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Orioles Acquire Alex Jackson From Yankees

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The Orioles have acquired catcher Alex Jackson in exchange for international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations, per an announcement from the Yankees. Jackson is not on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move will not be necessary unless Baltimore selects Jackson to the roster.

The move comes after catcher Gary Sanchez exited yesterday’s Orioles game with what the club described at the time as “right knee pain.” As noted by Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, interim manager Tony Mansolino did not have a more specific diagnosis available after the game but noted that Sanchez was set to undergo an MRI last night. The results of that MRI are not yet available, but it certainly seems as though a trip to the injured list is on the table. Weyrich was among those to report this morning that catcher David Banuelos had been added to the medical taxi squad following Sanchez’s injury, and now this morning’s acquisition of Jackson adds another potential replacement for Sanchez to the mix.

Jackson, 29, was selected sixth overall in the 2014 draft by the Mariners but didn’t make it to the majors until 2019 as a member of the Braves. He’s notched 124 games in the majors across parts of five big league seasons, with his largest showing coming as a member of the Rays last year. Jackson offers a solid glove behind the plate but virtually no offensive value with a career slash line of just .132/.224/.232. His performance in Tampa was even weaker than that as he hit just .122/.201/.237 in 58 games, leaving him with a 29 wRC+ that was not only 71% worse than league average but the second-worst figure among all players with at least 150 plate appearances in the majors last year.

More to come.

Dan Straily Announces Retirement

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Eight-year MLB veteran Dan Straily has announced his retirement, as relayed by Codify Baseball on social media. Straily pitched for the A’s, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins, and Orioles in his MLB career.

Straily, 36, was a 24th-round pick by the A’s back in 2009. He made his big league debut a few years later during the 2012 season and provided league average results for Oakland down the stretch, with a 3.89 ERA in seven starts despite allowing 11 homers in those seven outings. He returned to the Athletics rotation for the 2013 season and was now able to post league average results with matching peripherals as he pitched to a 3.96 ERA (98 ERA+) with a 4.05 FIP across 152 2/3 innings and 27 starts. That performance was impressive enough to earn Straily a fourth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting that year behind Wil Myers, Jose Iglesias, and Chris Archer.

In 2014, Straily struggled a bit in seven early-season starts with the A’s and was optioned to Triple-A. That changed when Straily was traded to the Cubs alongside top prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Straily made a few appearances with Chicago, but they weren’t productive outings. The Cubs saw fit to move on from Straily following the 2014 campaign, and during the offseason he was flipped to the Astros alongside Luis Valbuena in the deal that sent Dexter Fowler to Chicago. Straily once again spent much of the 2015 season in the minors, making just four appearances in the majors for Houston while pitching to a 5.40 ERA in those outings.

Straily was traded for a third time in early 2016, when he was dealt by the Astros to the Padres for Erik Kratz. San Diego promptly designated Straily for assignment, but was plucked off waivers by the Reds and managed to stick in the big leagues with Cincinnati. The righty had arguably the best season of his career with the Reds as he pitched to a 3.76 ERA in a career-high 191 1/3 innings of work. While Straily’s home run rate held back his peripherals (4.88 FIP), he was the exact sort of reliable, innings-eating arm a rebuilding club like the Reds needed.

The fourth trade of Straily’s career came after his strong 2016 season, when the Marlins sought to acquire some rotation depth and surrendered a package of talent headlined by eventual Reds ace Luis Castillo to acquire him. Straily pitched two seasons at the back of Miami’s rotation, with a 4.20 ERA and 4.79 FIP across 304 innings of work. He was released by Miami shortly before Opening Day 2019 and latched on with the Orioles, for whom he struggled to provide results across 47 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment in June of that year.

