weaver, signing him to their roster. That was a no-risk move from a financial perspective, since the Reds remained on the hook for what remained of his salary. He made five appearances for Seattle, four of them out of the bullpen. But he posted an ERA of 6.08 in that small sample and was designated for assignment on the weekend.
Despite his poor results this year, it’s understandable why the Yankees would grab him. The Reds are still on the hook for the bulk of what remains of his contract, meaning that the Yanks will only have to pay the prorated version of the $720K league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount will be subtracted from what the Reds pay.
The Yankees have been battling poor health on their pitching staff all year, a problem that has gotten worse of late. Each of Ian Hamilton, Keynan Middleton, Jonathan Loáisiga, Albert Abreu and Luis Severino have landed on the injured list in just the past two weeks, further thinning out a staff that was already fairly snakebit. The club now has a total of 11 pitchers on the injured list.
At this time of year, adding new players is a challenge since the trade deadline has already passed. But by claiming Weaver off waivers, the Yankees get a fresh arm for their banged-up pitching staff at essentially no cost.
Weaver’s career has been up and down but he has shown flashes of potential at times. He posted an ERA of 2.94 in 2019, though injuries limited him to just 12 starts that year and he’s been less effective in subsequent years. Working primarily as a reliever last year didn’t look great on the surface level, with a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, though poor luck may have been involved. His batting average on balls in play was .429 while his strand rate was 58.6%, leading to a 2.69 FIP and 3.64 SIERA.
Weaver will be a free agent again at season’s end, but donning the pinstripes will possibly give him a chance to finish the season strong, while the Yankees can use him to help patch together their pitching staff and limp to the end of a lost year.
As for Cortes, he’s been dealing with a rotator cuff strain and manager Aaron Boone admitted last month that he likely wouldn’t be back this year. This move makes it official, as he now won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from his August 8 IL placement, which would push into October. He’ll finish the year with a 4.97 ERA, only able to make 12 starts due to multiple injuries.
Mariners’ Tom Murphy Shut Down From Baseball Activity Due To Thumb Fracture
Mariners catcher Tom Murphy has been shut down from baseball activity for another ten days and is not a lock to return to the team this year, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. The 32-year-old has been out since Aug. 14, when a foul tip caught him on the thumb and resulted in what was originally diagnosed as a displaced tendon. However, general manager Justin Hollander revealed to the Mariners beat last night that subsequent imaging performed after much of the swelling had subsided revealed a small fracture as well.
Murphy’s hand has been placed in a splint and will be reevaluated on Sept. 22. That’ll be something of a make-or-break point, as Hollander added that there is “no likelihood” of Murphy returning if follow-up testing “doesn’t go well.” Seattle has been using Brian O’Keefe to back up starter Cal Raleigh. Veterans Pedro Severino and Luis Torrens are also on hand in Triple-A Tacoma, though neither is on the 40-man roster.
While some might wave off the importance of a backup catcher to a team’s postseason chances, Murphy is no ordinary backup catcher. He’s taken 159 turns at the dish this season and turned in an outstanding .290/.335/.538 slash with eight home runs and a dozen doubles. Since joining the Mariners in 2019, he’s tallied 807 plate appearances and delivered a .250/.324/.460 batting line. That’s 15% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. Considering the standard catcher in that time has been about 10% worse than average at the plate in that time, Murphy’s production relative to his positional peers — particularly backups — is exceptional.
That said, staying on the field has been a challenge for Murphy. After a terrific first season in Seattle (2019), a broken foot cost him the entire 2020 season. He returned in 2021 but logged a lackluster .202/.304/.350 slash in his first year back from that injury. He looked excellent to begin the 2022 season — but left shoulder surgery sidelined him for the season after he’d played in just 14 games. As Murphy mended from that shoulder issue, Raleigh stepped up and solidified himself as one of the top power-hitting catchers in the sport. The 26-year-old switch-hitter has popped 55 homers over the past two seasons, including 28 this year while hitting .237/.315/.473.
Raleigh’s presence assures that the M’s will have an offensive threat behind the dish (and a standout defender as well), but a season-ending injury for Murphy would sting nonetheless. He’s hit well enough during his Mariners tenure that he’s a legitimate option at designated hitter, particularly versus southpaws. In 473 career plate appearances against lefties, Murphy touts a .264/.352/.489 batting line.
If Murphy is indeed done for the year, backup catching duties will continue to fall to the inexperienced O’Keefe, who’s 3-for-22 in his young big league career. The 30-year-old did bat .240/.325/.511 with 22 home runs in Triple-A this season, so there’s likely more in the tank from an offensive standpoint — though he clearly can’t be expected to replace Murphy’s production.
