Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Orioles Option Trevor Rogers, Designate Bruce Zimmermann

By | at

The Orioles announced a series of roster moves today. Infielder Emmanuel Rivera, recently claimed off waivers, has been added to the roster. They also selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman and recalled lefty Nick Vespi. To open spots for those three, they optioned left-hander Trevor Rogers, right-hander Colin Selby and infielder Liván Soto to Triple-A Norfolk. To open a 40-man spot for Bowman, lefty Bruce Zimmermann has been designated for assignment.

Just over three weeks ago, the Orioles acquired Rogers from the Marlins in a pre-deadline trade, sending youngsters Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers to Miami. The O’s have been having a strong season overall but keeping the rotation intact has been a challenge. All three of Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells required surgery to address their respective ulnar collateral ligaments in their elbows earlier this year. To bolster the group, they added both Zach Eflin and Rogers prior to the deadline.

It was a buy-low situation with Rogers, who had posted a 2.64 earned run average with the Marlins in 2021 but struggled since. He dealt with various injuries in 2022 and finished that year with a 5.47 ERA. In 2023, he was only able to make four starts due to a left biceps strain and a partial tear in his right lat.

Here in 2024, he was healthy enough to stay on the mound, making 21 starts for the Fish prior to the deal. His velocity was down but the results were passable, as he had a 4.53 ERA in those 21 outings. A few days after the deal, the lefty said he had already received more analytical information relating to his pitch mix and mechanics than during his entire time with the Marlins, per Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner on X. Perhaps the O’s felt there was a path to getting Rogers back to his 2021 form via those analytics, or simply him getting healthier as he moved further away from his injuries.

It has not gone to plan so far, as Rogers hasn’t fared well in his first four starts with the O’s. He has allowed 15 earned runs in 19 innings, leading to a 7.11 ERA. His 13.3% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate are both well below league average and nowhere near his previous work.

It seems the O’s have decided that a reset in Triple-A is in order. Perhaps that will give him a chance to work on their suggested tweaks in a lower-stakes environment. He can still be retained via arbitration for two more seasons after this one, so they have some time to figure out a path forward. This isn’t a service time manipulation situation, as he already crossed four years of service time earlier this year.

Still, it’s obviously less than ideal for the club to be subtracting one of its key deadline pickups in the middle of a playoff race. The O’s are still in comfortable position with a 74-54 record, just half a game behind the Yankees in the East and currently possessing the top Wild Card spot. But the Royals and Twins are just 2.5 games back and the Red Sox trail the O’s by only six games, so nothing is set in stone with more than a month left to play.

The rotation continues to be an issue as now both Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez are on the injured list, Eflin due to some shoulder discomfort and Rodriguez due to a lat strain. With Rogers now intentionally removed from the mix, the rotation is now down to Corbin Burnes, Dean Kremer, Albert Suárez, Cole Irvin and Cade Povich. Burnes is great but there are plenty of questions with the others. Kremer and Irvin are essentially back-end guys, with the latter having been passed through waivers a few weeks ago, recently being added back to the roster. Suárez keeps putting up good numbers but is a 34-year-old journeyman who is in the majors for the first time since 2017. Povich has just nine major league starts and a 5.77 ERA in those.

Ideally, the club will be hoping to get Rodriguez and Eflin back for the end of the regular season and then the playoffs as well, but they will have to try to get by with this group for now. Perhaps Rogers can also work his way back into the mix with some quick adjustments in the minors, but he can’t be recalled for the next 15 days unless replacing someone going on the injured list.

Bowman, 33, was signed to a minor league deal a week ago. That pact contained an upward mobility clause today and an opt-out next week. It seems the O’s didn’t want him to get away or simply wanted to add some a fresh arm to their bullpen, so he’s been added to their roster today.

As soon as he gets into a game for the O’s, it will be his fourth club of the year, as he’s already suited up for the Twins, Diamondbacks and Mariners. Since he’s out of options, he’s continually been squeezed out of his opportunities. Whenever he has cleared waivers, he has elected free agency and signed a new deal with fresh opt-outs, seemingly having a strong preference for flexibility.

While bouncing around, he has thrown 15 major league innings with a 5.40 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 46.8% ground ball rate. But he’s also thrown 33 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 1.87 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and grounders on more than half of the balls in play he’s allowed.