Straily’s stint with the Orioles was the end of his time in the majors, but it was by no means the end of his professional career as a player. The righty went overseas to the KBO League and went on to make 89 starts for the Lotte Giants with a 3.29 ERA in 503 innings of work from 2020 to 2023. He made brief stateside returns in 2022 and ’24 with the Diamondbacks and Cubs, but was unable to crack the big league roster with either club. Straily wrapped up his pro career with 32 innings of work for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the independent Mexican League this year, and exits baseball with a lifetime 4.19 ERA across 2351 1/3 innings of work between the major, minor, and foreign leagues he participated in. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Straily on a fine career and wish him all the best in his post-playing pursuits.

Braves Select Jesse Chavez

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The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected right-hander Jesse Chavez to the big league roster. Left-hander Dylan Dodd was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Chavez on the big league roster, while Spencer Schwellenbach was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster spot for Chavez.

Chavez, 41, has made two appearances for the Braves already this year that saw him surrender two runs in three innings of work. He’s been something of an up-and-down depth arm for Atlanta this year, signing minor league deals with the Braves and getting called up to the roster for a day or two before being designated for assignment, electing free agency, and re-signing with Atlanta on a fresh minor league deal. It seems to be a situation both sides are comfortable with, and it’s fairly easy to see why. Chavez has spent more time with the Braves than any other organization in his 18-year MLB career, and he’s had great success with a 3.13 ERA in 224 1/3 innings of work during his time in Atlanta.

Now in his early forties, it’s hard to imagine Chavez being quite as dominant as he was for Atlanta earlier in his mid-thirties. With that being said, he’s remained excellent at Triple-A this year with a 2.05 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work. It’s certainly possible he still has something left in the tank and can be successful in the majors. With that being said, it could be difficult for Chavez to hold onto a roster spot over the longer term given how dominant the few optionable relievers like Dylan Lee and Daysbel Hernandez have been this season.

Making room for Chavez on the active roster is Dodd, who made his big league debut as a starter back in 2023. He struggled mightily in that role across seven starts, but has reconfigured himself into a reliever this season to solid results. In the majors, Dodd sports a 3.75 ERA across 12 innings of work with a 20% strikeout rate against a walk rate of just 4.4%. His work at Triple-A has been less impressive, as he’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 19 appearances at the level, but if Dodd can maintain even league average production his ability to pitch multiple innings and status as a lefty pitcher should make him a very useful depth arm for the Atlanta bullpen going forward.

As for Schwellenbach, the news of his placement on the 60-day injured list is hardly a surprise. The right-hander was shelved with an elbow fracture this past week. Now that he’s been transferred, Schwellenbach is officially ineligible to return until August 31, though that’s very unlikely to be a meaningful obstacle given that even the most optimistic expectations have him returning at some point in September. The righty has been a phenomenal asset for the Braves since he was promoted to the majors last year, with a 3.23 ERA and 3.25 FIP in 38 career starts.

Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Right-hander Clarke Schmidt has a tear in his UCL and will probably undergo Tommy John surgery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Joel Sherman of the New York Post).  Schmidt will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and will miss perhaps all of the 2026 season, given the usual 13-15 month recovery timeline for TJ procedures.

It is a worst-case scenario for Schmidt, who went on the 15-day IL yesterday with what was described as forearm tightness.  Schmidt told reporters that he had been dealing with the issue for a month, which perhaps makes his recent performances all the more impressive.  The righty carried a streak of 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in June but ran into trouble in his last two starts, when Schmidt allowed seven earned runs over nine combined innings against the Athletics and Blue Jays.  In that latter outing against Toronto on Thursday, Schmidt was pulled after just three innings of work.

Rotator cuff tendonitis kept Schmidt from making his 2025 debut until April 16, but he’ll now wrap up his season with a 3.32 ERA over 78 2/3 innings.  Though his strikeout and walk rates were nothing special, Schmidt did a very good job of limiting hard contact, and benefited from a .232 BABIP.  That batted ball luck is reflected in Schmidt’s 4.24 ERA, but the 29-year-old did well to help stabilize a Yankees rotation that was already dealing with a number of injury issues.