If the Mariners choose to go with one of their veteran options in Triple-A, both Severino and Torrens would be postseason-eligible. Severino has played 41 games in Tacoma this year (plus another 18 games with the Padres’ top affiliate) but carries a tepid .237/.310/.411 slash between those two stops. Torrens went 5-for-20 in a brief big league stint with the Cubs earlier this season and is batting .244/.295/.442 in 95 Triple-A plate appearances on the year. He’s a familiar commodity for the Mariners, having spent parts of three seasons in Seattle, where he logged a .239/.297/.388 line in 609 plate appearances.
The Mariners are currently in a tightly contested American League playoff race, sitting outside of the postseason picture by the narrowest of margins at the moment. They’re trailing Texas by just a half game for the final Wild Card spot, with the Blue Jays only a half game up on the Rangers. The Mariners were leading the AL West not long ago, but they’re presently two and a half games behind the Astros in that regard. It’s still eminently plausible that the M’s win the AL West, capture a Wild Card spot or miss the playoffs entirely, so every win/loss and every injury is magnified.
From a personal standpoint, the injury has implications for Murphy as well. He’s slated to become a free agent for the first time this offseason and will be one of the top-hitting catchers in a thin class at the position. If he’s able to return to the lineup by season’s end and potentially demonstrate his health in the playoffs, that could strengthen his free-agent case a bit, but the current six-week absence he’s facing won’t do Murphy any favors in that regard.
Mariners Designate Luke Weaver For Assignment
The Mariners announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been designated for assignment. The move clears a roster spot for Eduard Bazardo, as the M’s have called the righty back up from Triple-A Tacoma.
It could be a brief stint in Seattle for Weaver, who only signed a Major League contract with the club on August 22. His tenure with the club has consisted of one start and four relief appearances, and Weaver has delivered only a 6.08 ERA over his 13 1/3 innings in a Mariners uniform. The M’s were hoping that Weaver could eat innings and provide some depth within an overall young rotation that is running into innings-limit problems, yet it seems as though the Mariners are willing to move on from the 30-year-old righty.
Weaver signed a one-year, $2MM free agent deal with the Reds last winter, but his eighth MLB season has been a year to forget. A strained right flexor tendon suffered during Spring Training delayed Weaver’s 2023 debut until April 20, and he hasn’t really gotten on track since, posting a 6.77 ERA in 110 1/3 combined frames with Cincinnati and Seattle. Never a big strikeout pitcher over his career, Weaver’s 18.4% strikeout rate is a career low, and batters have been making a lot of hard and quality contact against his offerings this season. Weaver has allowed 26 homers over his 110 1/3 innings, a huge spike in home run rate compared to Weaver’s past numbers.
While the results haven’t been there, it still seems possible that Weaver will draw some interest on the waiver wire, or could perhaps be signed to a new contract in the event that he clears waivers and is released by Seattle. Any number of teams could use an extra arm down the stretch, whether it’s a non-contender looking to fill innings or a playoff contender (like the Mariners) in search of depth.
Because Weaver has more than five years of MLB service time, he can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma if he clears waivers, and then opt for free agency. The Reds are still obligated for what’s left of that $2MM salary, as the Mariners only had to pay Weaver a prorated Major League minimum salary during his time on Seattle’s active roster.
The Mariners’ Quiet Offseason Bullpen Upgrades
The Mariners hold a tight lead in the AL West with less than a month to go. While certainly not assured, they’ve got a real shot at securing their first division title in over two decades.
While an offensive explosion in the second half is a big part of that success, Seattle’s pitching staff kept them afloat while the lineup was struggling for the bulk of the year. The M’s rotation deservedly draws plenty of praise, but their bullpen has arguably been even better.
Only the Yankees have gotten a lower ERA out of their bullpen than Seattle, whose relievers are allowing 3.43 earned runs per nine. The Astros’ group is the only one with a better strikeout rate than the M’s 26.5% clip; that’s also true of their 12.9% swinging strike percentage. Only the Yankees and Cardinals have kept the ball on the ground more frequently.
Seattle’s relief corps has been excellent across the board. They were confident enough in their relievers to trade closer Paul Sewald for controllable offensive help at the deadline. Thus far, they’ve been proven right in their evaluation. Since the Sewald deal, only the Dodgers and Braves have a lower bullpen ERA.
This production isn’t new. The Mariners had a top ten bullpen in both 2021 and ’22. It’s rare consistency for the area of the roster that tends to be the most volatile. The M’s have found that success despite essentially not investing in the bullpen. Their only major league free agent signings of relievers of the past two offseasons have been low-cost pickups of Sergio Romo and Trevor Gott, neither of whom remains on the roster.