That minor league performance has seemingly led to plenty of interest around the league, with Baltimore being his latest stop. If he can perform like that at the major league level, he could be a nice asset for a Baltimore bullpen that hasn’t been strong this year. Their relief corps has a collective 4.18 ERA, putting them in the bottom third of the league. If things click, he can be retained beyond this season via arbitration, but based on the way his year has gone, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him bouncing around again soon.

Zimmermann, 29, has been in the Orioles’ organization for more than six years now. He came over from Atlanta in the July 2018 trade that sent Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day the other way. He appeared in 38 games over the 2020-23 seasons, logging 158 1/3 innings with a 5.57 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 41.1% ground ball rate.

He’s been on optional assignment for all of 2024 so far, having tossed 69 1/3 innings in the minors with a 4.41 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. With the trade deadline now passed, the O’s will have to put Zimmermann on waivers in the coming days.

This is his final option year, so he’ll be out of options next year. A claiming club could potentially stash him in the minors for the rest of this season but he would need an active roster spot by next year. He has less than two years of service time, so any claiming club could control him for five seasons beyond this one. If he were to pass through outright waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the O’s in a non-roster capacity.

Astros To Sign Héctor Neris

By | at

The Astros are signing right-hander Héctor Neris, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 on X. The righty was released by the Cubs earlier this week. Assuming it’s a major league deal, the Astros will need to make corresponding moves to get the righty onto their active and 40-man rosters once the deal is made official.

Neris, 35, returns to an organization that he has had success with. After many successful years with the Phillies, Neris joined the Astros going into 2022. He signed a two-year, $17MM deal with a club option for 2024, though he could vest that into a player option based on the number of appearances he made for the club during the life of the contract.

Over those two years in Houston, Neris got into 141 regular season contests, allowing 2.69 earned runs per nine. He struck out 29.1% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 9% clip. He earned five saves and 56 holds in that time. He also made 15 postseason appearances over those two years, including eight in 2022 with a 1.50 ERA, helping Houston win its second World Series title.

By July of 2023, he had made his 110th regular-season appearance with the club, thus converting the club option into a player option. He eventually decided to turn that down, taking the $1MM buyout and returning to free agency, rather than agreeing to the $8.5MM salary.

He eventually signed with the Cubs for the 2024 season, a one-year, $9MM guarantee. Again, there was a club/player option provision, this time with a $9MM salary on the table for 2025. It would begin as a club option that could become a player option with 60 appearances or 45 games finished in 2024.

His time as a Cub was mixed. He made 46 appearances for them this year with a 3.89 ERA that doesn’t look too bad at first blush. However, his 23.5% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate were both significant drop-offs from his previous work. He managed to dance around those free passes a bit with a 76.9% strand rate that’s on the lucky side, perhaps why his 4.09 FIP and 4.36 SIERA were a bit worse than his ERA.

The Cubs decided to set him loose, releasing him earlier this week. That was likely a reflection of his diminished performance but also the Cubs not wanting him to unlock that player option. Since Neris was released and no club grabbed him off waivers, that option is now dead and won’t carry over to any new deal he signs.

Though he hasn’t been as crisp this year, it’s a sensible pickup for the Astros. For one thing, there’s no real financial cost. Because they released him, the Cubs are on the hook for the majority of his 2024 salary that is still to be paid out. The Astros only have to pay him the prorated version of the $740K league minimum salary for any time Neris spends on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Cubs pay.

The Astros have also taken a few hits in their bullpen. Kendall Graveman, Penn Murfee, Oliver Ortega and Bennett Sousa are all currently on the 60-day injured list, with each of them undergoing a significant surgery earlier this year. Righty Ryan Pressly also landed on the 15-day IL a few days ago due to a low back strain. There’s nothing to suggest Pressly is slated for a lengthy absence, but it’s another gap in the relief corps until he comes back.

Perhaps a return to a familiar environment can get Neris back on track after some wobbles this year. Even if that doesn’t quite come to pass, it’s a low-cost signing that lengthens the club’s depth for the stretch run and postseason.

