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Twins Sign Giovanny Gallegos To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed veteran right-hander Giovanny Gallegos to a minor league deal, per a club announcement. Gallegos has been assigned to Triple-A.

The veteran righty, 33 next week, began his big league career with the Yankees back in 2017. Gallegos made just 20 appearances with New York before being dealt to the Cardinals partway through the 2018 season in the deal that sent Luke Voit to the Bronx. Gallegos made just two appearances in St. Louis down the stretch with 1 1/3 scoreless frames but emerged as a key piece of the Cardinals bullpen the following year.

From 2019 to 2022, Gallegos pitched to a sterling 2.84 ERA with a nearly matching 2.83 FIP with 33 saves in 228 1/3 innings of work with an eye-popping 32% strikeout rate. That four-season stretch saw Gallegos emerge as one of the most dominant relievers in the game: among relievers with at least 150 innings of work in that stretch, the righty’s ERA and FIP both ranked eighth while his strikeout rate ranked 11th and his SIERA ranked tenth. As impressive as those numbers were, things took a turn for the worse during the right-hander’s age-31 season last year.

Gallegos’s ERA and FIP ballooned to 4.42 and 4.36 respectively in 2022, figures that were actually slightly below average by measure of ERA- and FIP-. Those middling run prevention numbers were caused by two main factors: the right-hander’s strikeout rate plummeted to just 25.8% after sitting well above 30% for his entire Cardinals tenure to that point, and his home run rate skyrocketed. After allowing home runs on just 8.6% of fly balls from 2019 to 2021, the 2022 season saw that number shoot up to a whopping 15.3%. Just ten qualified relievers allowed more home runs than Gallegos’s 11 last year, and the combination of diminished strikeout ability and difficulties keeping the ball in the park gave the veteran the look of a pedestrian middle reliever rather than the shutdown leverage arm he had been in years past.

Gallegos ended his 2023 season on the IL due to rotator cuff tendinitis, and while and the Cardinals were both surely hoping for a rebound in 2024 the season proved to be anything but for the veteran hurler. Continued shoulder woes cost the right-hander nearly two months earlier this year, but even when he was healthy enough to take the mound his results were nothing short of disastrous. The righty surrendered a 6.53 ERA with a nearly matching 6.36 FIP in 20 2/3 innings of work for the Cardinals this year. That’s the 11th-worst ERA in the majors this year among relievers with at least 20 innings of work, and Gallegos paired those lackluster results with a career-worst 22.6% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate that is not only the highest of his career but more than double his rate from just last season.

Those deep struggles led the Cardinals to designate Gallegos for assignment prior to the trade deadline in hopes of finding a team willing to trade for him, but no deal came together and he ended up electing free agency last week. Now, he’ll look to regain his previous form in a Twins organization that has struggled to get production out of the bullpen in recent weeks. Minnesota relievers have combined for a lackluster 4.60 ERA since the calendar flipped to July, and injuries to Brock Stewart and Kody Funderburk have further diminished the depth available in the club’s relief corps. If Gallegos can show improvement at the Triple-A level, it’s not hard to imagine the Twins believing in the veteran righty’s track record of success enough to give him a spot in the club’s bullpen over a pitcher like Josh Winder or Randy Dobnak.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/24

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The frenzy of moves before the trade deadline always has ripple effects of players being nudged out of their roster spots. 15 players were designated for assignment on deadline day and several in the days leading up to it as well. That has led to many recent waiver claims, with the Marlins claiming seven different players in the past two weeks. But they can’t claim them all, so here’s a round-up of some guys who passed through unclaimed recently.

As a reminder, players can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if they have a previous career outright or at least three years of major league service time. Players need at least five years of service to both elect free agency and keep their salary intact.