Instead, Seattle has built their bullpen through waivers and trades. The biggest additions have come at the expense of the Padres. The M’s acquired Andrés Muñoz as part of the lopsided Austin Nola/Ty France seven-player swap at the 2020 deadline; Muñoz was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the time. A day later, Seattle sent middle reliever Taylor Williams to San Diego for then-prospect Matt Brash.
Yet the Mariners have constructed their bullpen on far more than that two-day stretch from three seasons back. As recently as last winter, Seattle plucked a trio of quality relievers from other clubs at little cost.
Justin Topa (controllable through 2026)
None of Seattle’s offseason moves has worked quite as well as the Topa pickup. The M’s acquired the 32-year-old righty in a January trade that sent minor league pitcher Joseph Hernandez to Milwaukee. The move didn’t generate many headlines at the time, as injuries and middling results had kept Topa to 17 appearances for the Brewers between 2020-22. Since landing in Seattle, he has been one of the best relievers in the American League.
Over 55 1/3 frames, he carries a 2.11 ERA. While Topa’s 22.4% strikeout rate and 8.5% swinging strike rate are each fringy, his 95 MPH sinker has enabled him to keep the ball on the ground at a huge 57.7% clip. He has handled hitters from both sides of the dish and kept his walks to a minuscule 6.3% rate. Topa has held 22 leads and saved a pair of games.
He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time next offseason. The M’s can control him for three seasons beyond this one, essentially the entire back end of his expected prime. It remains to be seen whether Topa will stay healthy for multiple seasons. An injury history that included two Tommy John surgeries and flexor tendon surgery is among the reasons that Milwaukee moved on from him. Even if this winds up being his most productive season, this trade will very likely go down as a win for Seattle.
Hernandez has logged 43 innings of 3.98 ERA ball as a 23-year-old for Milwaukee’s High-A affiliate. He’s striking out just 17.8% of batters faced against a huge 13.6% walk rate. He didn’t appear among Baseball America’s midseason ranking of the Brewers’ top 30 prospects and will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft for a second time this winter if not added to the 40-man roster.
Gabe Speier (controllable through 2027)
Seattle grabbed Speier off waivers from the Royals at the start of the offseason. As was the case with Topa, the 28-year-old southpaw had nondescript results in scattered time before landing in Seattle. Speier appeared at the major league level with the Royals each year from 2019-22 but never reached 20 MLB innings in a season. He posted a cumulative 3.83 ERA without missing many bats and had been blitzed for a 14.51 ERA over 30 Triple-A outings a year ago.
Given the astonishingly poor minor league results, it’s easy to understand why K.C. put him on waivers. Yet Speier has broken through at the big league level with Seattle, turning in 45 2/3 innings of 3.74 ERA ball. He’s striking out almost 30% of opposing hitters after running a 20.2% strikeout rate for Kansas City. Speier has walked fewer than 4% of opponents while keeping the ball on the ground at a huge 56.9% clip.
Speier isn’t as complete a pitcher as Topa. He’s best suited in favorable platoon situations, with right-handed hitters able to elevate the ball against him, leading to some home run issues. Speier has been a nightmare for opposing southpaws, though. He’s running a 26:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 85 plate appearances against lefties. Left-handed hitters have hit 70% of their batted balls on the ground.
It seems directly tied to an approach change, as Speier has dramatically upped the use of his sinker against same-handed batters while cutting back on his slider. He’d seemingly gotten too predictable last season, using his slider quite often when he got in favorable counts. He’s now keeping hitters honest with the fastball even when he gets ahead, both keeping the ball on the ground more frequently and making the slider a more effective complementary offering when he does go to it.
Tayler Saucedo (controllable through 2027)
Yet another sinkerballer claimed off waivers, Saucedo joined the Seattle organization on a claim from the Mets in January. He’d never played for New York, who had snagged him from the Blue Jays earlier in the winter. Saucedo had posted a 5.40 ERA in 28 1/3 innings over parts of two seasons for Toronto.
The 30-year-old lefty has tallied a career-high workload in the Pacific Northwest. Over 42 1/3 frames, he has posted a 3.19 ERA. Saucedo hasn’t shown the same command as Topa or Speier, but he’s inducing grounders at a 60.9% clip that even surpasses the rates of his teammates. While his 21.3% strikeout rate is a little below average, he’s getting swinging strikes on a strong 13.6% of his offerings.
Saucedo’s strikeout and walk marks are far better against same-handed opponents. He has been adept at keeping the ball on the ground against hitters from either side of the dish. The M’s are probably best served keeping him away from opposing teams’ top righty bats, though they have enough bullpen depth to deploy him situationally when his ground-ball ability is most valuable.