Pirates Outright Ryder Ryan

By | at

August 21: Ryan cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Triple-A Indianapolis, per the transaction log at MLB.com. It’s not clear whether he has elected free agency.

August 19: The Pirates announced a series of roster moves today, including the selection of outfielder Billy McKinney, which was previously reported. They also recalled right-hander Hunter Stratton. To make room for those two, the club placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation and designated righty Ryder Ryan for assignment.

It doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Hayes has landed on the IL with this back issue, as it’s been a recurring theme in his career so far. He landed on the shelf due to a back injury in 2022, twice in 2023 and now this is his second stint of the 2024 season. Yesterday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about how Hayes has a disc problem in his back that requires him to play through pain, with no obvious treatment apart from rest.

“Someone who has what I have, you want to stay away from turning,” Hayes said to Mackey. “But that’s what I have to do every day. It’s been frustrating, for sure, just knowing that I’m a lot better than what I’m showcasing. I want to be out there every day, but it’s just … hard.”

The third baseman then got more into the weeds in discussing his injury. “My whole issue is the disc has lost its jelly stuff,” Hayes said. “When we look at the MRIs, [the discs are] just kind of compressing. I don’t know that it’s rubbing, but it’s definitely a little collapsed to where there’s pressure, inflammation builds up, and muscles want to try to protect.”

The Pirates have hovered around the playoff race this year but have hit a bad skid lately, going 3-13 in their past 16 games. They are still within 7.5 games of a Wild Card spot in the National League but would have to leapfrog six different teams in order to get into playoff positions. The Playoff Odds at FanGraphs give them just a 0.5% chance of making the postseason now, while the PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus are slightly lower at 0.4%.

Perhaps the Bucs have accepted that this isn’t their year and will now get Hayes some rest as opposed to pushing him to play through his injury. Whether he will come back or simply be shut down perhaps depends on how he feels in the coming weeks.

Though the back issue isn’t new, it’s possible it’s impacting him more than in previous years. He came into this season with a .264/.320/.409 batting line and 98 wRC+ as well as 65 Defensive Runs Saved and 51 Outs Above Average at third base. This year, he’s hitting .233/.283/.290 for a wRC+ of 60 and his defensive grades are down a bit, though still strong, at 9 DRS and 5 OAA.

Finding a solution will obviously be a priority for the Bucs, as they gave Hayes an eight-year, $70MM extension in 2022. That deal runs through 2029 and has a club option for 2030, a significant commitment for a low-spending club like the Pirates. With Hayes out of action, the Bucs will likely give more infield time to guys like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jared Triolo and Alika Williams, with that group also covering second base alongside shortstop Oneil Cruz.

Ryan, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason and has been on and off their roster this year. He made the Opening Day roster and spent the first half of the season as a frequently-optioned depth arm. As of 2022, players can only be optioned five times per season and the Pirates had already optioned Ryan five times by the middle of July. He was then designated for assignment at the end of July and accepted an outright assignment. He was added back to the roster a week ago but now gets the DFA treatment again.

Around those transactions, he has thrown 20 2/3 innings at the major league level with a 5.66 earned run average, combining an 18.3% strikeout rate with a 9.7% walk rate and 37.1% ground ball rate. He has also thrown 28 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.45 ERA, 16% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate.

With the trade deadline now passed, the Bucs will have to place him on waivers in the coming days. He has one more option year remaining but can no longer be optioned here in 2024. Since he passed through waivers a few weeks ago and accepted an outright assignment, it’s possible that the same sequence of events takes place in the next few days.

Athletics Sign Austin Pruitt To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Athletics have signed right-hander Austin Pruitt to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas and will provide the A’s with some non-roster depth.

The A’s are plenty familiar with Pruitt, as he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with them. He tossed 103 2/3 innings for Oakland over those two campaigns, allowing 3.65 earned runs per nine. His 16.2% strikeout rate in that time was subpar but he demonstrated good control by limiting walks to a 5% clip and his 41.2% ground ball rate was close to league average.

That’s generally been the recipe over Pruitt’s career overall. He’s also spent some time with the Rays, Astros, Marlins and Rangers, with 315 major league innings, a 4.54 ERA, 16.6% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate.