  • The Diamondbacks released Miguel Castro, according to his transactions tracker on MLB.com. The righty signed with the Snakes heading into 2023 on a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2024. He reached 60 appearances last year and locked in a $5MM salary for himself in 2024. Unfortunately, his results have tailed off as he has a 5.93 ERA this year. That has come in just 11 appearances as he missed close to three months with a shoulder strain. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and keep all of his money. Another club could now sign him and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster with that amount subtracted from what Arizona pays. He has a career 4.20 ERA in 419 appearances with the Blue Jays, Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Yankees and Diamondbacks.
  • The Pirates sent Ryder Ryan outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his second career outright and he therefore has the right to elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. The righty has an ERA of 5.00 in his 18 major league innings. He has thrown 27 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 4.61 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.
  • The Mets sent catcher Logan Porter outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s his first career outright and he has just a few days of service time, so he’ll have to accept the assignment. The backstop was signed just a couple of weeks prior to the deadline after opting out of his minor league deal with the Giants, which had been acquired from the Royals. He was hitting .319/.428/.575 for the Royals’ Triple-A club before the Giants acquired him, but then his results tapered off. The Mets were still intrigued enough to give him a 40-man spot but the other 29 clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers.
  • The Dodgers sent left-hander Nick Ramirez outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has previous career outrights and therefore has the right to elect free agency. Acquired from the Yankees in early April, he spent most of the year on optional assignment. He logged 11 1/3 big league innings over seven appearances with a 6.35 ERA. In his 23 Triple-A innings since the trade, he had a 2.35 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate, 3.3% walk rate and 54.5% ground ball rate.
  • The Braves have sent right-hander Darius Vines outright to Double-A Mississippi, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his first career outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has a 5.82 ERA in 34 big league innings between last year and this year. His 2024 output at Triple-A includes 77 innings over 14 starts with a 5.14 ERA, 16.6% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40.3% ground ball rate.
  • The Cardinals sent right-hander Jacob Bosiokovic outright to Triple-A Memphis, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty had his contract selected at the end of June, his first time added to a big league roster, but was optioned a few days later without getting into a game. That means this is his first outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has 43 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year with a 4.15 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate, 13.4% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate.

Cardinals To Place Michael Siani On Injured List, Recall Victor Scott II

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2:14pm: The Cardinals have officially announced Scott’s recall and Siani’s placement on the 10-day IL due to a right oblique strain. A timetable for Siani’s return has not yet been made clear, though Woo suggests it sounds as though his injury is “significant.”

1:13pm: The Cardinals are recalling center fielder Victor Scott II ahead of today’s series finale against the Cubs, according to a report from The Athletic’s Katie Woo this morning. Woo suggests that Scott will take the place of center fielder Michael Siani on the active roster as he heads to the 10-day injured list due to an oblique issue that cropped up during yesterday’s game.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Siani, 25, as he was in the midst of establishing himself as long-term option for the club in center when he exited yesterday’s game due to tightness on his right side and was sent for an MRI as noted by MLB.com’s John Denton yesterday. The results of that MRI are not yet clear, though the center fielder evidently will require at least a ten day stint on the shelf to recover. Yesterday’s shortened performance ended a fantastic hot stretch for Siani that dated all the way back to June 24. In his previous 31 appearances entering yesterday’s game, the center fielder had slashed a phenomenal .354/.391/.415, though that stretch of offensive success came with an eye-popping .492 BABIP that was clearly unsustainable.

Still, Siani’s growth as a hitter has been impressive considering the fact that he entered the month of May with a ghastly .128/.244/.179 slash line. His improved play since then has brought his wRC+ up to 79, a figure that’s still well below average but is enough to make him a viable regular in conjunction with his elite defense in center field and a strong 14-for-17 track record on the basepaths. Siani’s +15 Outs Above Average ranks second among all center fielders behind Jacob Young and fourth among all MLB players this year, while his +10 Defensive Runs Saved ties him with defensive phenoms Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael A. Taylor for sixth among all outfielders.

Taking Siani’s place on the Cardinals’ active roster is Scott, a fellow glove-first center fielder who bats from the left side. Scott made his big league debut earlier this year as the club’s surprising choice for Opening Day center fielder but struggled badly in the role with a brutal .085/.138/.136 slash line (-22 wRC+) in 21 games before he was ultimately optioned back down to Triple-A. Scott’s struggles have continued in the minors as he’s hit just .219/.302/.319 in 74 games at the highest level of the minors this year despite an impressive strikeout rate of just 14.3%.