Unfortunately, Schmidt now joins ace Gerrit Cole and reliever Jake Cousins as Yankee pitchers who have undergone a Tommy John procedure this season.  In the bigger picture, this is the second TJ surgery for Schmidt, who also went under the knife in 2017 when he was still a college pitcher at South Carolina.  He also missed a big chunk of the 2021 season due to an elbow strain, and missed about half of last season due to a lat strain.

Since this is Schmidt’s second Tommy John surgery, chances are that his rehab process will sit on the longer end of the usual timeframe.  This means Schmidt might only be available for the very end of the 2026 season, and it is probably more likely that he isn’t back until Opening Day 2027.  Schmidt is arbitration-controlled through the 2027 season, so the Yankees might consider a non-tender this winter and then look to re-sign the righty to a two-year deal with most of the salary pushed into 2027 when Schmidt is healthy.

In the shorter term, the Yankees now have to figure out how to address Schmidt’s rotation spot.  Ryan Yarbrough (oblique strain) and Luis Gil (lat strain) should both be back after the All-Star break, with Gil set to make his 2025 debut after his own long-term injury absence.  Between Gil and swingman Yarbrough joining Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Will Warren, that might be enough depth at the big league level for New York to remain comfortable with the rotation, plus Allan Winans and prospect Cam Schlittler are available at Triple-A.

There’s also the upcoming trade deadline as a possible avenue for rotation help, if the club decides some upgrades are necessary.  The Yankees have some time to see how Gil and Yarbrough fare in their recoveries before deciding one way or the other, plus rival teams’ asking prices on any available starters are surely still very high here in early July.  It is possible the front office might have felt compelled to add starting pitching even if Schmidt was still active, yet his loss only makes the rotation more of a need for a struggling Yankees team that is only 6-15 in its last 21 games.

Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency

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The Phillies announced this evening that infielder Buddy Kennedy has cleared waivers and has elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.

The 26-year-old was DFA’d by Philadelphia multiple times this season. Kennedy has gotten into just 58 big league games during his career across the Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Phillies organizations but entered the 2025 season with no options remaining after several years of being utilized primarily as optionable infield depth. Kennedy’s .193/.287/.296 slash line across 157 major league plate appearances is hardly spectacular, though he’s an adequate defender at both second and third base with a .283/.380/.441 slash line for his career at Triple-A.

That on-base ability has shown up somewhat in the majors given his 10.8% walk rate, and his 24.2% strikeout rate is hardly out of line with what’s to be expected in the league’s current environment. Kennedy’s biggest flaw as a hitter is that he’s hit for previous little power in the majors, and even at Triple-A he’s never slugged more than 13 homers in a season. That lack of power has held him back from getting an extended big league opportunity to this point, but perhaps now that he’s elected free agency and can be signed by any club on a low-risk minor league deal he’ll be able to find a more robust opportunity on a big league bench somewhere.

Alternatively, players with Kennedy’s substantial success in the minor leagues who haven’t gotten much attention in the majors have often found success trying their hand at playing overseas. Matt Davidson and Guillermo Heredia are two hitters who have found substantial success in the KBO League, and Eric Thames famously made it back to the majors after struggling initially by posting sensational numbers in South Korea. At just 26 years old, Kennedy is certainly young enough to have the opportunity to try his hand at playing in a league overseas and return to affiliated ball if he finds success there.

Giants Place Erik Miller On IL, Select Scott Alexander

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The Giants announced a pair of roster moves this evening after announcing the return of Matt Chapman earlier in the day. The club placed left-hander Erik Miller on the 15-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain and selected the contract of left-hander Scott Alexander to replace him on the active roster. A 40-man roster spot was already open after the club’s DFA of Sergio Alcantara earlier today.