At the end of last year, he was outrighted off Oakland’s roster and signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason. He was selected to the roster in mid-April but made just four appearances before landing on the injured list with a right knee medial meniscus injury. He began a rehab assignment at the end of June but the Rangers released him at the end of July rather than add him back onto the roster.

After about three weeks on the open market, he’s landed in a familiar spot by signing with the A’s. Oakland has a few veterans on the injured list, with Austin Adams, Scott Alexander, Alex Wood and Trevor Gott all on the shelf. Of the pitchers currently on the active roster, Ross Stripling and T.J. McFarland are the only ones with more than three years of major league service time. If the A’s need a fresh arm at some point, Pruitt could be called upon as someone with experience.

Angels Select Johnny Cueto

By | at

August 21: The Angels have now made it official, selecting Cueto to the roster. Righty Hans Crouse was optioned in a corresponding move. The club also announced that José Cisnero, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, has been released.

August 20: The Angels are set to select the contract of right-hander Johnny Cueto from Triple-A Salt Lake, reports Hector Gomez of Z101 Deportes in the Dominican Republic. The Halos don’t have a starter announced for tomorrow’s game, so it seems the plan will be for the veteran Cueto to come up and take the ball. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but the Angels have a vacancy there after releasing veteran infielder Luis Guillorme over the weekend.

Cueto, 38, has pitched in Triple-A with the Rangers and Angels this season, finding a good bit more success with the latter than with the former. He’s made four starts in Salt Lake and held opponents to eight earned runs on 27 hits and five walks with 15 strikeouts through 23 1/3 frames. That comes out to a 3.09 ERA and sharp 5% walk rate — albeit against a sub-par 14.9% strikeout rate. When including his minor league work with Texas this season, Cueto has a 4.76 ERA in 64 1/3 innings. He’ll be on six days rest for tomorrow’s game, with his most recent outing having come on Aug. 14.

Assuming Cueto indeed gets the nod for the Angels, this will be the 17th consecutive season in which the two-time All-Star and 2015 World Series champion has pitched in the majors. He spent the 2023 campaign with the Marlins but struggled to a 6.02 ERA through 10 starts in a season that was wrecked by a biceps injury. As recently as 2022, the right-hander pitched 158 1/3 innings of 3.35 ERA ball with the White Sox, showing similar K-BB rates (15.7% and 5.1%) to the ones he’s logged in Triple-A this year.

Overall, Cueto has piled up 2245 big league innings and recorded a tidy 3.50 ERA along the way. He’s won 144 games against 111 losses, punched out 1851 big league opponents and appeared in a total of 368 major league games. Cueto is currently tied with Floyd Bannister and Doc White for 196th in games started at the MLB level, and he’ll jump into a tie with Ron Darling, Scott Erickson and Vern Law for 193rd if and when he takes the ball tomorrow.

The Angels recently placed Jose Soriano on the injured list due to arm fatigue and lost Patrick Sandoval to UCL surgery earlier this season. They’ve been using journeyman Carson Fulmer and rookie Jack Kochanowicz in the rotation alongside Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning recently. Cueto will give them a veteran option to join that group, though it’s possible the Angels will want to take a look at homegrown arms like Reid Detmers or Sam Bachman down the stretch. Both have had their struggles since being optioned to Triple-A, but both pitchers also pitched excellently in their most recent outings.

Dodgers Outright Brent Honeywell

By | at

August 21: Honeywell has accepted his outright, per OKC broadcaster Alex Freeman on X.

August 20: Dodgers righty Brent Honeywell went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Honeywell has a previous career outright, so he can decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

A top prospect when he was a member of the Rays’ system, Honeywell battled various injuries before getting a real look at the MLB level. He finally got that opportunity last season, combining for 52 1/3 relief innings between the Padres and White Sox. Honeywell posted serviceable middle relief numbers in San Diego before being hit hard with the Sox. That cost him his roster spot in Chicago and left him to sign a minor league deal with the Pirates over the winter.

The 29-year-old spent the first half of the year with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team. He turned in a 4.85 ERA with a modest 19.6% strikeout percentage across 39 innings. While it wasn’t the most dominant showing, the Bucs called him up in July. He made two appearances before Pittsburgh designated him for assignment and lost him on waivers to Los Angeles. The Dodgers gave Honeywell 10 outings in low-leverage spots. He posted a 2.21 ERA through 20 1/3 frames. That’s despite a well below-average 15.2% strikeout rate and 6.5% swinging strike percentage. The Dodgers squeezed him off the roster over the weekend when they promoted Ben Casparius.