It’s not currently clear if Scott will take over for Siani as a regular fixture in center field or will instead be used as a defensive replacement off the bench. After all, the club could utilize either Lars Nootbaar or Tommy Pham in center field and both players would be a significant offensive improvement over Scott at the position. Such a set up would likely leave Brendan Donovan to move from second base into an outfield corner to open the keystone up for Nolan Gorman, who has struggled to a .199/.272/.408 slash line (91 wRC+) in 99 games with the club this year. It’s also possible that Scott’s call-up to the majors could indicate that Siani’s injury isn’t likely to require a major absence, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested yesterday that a lengthier absence for Siani could lead the Cardinals to try and work a right-handed bat such as Luken Baker or even former top prospect Jordan Walker into their predominantly left-handed bench mix.

Doug Creek Passes Away

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Former major leaguer Doug Creek has passed away, according to multiple sources, including The Journal out of Martinsburg, West Virginia. The left-hander died at the age of 55 due to the effects of pancreatic cancer.

Creek was born in Winchester, Virginia in 1969 and went on to attend Georgia Tech. He worked as a starting pitcher for the Yellow Jackets and was drafted by the Cardinals with a seventh-round pick in 1991. In the minor leagues, he continued working out of the rotation until he got near the majors and was then shifted into a relief role.

He was able to make his major league debut with the Cards in 1995, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings that year. Prior to the 1996 season, he was traded to the Giants alongside Rich DeLucia and Allen Watson for Royce Clayton and a player to be named later, who was later named as Chris Wimmer.

Creek made 63 appearances for San Francisco in 1996 but with a 6.52 ERA. In 1997, an attempt was made to get Creek stretched back out, though without success. He had a 6.75 ERA in three major league starts and a 4.93 ERA in Triple-A. He went overseas for the 1998 season, pitching for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He made six starts and one relief appearance with a 5.65 ERA.

He returned to North American ball and then spent the next few years as a journeyman left-hander, pitching for the Cubs, Devil Rays, Mariners, Blue Jays and Tigers. He finished his career with 289 1/3 innings pitched over 279 appearances. He had a 5.32 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate and 15.1% walk rate. After leaving the baseball field, he headed out to the water. According to his obituary, he became a charter boat captain in Tampa Bay and competed as an angler on the Redfish Circuit.

We at MLBTR join the baseball world in sending our condolences to Creek’s family, friends, former teammates and coaches and all those mourning his passing.

Giovanny Gallegos Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Giovanny Gallegos went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Cardinals and has elected free agency, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He’s now free to sign with any club.

Gallegos, who’ll turn 33 in a couple weeks, has been a mainstay in the St. Louis bullpen since 2019. Acquired in the trade that sent Luke Voit to the Yankees, he jumped almost immediately into a high-leverage role with the Cards during his first full season with St. Louis, ultimately logging 74 innings of 2.31 ERA ball with 19 holds, a save, a huge 33.3% strikeout rate and a tidy 5.7% walk rate.

For five seasons, Gallegos was a fixture in the Cardinals’ leverage mix — and a highly effective one at that. From 2019-23, he pitched 283 1/3 innings while working to a 3.14 ERA, fanning 30.7% of his opponents, issuing walks at just a 6.3% clip and yielding only 1.05 homers per nine frames. Along the way, he piled up 76 holds and 43 saves.

Some cracks in the armor began to show last season, however. After posting strikeout rates north of 30% in four consecutive seasons, Gallegos dipped to 25.8% — still a strong mark but a notable downturn. He continued to limit free passes at a high level, but his 93.7 mph average fastball was down from the 94.4 mph he’d averaged across the two prior seasons. Gallegos still sported gaudy swinging-strike and chase rates of 17.5% and 36.8%, respectively, both of which checked in well above the league averages. However, after yielding only 13 home runs total from 2020-22 (a span of 154 1/3 innings), he surrendered 11 long balls in just 55 innings. His 1.85 HR/9 was a career-worst mark by a wide margin. He finished the year on the injured list due to inflammation in his rotator cuff.

Things have deteriorated even further in 2024. Gallegos missed significant time with a shoulder impingement and has seen his fastball plummet to an average of 92.2 mph. He’s been tagged for an untenable 2.61 homers per nine frames (six homers in 20 2/3 innings). His swinging-strike rate went into a free-fall, checking in at 12%, while his chase rate is down to 29.8%. This year’s 22.6% strikeout rate is scarcely better than league-average, and Gallegos’ 10.6% walk rate is both a career-worst and well north of the current 8.2% league average.