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None of Topa, Speier or Saucedo were headline-grabbing acquisitions. They’re likely still not familiar names to many fans outside Seattle. Yet they’ve been productive moves on the margins for the M’s front office. Topa cost a minor league pitcher who is struggling in High-A. Speier and Saucedo were acquired for no more than a waiver fee. All three pitchers are playing for around the minimum salary.
The trio has turned in a 2.95 ERA while holding opponents to a .241/.301/.328 batting line over 143 1/3 combined innings. While not the flashiest performers, they’ve been the latest effective bullpen finds for a Seattle front office that has hit on quite a few low-cost relievers in recent years. It’s among the reasons they felt they could trade their closer without punting the season. With a month left to play, their bullpen depth has kept up its end of the bargain, leaving the M’s right in the thick of the division race.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Athletics Claim Devin Sweet From Mariners
The A’s have claimed right-hander Devin Sweet off waivers from the Mariners. Sweet was designated for assignment earlier this week.
The 26-year-old made his Major League debut this season, appearing in two games with Seattle and posting two innings (with a 9.00 ERA). An undrafted free agent in 2018, Sweet is changing teams for the first time in his pro career, as he has a 3.67 ERA over 326 1/3 career innings in the Mariners’ farm system.
Those numbers include only seven innings at the Triple-A level, as Sweet was actually promoted to the majors from Double-A Arkansas for his two MLB games before he ever pitched for Triple-A Tacoma. He got the Mariners’ attention with a 1.54 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate over 35 innings of Double-A ball, a decided step up from his work in Arkansas in 2021-22. Most prominently, Sweet showed great improvement at keeping the ball in the park, as he gave just one homer over those 35 frames at Double-A this year after allowing 27 homers over 137 2/3 innings in 2021-22.
It makes for some interesting potential, and it isn’t surprising that the rebuilding Athletics would want to take a look at a young and controllable arm. Oakland has optioned Sweet to Triple-A for now, but might very well call him up for some more Major League action before the season is over.
Mariners Designate Devin Sweet For Assignment
The Mariners announced that they have claimed righty Dominic Leone off waivers, a move that was reported on earlier today. They also announced that righty Devin Sweet has been designated for assignment to open a spot for Leone on their 40-man roster.
Sweet, 26, was just selected to the roster about six weeks ago. He made two appearances for the big league club, allowing two earned runs in two innings, before getting optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. He made seven appearances for that club with a 2.57 earned run average but has now lost his 40-man roster spot to make room for the veteran Leone.
An undrafted free agent who signed with the M’s in 2018, he climbed his way up to Double-A by the end of last year. Prior to his call-up to the majors, he tossed 35 Double-A innings this year with a 1.54 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.
The M’s will now have to put Sweet on waivers in the coming days, since the trade deadline has passed. He is using the first of his three option years here in 2023 but will still have two remaining for the future. He also has just a handful of service days, giving him at least six seasons of future control. Those factors and his strong Double-A work earlier this year should give him some appeal to other clubs around the league, especially with several spots opening up with expanded September rosters and various waiver claims being made this week. But if he were to go unclaimed, he would stick with the Mariners as non-roster depth, not having the right to elect free agency.
Mariners Claim Dominic Leone From Angels
The Mariners have claimed right-hander Dominic Leone off waivers from the Angels, reports Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. The reliever was one of a handful of players waived by Los Angeles in a salary dump.
It’s the fourth organization of the season for Leone, who originally broke into the majors with Seattle nine years ago. He began on a minor league deal with Texas but didn’t crack the Rangers’ MLB roster. Leone moved to the Mets via free agency and turned in 30 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball. He struggled with homers in Queens but posted better than average strikeout and walk marks.
The Halos acquired Leone just before the August 1 trade deadline. As was the case for the bulk of the roster over the last few weeks, he struggled in Orange County. Leone was tagged for eight runs in 13 frames as an Angel. He walked nine while striking out 11. For the season, the 31-year-old now carries a 4.74 ERA across 43 2/3 frames. He’s striking hitters out at a league average 23.4% clip but has now walked just under 11% of batters faced.
It’s not the most dominant performance, but Leone has shown an intriguing arsenal on a pitch-for-pitch basis. He’s averaging just under 96 MPH on his heater and has gotten swinging strikes on a massive 15.7% of his offerings between the two clubs. He’ll add a power arm to the middle innings, furthering deepening a very good Seattle relief corps.
The combination of power stuff but inconsistent results explains both why the M’s rolled the dice on Leone and why so many other teams did not. Seattle had the #26 waiver priority, meaning everyone aside from the Rays, Orioles, Dodgers and Braves certainly passed.
Seattle will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster once they officially announce the claim. Leone can take the extra spot on the active roster during tomorrow’s expansion. It’s a low-cost roll of the dice, as Seattle will take on roughly $258K in remaining salary on Leone’s $1.5MM contract. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.