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Diamondbacks To Sign Jake Woodford To Major League Deal

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The Diamondbacks are going to sign right-hander Jake Woodford to a major league deal, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Fellow righty Juan Morillo will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move. The Snakes will also need to open a 40-man roster spot.

Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier today. He had also opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees earlier in the year, which led him to the Cubs. He was also with the Rockies on a minor league deal in spring training but opted out of that deal prior to the start of the season. Now the third opt-out will get him to the majors.

Between his time with the Yankees and the Cubs, Woodford threw 61 1/3 innings across ten starts and four relief appearances. He had a 4.55 earned run average, 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground ball rate.

He does have some major league experience on his track record. Over the previous five seasons, he logged 219 2/3 innings in the big leagues, mostly with the Cardinals. He has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate.

The Diamondbacks probably want him to serve in a long relief role, since he is currently stretched out. They have a rotation consisting of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodríguez and Ryne Nelson. Their bullpen has been hit by a number of injuries. A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez were supposed to be the two top dogs back there but both required season-ending elbow surgeries. Christian Montes De Oca might also be done for the year due to back surgery. Kendall Graveman is on the shelf due to a hip impingement.

The bullpen got heavy usage during the three games from Saturday through Monday, with six out of eight relievers pitching twice in those contests. Gallen gave them a bit of a breather by going seven strong yesterday. Anthony DeSclafani, the only guy who didn’t pitch in the previous three games, soaked up the final two frames. On the whole, the group is pretty gassed, so Woodford will be on hand to potentially give them multiple innings, if needed. He is out of options and will therefore have to be removed from the 40-man if the Diamondbacks want to take him off the active roster at any point.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Mariners Select Joe Jacques, Option Emerson Hancock

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12:45pm: The M’s have now announced that they have selected Jacques, with righty Emerson Hancock optioned as the corresponding move. It’s unclear how the club plans to fill that rotation spot. They could recall someone like Logan Evans or perhaps try to get to the All-Star break with a four-man rotation.

12:10pm: The Mariners are calling up left-hander Joe Jacques, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The southpaw is not currently on Seattle’s 40-man roster but they already have a vacancy there. They will need to make a corresponding move to open an active roster spot.

Jacques, 30, started the season with the Dodgers on a minor league deal. A couple of months into the season, the M’s designated Will Klein for assignment and then flipped him to the Dodgers, with Jacques coming to Seattle as the return in that swap.

Between those two clubs, the lefty has thrown 32 Triple-A innings this year with a 6.19 earned run average. That’s obviously not an inspiring number, but he has other numbers which can provide more optimism. His 23.2% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate this year are both solid figures, while his 58.3% ground ball rate is quite strong. His ERA has been inflated by a .396 batting average on balls in play and a 59.5% strand rate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 4.57 FIP suggests he has deserved far better.

The underlying stats match his previous minor league work. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 173 innings on the farm with a 3.90 ERA, 22% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate and grounders on more than half of the balls in play he allowed. He also has a bit of big league work on his résumé. He tossed 29 2/3 innings over the 2023 and 2024 seasons with a 5.46 ERA, 15.9% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 61.9% ground ball rate.

The Seattle pitching staff has been light on left-handers for most of this year, with Gabe Speier being the only southpaw to have thrown more than four innings. Jacques will seemingly get a shot at securing a job as the second lefty. He still has a minor league option remaining, so it’s possible he’ll be shuttled to Triple-A and back, as needed. It’s also possible the M’s look some lefty relievers ahead of the deadline, which could push Jacques down the depth chart.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Jake Woodford Opts Out Of Cubs Deal

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Right-hander Jake Woodford triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Cubs and has been granted his release, MLBTR has learned. He’s once again a free agent and can explore opportunities with any team.