The loss of Miller is a significant one, as he’s served as San Francisco’s primary late-inning lefty this season. The southpaw has been utterly dominant this season with a sterling 1.50 ERA across 36 appearances, though his 17.2% strikeout rate and 3.92 FIP both suggest there’s plenty of good luck baked into that run prevention number. A look under the hood reveals Miller has managed to strand 89.4% of the baserunners he’s allowed this year, has floated a 15.6% walk rate that would raise eyebrows even with a higher strikeout rate, and that he’s managed to go all season without allowing a home run. None of that feels especially sustainable, and the cracks have begun to show in recent weeks as he’s actually walked more batters than he’s struck out over his last 18 appearances.

Despite all those red flags, the run prevention Miller has provided has been undeniable and will be nearly impossible to replace. Tyler Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, and Camilo Doval have formed a solid late-inning nucleus, but now the Giants will turn to Joey Lucchesi and Alexander as their lefty arms in the bullpen. Lucchesi has a 4.50 ERA in six innings of work, though his six strikeouts in that time are somewhat encouraging. As for Alexander, he pitched to a 6.06 ERA with a 7.01 FIP for the Rockies earlier this year but is now back in the Bay Area after spending two seasons with the Giants and one season in Oakland between 2022 and ’24.

He posted a 3.28 ERA and a 3.43 FIP in 117 appearances during that three-year stretch, and if he can unlock anything close to that production for the Giants this year he’ll be worthy replacement for Miller in the bullpen who might even end up with more sustainable peripherals. Alexander’s production is carried primarily by a high ground ball rates. His career rate entering this year stood at 67.4% and it’s never fallen below 60% in a season. That has changed this year, however, as he’s generated grounders on just 53.4% of batted balls. The Giants are surely hoping that pitching half of his games at Coors Field had an impact on his ability to keep the ball on the ground and that he’ll be able to rediscover his worm-burning ways now that he’s part of their relief corps again.

Yankees Sign Jeimer Candelario To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed infielder Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal, as announced by the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (h/t to Conor Foley of YES Network). Yancen Pujols reports that Candelario is expected to report to Triple-A on Monday and that Candelario had multiple offers before he settled on the Yankees.

Candelario, 31, was recently released by the Reds while in the midst of year two of his three-year pact with the organization. It’s not hard to see why Cincinnati pulled the plug, as he has battled injuries all throughout his tenure with the club and hit just .207/.265/.394 across 134 games with the club over the past two seasons. Almost all of that production came in year one of the contract, as Candelario made it into just 22 games this year and hit a paltry .113/.198/.213 in 91 trips to the plate before being designated for assignment.

Despite that lackluster work in recent years, Candelario is not far removed from a four-year run from 2020 to 2023 where he slashed a strong .254/.329/.437 in 465 games for the Tigers, Nationals, and Cubs. That production wound up being good for a wRC+ of 111, and he enjoyed three-win campaigns in both 2021 and ’23. A resurgence to that sort of level would be a godsend for the scuffling Yankees. A recent skid where they’ve lost 16 of their last 22 games has seen them drop from the heavy favorites in the AL East to three games back of the Blue Jays and tied with the Rays in the division.

That consistent stretch of losing has led to plenty of attention on the club’s hole on the infield. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a solid player who can handle either second or third base as necessary, but a supporting cast of DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza to hold down the other position just hasn’t cut it. If Candelario can prove he’s healthy and effective again, it’s not hard to imagine him being an upgrade over the Yankees’ current options to partner with Chisholm. With that being said, trade season is already upon us and some intriguing infielders like Eugenio Suarez, Luis Urias, Ryan McMahon, and Amed Rosario could be available this summer.

Any of those players would be a more reliable addition than Candelario at this point, and it’s not hard to imagine the Yankees feeling as though they can’t afford to roll the dice on a player who hasn’t been healthy and effective in nearly two years now. Still, he’d at the very least represent a more robust depth option for the Yankees than the likes of Nicky Lopez and Andrew Velasquez who were already in the organization on minor league deals.