Because Gallegos is in the second season of a two-year, $11MM contract, it was a foregone conclusion that he’d go unclaimed on waivers. And, because of that contract, the Cardinals are now on the hook for the remainder of this season’s $5.5MM salary (and the $500K buyout on his 2026 club option). A new team would only owe Gallegos the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster or injured list. That sum would be subtracted from the amount the Cardinals owe him, but St. Louis is on the hook for the significant majority of Gallegos’ contract regardless.

With his diminished velocity, deteriorated command, dwindling swing-and-miss skills and recent shoulder troubles, Gallegos is something of a long shot to regain his form in 2024. If he does latch on with a new club and generate improved results with lesser stuff, he’d be postseason-eligible so long as he’s in a new team’s organization (but not necessarily on the 40-man roster) before Sept. 1.

MLBTR Podcast: Trade Deadline Recap

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • Were the prospect prices high in this year’s trades? Is this a new normal due to the expanded playoffs creating a seller’s market? (2:15)
  • The three-team trade involving the Dodgers, White Sox, Cardinals, Erick Fedde, Miguel Vargas and others (15:40)
  • The Rays and Cubs, the buy-sell tightrope and the trade involving Isaac Paredes and Christopher Morel (29:30)
  • The Astros acquire Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays for a three-player package and the connection to the the Dodgers acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Tigers but the Yankees reportedly being scared off by his medicals (48:00)
  • The Guardians acquire Alex Cobb from the Giants and acquire Lane Thomas from the Nationals (58:35)
  • The Orioles acquire Trevor Rogers from the Marlins and acquire Zach Eflin from the Rays (1:09:10)
  • Will teams have to be more aggressive in the offseason going forward if the expanded playoffs will make less good players available at the deadline? (1:20:35)
  • The Rockies and Angels held onto a lot of trade candidates (1:23:35)
  • The Marlins leaned in hard to seller status (1:31:40)
  • The Padres built a super bullpen (1:44:50)
  • The Braves acquire Jorge Soler from the Giants (1:47:40)
  • The Royals acquire Lucas Erceg from the Athletics (1:54:40)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Trade Deadline Preview – listen here
  • Top Trade Candidates, Hunter Harvey To KC And The Current State Of The Rays And Mets – listen here
  • Brewers’ Pitching Needs, Marlins Rumors And The Nats Prepare To Sell – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Blue Jays Claim Nick Raposo From Cardinals

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The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed catcher Nick Raposo off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The backstop was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Cards completed their three-team trade with the Dodgers and White Sox. The Jays had multiple open roster spots from their own deadline dealings and their 40-man roster count is now at 37.

Raposo, 26, was selected to the Cardinal roster in June when both Iván Herrera and Willson Contreras were on the injured list, leaving Pedro Pagés atop the club’s depth chart. But Contreras was reinstated from the IL a couple of days later and Raposo was optioned before getting into a major league game.

The backstop went unselected in the shortened five-round draft in 2020 and then signed with the Cards as an undrafted free agent. He was plugged onto their Double-A team and hit well at that level, but then struggled after getting bumped to Triple-A. He currently holds a batting line of .268/.348/.424 at Double-A but a line of .206/.276/.355 at Triple-A.

Raposo has never been a highly-touted prospect but the Jays could use the catching depth. They traded Danny Jansen to the Red Sox prior to the deadline and are now left with Alejandro Kirk and Brian Serven as the only catchers on their 40-man roster. Raposo gives them another option at Triple-A to be called upon when necessary. He has a full slate of options and almost no service time, so he could be part of their catching depth for a long time if he continues to hang onto a roster spot.

Cardinals Select Michael McGreevy, Place Lance Lynn On IL, DFA Jacob Bosiokovic

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12:04 PM: Speaking to reporters (including John Denton), Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol explained that McGreevy was called up because the team presumed Lynn would need an IL stint for his knee. However, the skipper noted that Pallante, not McGreevy, will remain in the rotation while Lynn is out. The team does not believe the injury is especially serious (per Katie Woo), and it is not expected to require surgery (per Jeff Jones). Instead, Lynn will take a rest and rehab approach to his recovery.