Woodford, 28, has split the regular season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Yankees and Cubs. He’s opted out of both contracts, as neither club has given him a look in the majors prior to agreed-upon out dates. Woodford posted nearly identical numbers with the two teams and worked to a combined 4.55 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground-ball rate through 61 1/3 innings (10 starts, four long relief outings). He’s been particularly sharp in his two most recent outings, logging a combined 12 innings with four runs (3.00 ERA) and a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Woodford’s most recent appearance saw him toss 97 pitches, so he’s fully built up to a starter’s workload.

The No. 39 overall pick by the Cardinals back in the 2015 draft, Woodford has pitched in each of the past five major league seasons. Nearly all of his experience has come with St. Louis, though he did suit up for both the White Sox and Pirates in 2024. He’s pitched 219 2/3 big league innings and has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground-ball rate in that time.

Clubs in need of rotation depth or some length in the bullpen could take a look at the increasingly well-traveled right-hander as they wait for the summer trade market to commence in full force later this month. In 468 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Woodford has a 4.07 ERA.

Mets Trade Donovan Walton To Phillies

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The Phillies acquired non-roster infielder Donovan Walton from the Mets for cash considerations. The deal was announced by Philly’s Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where Walton was assigned. He was not on New York’s 40-man roster and therefore will not occupy an immediate roster spot with Philadelphia.

Walton, a lefty-hitting utility player, signed a minor league contract with the Mets in November. The 31-year-old has been playing for their top affiliate in Syracuse. Walton has connected on 11 home runs but has a subpar .222/.315/.377 slash line through 295 plate appearances. That’s despite solid strikeout and walk rates and driven largely by a .220 batting average on balls in play. Walton has a career .271/.357/.436 mark in more than 300 Triple-A games.

A former fifth-round pick of the Mariners, Walton has seen scattered big league action over five years. He has split that time between Seattle and San Francisco, most recently spending the final few weeks of last season on the Giants’ big league roster. Walton hasn’t made an impact against MLB pitching, batting .174/.227/.305 over 70 games. He’s primarily a middle infielder but has experience at both third base and in left field.

The Phils were lacking infield depth in the upper minors. Weston Wilson, who is primarily a bat-first corner player, is the only infielder on the 40-man roster who isn’t in the big leagues. Christian Arroyo, their most experienced non-roster infielder, is on the injured list at Lehigh Valley. Walton joins Rodolfo Castro as IronPigs’ middle infielders who have some MLB time on their résumés.

Colin Poche Elects Free Agency

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Veteran reliever Colin Poche elected free agency after being outrighted by the Mets, relays Laura Albanese of Newsday. Fellow southpaw José Castillo also went unclaimed and was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Castillo has the right to elect free agency as well, though it’s unclear if he intends to do so.

Poche and Castillo are part of a revolving door of Mets’ lefty relievers. That role has been in flux since the A.J. Minter and Danny Young injuries. They’re now operating with Richard Lovelady and Brandon Waddell in that capacity. Poche, who signed a minor league contract in early May, was only on the MLB roster for a few days. He made one appearance, retiring two of six batters faced and giving up a pair of runs. Poche spent the first month of the season with the Nationals, allowing 12 runs with more walks than strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

This has been a frustrating season for the 31-year-old in both MLB and (to a lesser extent) at the Triple-A level. He was a decent middle reliever for the Rays as recently as last year. Poche turned in a 3.86 ERA across 37 1/3 frames with Tampa Bay in 2024. The Mets could look to bring him back on a new minor league contract given their lack of depth from the left side.

Castillo landed in Queens in a DFA trade with the Diamondbacks. He got a longer run in Carlos Mendoza’s relief corps than Poche had. The 29-year-old made 13 appearances and allowed five runs (three earned) across 11 1/3 innings. He punched out 14 but issued six walks and plunked another four hitters. This has been Castillo’s first significant stretch of MLB action since he made 37 appearances during his 2018 rookie season with the Padres, largely because of various intervening injuries.