Giants Activate Matt Chapman, DFA Sergio Alcantara

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves this evening, headlined by the return of third baseman Matt Chapman from the injured list. Infielder Sergio Alcantara was designated for assignment to make room for Chapman on the active roster. Additionally, the Giants optioned right-hander Mason Black to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Tristan Beck.

Chapman, 32, has been sidelined for almost a month by a hand injury that left him with sprains in three fingers and bone bruises on each of those fingers. Prior to that injury the infielder was in the midst of a brilliant season at third base for the Giants with a .243/.360/.452 slash line across 65 games. The loss of Chapman’s bat from the lineup hurt for San Francisco, as they went on to lose 14 of the 23 games they played while he was injured. That’s left them buried in an NL West race that was quite close just a month ago while also putting them on the outside looking in when it comes to the NL Wild Card race. Fortunately, the return of Chapman to the lineup should be a huge boost to a Giants club that has not yet had the opportunity to bat him and Rafael Devers alongside each other in the same lineup.

Making room for Chapman on the roster is Alcantara, who made it into just one game with the Giants. He was selected to the roster just a couple of days ago to provide cover while Chapman, Casey Schmitt, and Christian Koss were all on the shelf while Tyler Fitzgerald battled a minor back issue. Though he went hitless during his lone game with the Giants, Alcantara’s value has never stemmed from his bat. He’s hitting just .206/.319/.252 even in the heightened offensive environment of Triple-A’s Pacific Coast League this year, and sports a career 70 wRC+ during his major league career. Despite that weak offensive production, the 28-year-old has gotten 193 games in the majors with the Tigers, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants thanks to his slick work with the glove and any ability to cover needs anywhere on the infield. The Giants will have one week to either trade Alcantara or pass him through waivers, where he would have the choice to either accept an outright assignment or elect free agency if he goes unclaimed.

As for Black, he too made just one appearance in the majors with the Giants this year, throwing four innings of relief yesterday where he surrendered five runs (three earned) while striking out five in and walking none in a 11-2 loss to the Athletics. He’ll head back to Triple-A, where he has a 4.75 ERA in 15 appearances this year, as a depth option for the rotation or potential long man for the bullpen as needed. Returning to the bullpen in his place is Beck, who has generally impressed over the years with a 3.66 ERA and 4.16 FIP in 113 career MLB innings. His work this season has been less impressive, though it’s come in a sample of just 12 innings across six appearances.

Nationals Reinstate Mason Thompson From 60-Day IL

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The Nationals announced this afternoon that they’ve activated right-hander Mason Thompson from the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Zach Brzykcy was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Thompson on the active roster, while right-hander Derek Law was transferred to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Thompson.

Thompson, 27, last pitched in the majors back in 2023. A third-round pick by the Padres back in 2016, he made his big league debut in San Diego during the 2021 season but made just four appearances with the team before being traded to the Nationals in exchange for veteran righty Daniel Hudson at the 2021 trade deadline. Since then, he’s pitched parts of three seasons in a Nationals uniform. He’s generally been a league average reliever during his time with Washington, posting a 4.57 ERA (91 ERA+) with a 4.43 FIP in his 100 1/3 innings of work for the club.

The righty was at his best in 2022, when he posted a sterling 2.92 ERA in 24 2/3 innings of work. With that being said, that dominant performance came across a sample of just 24 2/3 innings of work and saw him post a strikeout rate of just 14.9%. 2023 saw his strikeout rate creep back up to 18.3%, but his ground ball rate dropped from 53.3% to 50.6% as his ERA ballooned up to 5.50. He figured to once again be part of the Nationals bullpen mix last year despite those lackluster numbers, but he underwent Tommy John surgery last March and has been sidelined ever since. He began rehabbing in mid-June and was promoted to Triple-A earlier this week, where he made two scoreless appearances before rejoining the Nats.