11:02 AM: The Cardinals have formally selected Michael McGreevy’s contract from Triple-A Memphis, the team announced. To make room on the 40-man roster, Jacob Bosiokovic has been designated for assignment. Bosiokovic, 30, had his contract selected at the end of June, but while he spent four days with the big league club, he did not get into a game to make his MLB debut. In 33 appearances this year for Memphis, he has a 3.95 ERA and a 29.4% strikeout rate, though his 14.1% walk rate is a cause for concern. He will now have a week to pass through waivers. If he clears waivers, the Cardinals will have the option to send him outright back to Triple-A.

In additional Cardinals news, the team placed Lance Lynn on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation. Lynn pitched well against the Rangers last night, limiting Texas to one run on three hits over five innings. However, he told reporters after the game (including Woo) that he was nursing pain in his knee. Woo noted that he was walking with “a pretty noticeable limp.” John Denton of MLB.com suggests that Lynn’s injury is “pretty serious,” and that the veteran fears his right knee could be “severely damaged.” However, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported last night that Lynn and the Cardinals will “monitor” the injury and “see how he recovers.” While Lynn is out, St. Louis could choose to give McGreevy a couple of extra turns in the rotation. Alternatively, they could push back Andre Pallante’s move to the bullpen.

By placing Lynn on the IL, the Cardinals made room for McGreevy on the active roster. St. Louis also recalled right-handed reliever Ryan Loutos from Triple-A and optioned fellow righty reliever Chris Roycroft.

July 30: The Cardinals are planning to promote pitching prospect Michael McGreevy to start Wednesday’s game against the Rangers (per Katie Woo of The Athletic). It will be the right-hander’s MLB debut. St. Louis will need to make corresponding moves to make room for the rookie on the 26 and 40-man rosters.

McGreevy, who turned 24 earlier this month, was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in the 2021 draft. His prospect stock has fallen significantly since he was drafted 18th overall, but he remains a consensus top-30 prospect in the Cardinals’ system. Keith Law of The Athletic remained particularly high on McGreevy entering the 2024 season, ranking him at No. 8 in the organization. Law made note of his durability and suggested, “He would be an easy No. 4 starter if he could get left-handed batters out.” Unfortunately for McGreevy, he has continued to struggle against opposite-handed opponents during his second season at Triple-A. While he has held righties to a .628 OPS in 207 trips to the plate, lefty batters have torched him for an .839 OPS in 261 plate appearances. Thus, his overall numbers have been lackluster. In 20 starts, he has a 4.45 ERA and a 4.31 FIP, only a slight improvement upon his 4.49 ERA and 4.52 FIP in 24 starts at Triple-A last season. Nevertheless, the Cardinals have decided he’s ready to give it a go in the majors, at least temporarily.

McGreevy’s debut will likely just be a spot start. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat explains that the Cardinals are looking to get their starting five a little extra rest amid a stretch of 16 games in 16 days. Lance Lynn is starting for St. Louis tonight, and after McGreevy’s turn on Wednesday, the rotation will line up as follows: Sonny Gray, recent trade acquisition Erick Fedde, Kyle Gibson, and Miles Mikolas (per Jones). It is unclear how Andre Pallante, who has been in the Cardinals’ rotation since the end of May, fits into this equation. According to Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, manager Oli Marmol has “not sat down yet” with Pallante to discuss his role moving forward. However, Marmol did confirm that he plans to return to a five-man rotation after this week (per Worthy). Thus, Pallante will most likely head to the bullpen. While the right-hander will surely bolster the team’s relief corps, it is noteworthy that the Cardinals are presumably choosing to promote McGreevy for a spot start rather than giving Pallante one last look in the rotation.

Cardinals Designate Giovanny Gallegos For Assignment

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TODAY: The Cardinals weren’t able to find a taker for Gallegos before the trade deadline passed, so he’ll hit the waiver wire.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cards will release Gallegos and eat his remaining salary if nobody makes a claim.

JULY 28: The Cardinals announced that right-hander Giovanny Gallegos has been designated for assignment.  Right-hander Kyle Leahy was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and the Cards now have an open space on their 40-man roster.

The DFA underscores a disaster of a season for Gallegos, who has a 6.53 ERA over 21 appearances and 20 2/3 innings.  After emerging as a cornerstone of the St. Louis bullpen from 2019-22, some red flags appeared last season when Gallegos’ ERA shot up to 4.42 (in 55 innings) as his strikeout rate declined and batters suddenly started to make much more solid contact against his offerings.