Trey Mancini Opts Out Of D-Backs Deal

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Veteran first baseman Trey Mancini has opted out of his minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Arizona evidently opted not to select him onto the MLB roster and he has returned to free agency. Utility infielder Nicky Lopez did the same this morning.

Mancini, 33, played three months with Triple-A Reno after signing an offseason non-roster deal. He’s had a nice season, batting .308/.373/.522 with 16 homers through 74 games. While that’s in a very hitter-friendly setting, Mancini has above-average numbers overall and had a particularly big showing in June.

The D-Backs have a first base/designated hitter tandem of Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith, leaving them without much room to accommodate Mancini. Smith has slumped since a scorching April, but he’s still carrying a .260/.369/.447 slash for the season. Arizona’s bench already skews right-handed, so Mancini would have been an imperfect fit as a bench bat.

Mancini will now look elsewhere for his first big league opportunity since 2023. He hasn’t been especially productive at the MLB level since being traded by the Orioles at the ’22 deadline. His numbers in Reno will at least allow him to find minor league interest elsewhere, presumably with a club that has a better path to first base playing time.

Padres To Select Eduarniel Nunez

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The Padres will call up reliever Eduarniel Núñez for tomorrow’s doubleheader in Philadelphia, reports Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Matt Waldron is being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Padres will be able to recall another player tomorrow as the 27th man for the twin bill. They’ll need to select Nuñez onto the 40-man roster and already have an opening after designating Logan Gillaspie for assignment yesterday.

It’s the first MLB call for the 26-year-old Núñez. The 6’2″ righty is a former Cubs prospect who joined the Friars as a minor league free agent last offseason. He has spent the bulk of the season in Double-A, working to a 3.57 earned run average over 22 2/3 innings. He struck out more than 40% of opposing hitters while getting swinging strikes on 21% of his pitches. That earned him a bump to Triple-A El Paso in the middle of June. Núñez has rattled off 7 1/3 scoreless frames with 11 more punchouts over seven appearances.

Núñez is now up to a combined 30 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with a 41.9% strikeout percentage on the season. That’s elite swing-and-miss ability backed up by high-octane stuff. Núñez has averaged north of 99 MPH on his heater since getting bumped to Triple-A. He has been a two-pitch pitcher this season, using the fastball slightly more often than he turns to his upper-80s breaking ball. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him the #32 prospect in the San Diego system last month, crediting him with plus or better grades on both offerings.

That it nevertheless took him parts of eight minor league seasons to get an MLB look reflects his well below-average control. Núñez has walked nearly 15% of opponents over his professional career. He has been a little better in that regard this season, cutting the free passes to a somewhat more manageable 12% clip. He’ll be a volatile but intriguing middle innings option for skipper Mike Shildt.

Reds To Sign Buck Farmer To Minor League Deal

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The Reds and right-hander Buck Farmer are in agreement on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Farmer was with the Angels on a minor league deal but was released a couple of weeks ago, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will presumably report to Triple-A Louisville in the future but Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Farmer will report to the Arizona Complex League for now.

Farmer, 34, is a familiar face for the Reds and their fans. He pitched for Cincinnati from 2022 to 2024, generally producing solid results. He logged 193 innings over those three seasons with a 3.68 earned run average, 24% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate.

Things haven’t gone as smoothly here in 2025. He has been stuck in Triple-A, having signed minor league deals with Atlanta and the Angels, getting released from both. Between those two organizations, he has tossed 16 2/3 innings with an 8.64 ERA. There appears to be lots of bad luck in there, however, with a .423 batting average on balls in play and 50.6% strand rate. His 21.7% strikeout rate is around average, though his 13.3% walk rate is on the high side. His 4.61 FIP on the year isn’t an outstanding number but suggests his ERA isn’t sustainably atrocious.

In the past month, the Reds have lost Graham Ashcraft and Ian Gibaut to the injured list, subtracting a couple of arms from their bullpen mix. Additionally, starters Hunter Greene and Wade Miley hit the IL in June, putting more pressure on the pitching staff more broadly. Farmer will try to get into a nice groove so that he can perhaps be the next man up when the club needs a fresh arm.

Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images

Pirates Trade Hunter Stratton To Braves

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The Braves acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for minor league outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash, the teams announced Tuesday. Pittsburgh had designated Stratton for assignment last week. Atlanta transferred Chris Sale to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Stratton, who has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Stratton, 28, has an unsightly 23.63 earned run average in the majors this year. However, that has come in a tiny sample of 2 2/3 innings. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he had a combined 3.26 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. His 21% strikeout rate and 41% ground ball rate were both around average while his 4.9% walk rate was quite strong.

Though his major league ERA is through the roof this year, his minor league work has largely been in line with his pre-2025 results. In 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 3.65 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate. He still has a full slate of options, though is burning through the first of those here in 2025.

For a pitcher with solid results and roster flexibility, it was a bit surprising that the Pirates gave up on him. But unsurprisingly, there has been enough interest that Atlanta has forfeited a prospect in order to skip the waiver line and add some bullpen depth.

Dumitru, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the 16th-round of last year’s draft. He played at the Single-A level last year and has been at High-A this year. Put together, he has played in 91 professional games with a .227/.314/.324 line and 97 wRC+.

Sale was placed on the 15-day IL a little over a week ago due to a rib cage fracture. The club didn’t provide many details about his expected absence at that time, but it seemed fair to expect he wouldn’t be back anytime soon. Today’s transfer confirms that the club doesn’t expect him back until mid-August at the earliest.

For now, Atlanta is operating with a rotation consisting of Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes. Adding to that group would be a priority for the club if they plan on being deadline buyers. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is hoping to bolster the club rather than subtract from it but they are currently in a tough spot, 7.5 games back of a playoff spot. They have some time to climb but doing so without Sale, Reynaldo López and AJ Smith-Shawver will be a challenge. On the other hand, if they hang in there, it’s possible Sale and López could be back later in the year.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Rockies Designate Sam Hilliard For Assignment, Select Austin Nola

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The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today. They have recalled outfielder Yanquiel Fernández from Triple-A Albuquerque, a move that was previously reported, and also selected the contract of catcher Austin Nola. In corresponding moves, they have optioned backstop Braxton Fulford and designated outfielder Sam Hilliard for assignment.

Hilliard, 31, was added to Colorado’s roster just over a month ago. He has since been sent to the plate 61 times, with a huge 37.7% strikeout rate but also a strong 16.4% walk rate. The result is a lopsided line of .196/.328/.412.

He has occasionally shown promise as a big leaguer but often with his penchant for punchouts getting in the way. He now has 936 big league plate appearances over seven seasons with 44 home runs but a 34.3% strikeout rate. Since he’s out of options and the Rockies want to get a look at Fernández, Hilliard has been bumped off the 40-man roster.

Hilliard was also outrighted off the roster at the end of March. As a player with between three and five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, but has to forfeit his remaining salary in order to do so. He is making $1MM this year, so he accepted an outright assignment the last time he was sent through waivers. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.

Nola, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in the offseason. He has spent a decent amount of this year on the minor league injured list but has been healthy for the past month or so. He has 116 minor league plate appearances this year with a strong .330/.397/.456 line, though most of that has been in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so it only translates to a 107 wRC+.

That will seemingly be enough to Nola a shot at the backup catcher job. The Rockies released Jacob Stallings last month, with Hunter Goodman and Fulford left in charge of the catching duties. Fulford will now presumably get everyday playing time in Triple-A while Nola returns to the majors.

Nola has 345 big league games under his belt with a .249/.326/.370 line and 95 wRC+. That’s a solid mark for a catcher though his framing hasn’t received good marks from outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast or Baseball Prospectus. He is out of options and would therefore have to be removed from the 40-man roster if the Rockies decide to bump him from the active roster at any point.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

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