Kyle Finnegan is locked in as the club’s closer, but the team has few other solid bullpen options and a strong performance from Thompson could allow him to work his way into the club’s late-inning mix going forward. Departing the roster to make room for Thompson is Brzykcy, who made his MLB debut last year and has a 7.40 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work this year. He’ll remain as optionable depth at Triple-A for the Nats going forward. As for Law, the right-hander has been sidelined all season due to forearm inflammation. Things may have taken a turn for the worse recently, however, as MASN’s Mark Zuckerman writes that Law has been dogged by frequent setbacks throughout his rehab and is headed for an MRI exam to make sure the injury hasn’t worsened since he was initially placed on the shelf. Even if the MRI doesn’t reveal structural damage, Zuckerman writes that Law could still be sidelined for quite some time due to the issue.

Bobby Jenks Passes Away

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Two-time All-Star and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks passed away yesterday, per an announcement from the White Sox. Chicago also released a tribute video alongside the announcement. Jenks passed after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was just 44 years old.

Jenks was a fifth-round pick by the Angels in the 2000 draft but was designated for assignment by the Halos before he even made it to the big leagues. He was claimed off the waiver wire by the White Sox and joined the big league bullpen in July of 2005. He scuffled a bit early on, with four runs allowed across his first five appearances in the big leagues, but settled in not long after that and notched his first career save on August 25 when he closed out a ten-inning game against the Twins.

He continued in a late-inning role for those White Sox down the stretch, and finished the regular season with a 2.75 ERA, six saves, and a 29.8% strikeout rate. Jenks’s dominance carried over into the postseason with a 2.25 ERA, four saves, and eight strikeouts in eight playoff innings. The right-hander was on the mound to finish off the club’s four-game sweep of the Astros in the Fall Classic, closing out a 1-0 victory by inducing a groundout from Orlando Palmeiro to emerge from his rookie season as a World Series champion.

He followed up that performance in his first season by pitching his way into an All-Star berth in both 2006 and 2007. He fully settled into the White Sox closer role by that point, with 81 saves across those two campaigns. That dominant 2007 season in particular saw him retire 41 consecutive batters, which was good for an MLB record at the time. By the end of the 2008 campaign, Jenks had a career 3.21 ERA with a 3.27 FIP with 146 saves collected over his time with the Sox. His numbers took a nosedive in 2009, however, as he surrendered a 4.44 ERA in 52 2/3 innings of work. Underlying analytics suggest that Jenks had pitched better than that ERA would suggest given his 2.59 FIP and 26.4% strikeout rate that year, but that wasn’t enough to stop the White Sox from deciding to part ways with him after the season.

Jenks went on to sign with the Red Sox on a two-year, $12MM contract not long after that, but the deal proved to be ill-fated. He struggled with injuries throughout the 2011 season, and posted a 6.32 ERA across the 19 appearances he was healthy enough to get on the mound for. The injuries worsened, and an MRI eventually revealed bone spurs on his spine. He underwent surgery on his back in December of 2011, but complications from that surgery arose after his surgeon left a serrated edge in his back. The effects of that mistake left Jenks bedridden and he ultimately was released by the Red Sox in June of 2012 and retired from baseball at just 31 years old.

Jenks retired from baseball with a career 3.53 ERA, 351 strikeouts, and 173 saves despite having his career cut short after just seven seasons. He returned to baseball as a coach in 2021, serving as pitching coach for the independent Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies that year. He was promoted to manager for 2022 and later served as a coach in the Appalachian League and a manager in the Frontier League, though a cancer diagnosis he announced in February of 2025 forced him to bring his coaching career to a close.

In the wake of today’s news, former teammate A.J. Pierzynski remembered Jenks in a post on social media, while longtime MLB.com White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin shared a conversation he had with Jenks back in February, shortly after his diagnosis. We at MLB Trade Rumors join them and the rest of the baseball world in extending our condolences to Jenks’s family, friends, loved ones, and all of those whose lives he touched during his time in the game.

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