Honeywell carries 4.26 ERA across 80 1/3 innings over parts of three big league campaigns. If he reports to OKC, he’d be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Dodgers call him back up.

Padres Select Mason McCoy

By | at

The Padres announced they have selected the contract of infielder Mason McCoy. Infielder Matthew Batten has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding active roster. To open a 40-man spot for McCoy, outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Tatis has already been on the IL for 60 days, so he can return as soon as he’s healthy. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune relayed the McCoy and Batten moves on X prior to the official announcement.

McCoy, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason. He has played 108 games for Triple-A El Paso this year with a .260/.329/.382 batting line, which translates to a wRC+ of 79, indicating he’s been 21% below league average.

He has never been much of a hitter, having slashed .239/.318/.400 for a wRC+ of 80 in 458 Triple-A games since the start of 2021. His major league work consists of just one plate appearance with the Blue Jays last year, though he did get into six games overall, mostly as a defensive replacement. He has a reputation as an excellent defender and frequently racks up double-digit steal totals, including 25 this year.

The Padres recently lost shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to the injured list, which has moved utility player Tyler Wade into regular shortstop action. McCoy can provide the Padres with depth all over, as he has played all the infield positions to the left of first base, in addition to some outfield work. Based on his skills, he might be ticketed for a lot of late-game work, either on defense or on the basepaths. He still has a full slate of options and just a few days of service time, so the Padres could keep him around for a while if they so choose.

As for Tatis, as mentioned, this is just a formality. He landed on the IL June 24, retroactive to June 22, due to a right femoral stress reaction. Today’s transfer is retroactive to that June 22 date, meaning he can be reinstated at any point. It was reported earlier this week that he could be back in the middle of next month.

Rockies Select Jeff Criswell

By | at

The Rockies announced they have selected the contract of right-hander Jeff Criswell. He will take the roster spot of fellow righty Victor Vodnik, who lands on the 15-day injured list with right bicep inflammation. The club opened a 40-man roster spot by outrighting righty Riley Pint a few days ago. Thomas Harding of MLB.com relayed the moves on X prior to the official announcement.

Criswell, now 25, was selected by the Athletics in the second round of the 2020 draft. In 2021, he made his professional debut with five High-A starts but then got more run in 2022. That year, he tossed 118 1/3 innings across multiple levels, with a combined 4.03 earned run average. He struck out 23.8% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9% clip.

He went to the Rockies in the December 2022 trade that sent righty Chad Smith the other way. He has been pitching for Triple-A Albuquerque since that trade but without much success. He tossed 121 innings last year over 29 appearances, including 26 starts, but finished with a 7.51 ERA. He did strike out 23.7% of batters faced but walked 12.5% of them and also allowed 32 home runs.

This year, he’s been pitching exclusively in relief with some encouraging signs, having thrown 57 2/3 innings over 35 appearances. The 10.1% walk rate is still high and the 6.24 ERA isn’t impressive, but he’s been striking out opponents at a 30% clip. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

As for Vodnik, the club hasn’t provided any details about his injury but they have every reason to be cautious at this point. They are one of the worst clubs in baseball this year and well out of contention, so there’s no sense pushing a player through an injury, even if it’s mild. Vodnik has emerged as a key piece of the club’s bullpen this year, with a 4.04 ERA, nine saves and six holds.

Orioles Claim Emmanuel Rivera, Designate Terrin Vavra

By | at

The Orioles have claimed infielder Emmanuel Rivera off waivers from the Marlins, per announcements from both clubs. Rivera was designated for assignment by the Marlins a few days ago. The Orioles opened a 40-man spot by designating infielder Terrin Vavra for assignment.

Rivera, 28, is in his fourth major league season and he will now be joining his fourth major league club. He’s been in 314 big league games between the Royals, Marlins and Diamondbacks, largely serving as a light-hitting infielder with strong glovework.