Things got worse for Gallegos this season, as he has allowed six homers over his 20 2/3 frames and his strikeout rate (22.3%) and walk rate (10.6%) are both career worsts.  The sudden loss of control is particularly troubling, as even amidst Gallegos’ struggles in 2023, he still sat in the 92nd percentile of all pitchers in terms of walk rate.  Health could be an issue since Gallegos missed a month and a half due to a shoulder impingement, though he wasn’t pitching well either before or after his stint on the 15-day injured list.

Despite these significant struggles, Gallegos’ track record means that he’ll likely catch on with another team pretty quickly, if perhaps not via waiver claim.  A team that puts in a claim would assume the remainder of Gallegos’ salary — roughly $1.84MM in 2024 salary, plus a $500K buyout of his $6.5MM club option for the 2025 campaign.

Unless a trade is worked out during the DFA period and before Tuesday’s deadline, clubs might prefer to wait until Gallegos clears waivers and is then likely released by the Cardinals.  A new team would then owe Gallegos just the prorated portion of a MLB minimum salary, and St. Louis would be on the hook for the remaining money owed.  Since Gallegos has more than five years of MLB service time, he has the right to refuse an outright assignment from the Cardinals if he does clear waivers.

Led by star closer Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals have gotten solid results in general from their bullpen this season, with Gallegos uncharacteristically being the relief corps’ weak link.  St. Louis, like most contenders, was known to be exploring the market for some bullpen reinforcements heading into the deadline, and moving Gallegos (and freeing up a 40-man roster spot) would hint that some kind of plans are in mind for the Cards before July 30.

Rays Acquire Dylan Carlson

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Dylan Carlson is on his way to the Rays, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (X links) report that Tampa has acquired the former Cardinals top prospect for right-hander Shawn Armstrong.  The Angels, Guardians, and Nationals were all linked to Carlson’s market leading up to the deadline, but it was Tampa who sealed the deal for the 25-year-old outfielder. Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports that St. Louis included around $98K in the deal.

Trade speculation has swirled around Carlson for years, even when he was on the way up the ladder as one of the top minor leaguers in the St. Louis farm system.  Both before and after Carlson made his MLB debut in 2020, there were whispers that the crowded nature of the Cards’ outfield picture might inspire the team to move Carlson to address another need, and it is perhaps now easy to second-guess the Cardinals’ decision to retain a player they once saw as a building block.

Carlson seemingly lived up to that early hype with a third-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, but injuries curtailed both his production and his playing time in 2022-23.  A left hamstring strain and a thumb sprain hampered him in 2022, and ankle problems (and an eventual ankle surgery) limited Carlson to 76 games in 2023.  Playing in 204 of 324 games over the 2022-23 seasons, Carlson hit .230/316/.364 over 743 plate appearances.

The struggles continued into this year, as Carlson has a .198/.275/.240 slash line in 138 PA while in a clear part-time capacity.  Still just 25 years old, Carlson will now get a change of scenery with this trade to the Rays and a chance at a fresh start to his Major League career.

The Rays’ flurry of deadline moves has left plenty of opening around the roster, including the left field spot recently occupied by Randy Arozarena.  Carlson’s center field defense has been declining along with his offense, but the metrics indicate that he is an average to solid defender in the corner outfield spots.  Between that outfield versatility and his switch-hitting, Carlson somewhat fits the Rays’ preferred model of players who can shuffled around to different places on the diamond, though he’ll naturally need to show more at the plate in order to win regular playing time.  Carlson is still under arbitration control through the 2026 season, so Tampa Bay has time to evaluate Carlson and decide whether or not he has something to offer as a big leaguer.

Armstrong has a 4.18 ERA over 327 1/3 career innings with Cleveland, Miami, Seattle, Baltimore, and two separate stints with Tampa Bay during his 10 Major League seasons.  The righty is a free agent after the season and is therefore a rental pickup for the Cardinals, who will use Armstrong as some extra depth in their bullpen.

A big .370 BABIP has impacted Armstrong’s performance in 2024, as his 5.40 ERA is considerably higher than his 3.86 SIERA.  It hasn’t all been plain bad luck, however, as Armstrong’s walk and hard-contact rates are all below average, and his 23.4% strikeout rate is decent but inspiring.  Left-handed batters have a .982 OPS against Armstrong this season, while he has continued to pitch well against same-sided hitters, limiting righty-swingers to a .690 OPS.

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