In 969 plate appearances, he has hit .239/.302/.354 for a wRC+ of 81. That includes a line of .214/.294/.269 and a 61 wRC+ this year. He has logged just under 2,000 innings at third base in his career, racking up 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 5 Outs Above Average.

The Orioles had a surplus of position players not too long ago but it has been thinned out in recent weeks. Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo and Heston Kjerstad all landed on the injured list at the end of July. Austin Hays was traded to the Phillies and the club also traded Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers to the Marlins. Coincidentally, Norby’s promotion earlier this week nudged Rivera off that club’s roster.

The club recently gave Coby Mayo a shot at the hot corner with Westburg out, but sent Mayo back down after he got just one hit in his first 20 plate appearances, striking out 10 times. Ramón Urías is covering third now but his defensive metrics are oddly down this year. He has a strong reputation for his glovework but has -3 DRS and -7 OAA at third base in 2024.

Perhaps the O’s will try Rivera at third with Urías going back to being a multi-positional guy. Liván Soto is on the roster but he has options and could be sent down when Rivera reports to the club. Rivera is on pace to qualify for arbitration this winter and could be retained if he lasts on Baltimore’s roster through the season and they decide to tender him a contract.

Vavra, 27, was once a notable prospect but has struggled in recent seasons. A third-round pick of the Rockies in 2018, he went to the O’s in the August 2020 trade that sent Mychal Givens to Colorado. Vavra then slashed .275/.406/.449 across multiple levels in 2021 for a wRC+ of 138. Baltimore added him to their 40-man roster in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

In 2022, he served as an up-and-down depth player for the O’s and performed well. He slashed .258/.340/.337 in his 40 major league games, exactly league average performance. He also had a strong slash of .324/.435/.451 in 45 Triple-A games. But in 2023, he missed time due to shoulder issues, eventually getting diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery. He only played 43 games that year, majors and minors combined.

Outrighted off the roster in November, he got his spot back in July when Mateo hit the injured list but was optioned the next day. He has a line of .243/.350/.368 in Triple-A this year, which translates to a 92 wRC+.

Vavra is in his final option year and will be out of options next season, though he has less than a year of service time. The O’s will have to place him on waivers in the coming days since the trade deadline has passed. It’s been a rough couple of years but if any club is interested in his pre-surgery form, they could control him for many years to come. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, his previous outright gives him the right to elect free agency.

Padres Re-Sign Carl Edwards Jr. To Minor League Deal

By | at

Less than a week after electing free agency on the heels of a DFA, right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. is back with the Padres. The two sides agreed to a minor league deal this week, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. San Diego had previously designated Edwards for assignment on Aug. 12. He opted for free agency three days later after clearing waivers.

It’s the second minor league deal Edwards has signed with San Diego this summer and now his third stint in the organization. The 32-year-old only pitched in one game with the Friars during his prior stint and didn’t record an out, allowing three men to reach base. Teammate Yuki Matsui picked him up by getting out of the jam and stranding the bases loaded.

Outside that rough big league appearance, Edwards has generated good results in Triple-A this season, logging a 3.30 ERA between the Triple-A affiliates for the Padres and Cubs. He’s punched out a roughly average 22.2% of his opponents but also struggled to limit free passes, issuing walks at a 14.3% clip in 46 1/3 innings.

From 2022-23, Edwards was a regular in the Nationals’ bullpen, picking up 93 2/3 innings and recording a 3.07 ERA with fairly shaky strikeout and walk rates (20% and 10.6%, respectively). His 2023 season ended with a stress fracture in his shoulder. The right-hander has now pitched in parts of 10 big league seasons and tossed 280 innings between the Cubs, Nationals, Padres, Blue Jays, Mariners and Braves. He has a career 3.54 earned run average that’s accompanied by lofty strikeout and walk rates of 28.1% and 12.7%.

Following a trade deadline that saw them add Tanner Scott, Jason Adam and Bryan Hoeing to an already impressive relief corps, the Padres possess one of MLB’s deepest and most talented bullpens. That’ll make it hard for Edwards to crack the mix, but he was working out of the Triple-A rotation during his prior stint with the club. If the Padres run into some late injuries, Edwards could be an option for spot starts or long relief down the stretch, particularly once rosters expand to 28 players in September.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top