RSS Phillies Team Notes

Phillies Recall David Robertson

The Phillies announced today that they have recalled right-handed reliever David Robertson for his 2025 debut. In a corresponding move, fellow righty Alan Rangel was optioned to Triple-A. If Robertson appears in today’s game, he’ll be facing his team from last season, the Rangers.

Robertson, who turned 40 in April, is gearing up for his 17th MLB season (and his third with the Phillies). Aside from an injury-plagued rough patch from 2019-21, he has been one of the best relievers in the league since his breakout season with the Yankees in 2009. In 876 2/3 career innings, he owns a 66-46 record, 177 saves, and a sub-3.00 ERA. Just over 200 of those frames came in the past three years (2022-24), when Robertson pitched to a 2.82 ERA with a strikeout rate over 30%. He ranked among the top 10 relievers in innings pitched and Win Probability Added (WPA).

So, it was more than a little surprising that Robertson, no. 47 on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, failed to secure a contract this past offseason. It wasn’t until mid-July that he signed with the Phillies on a prorated one-year, $16MM deal that will ultimately pay him about $6MM in 2025. While $6MM is well below the $11MM salary MLBTR predicted for Robertson on a one-year deal and the $10MM salary Robertson was reportedly seeking in the offseason, the $16MM value of his contract technically makes him one of the highest-paid relievers in the game this year.

There is little question that Robertson’s advanced age is what gave potential suitors pause during the offseason. The question now is if their resistance to sign him becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The veteran showed last season that he was still one of the game’s elite relievers at 39 years old. However, he’s now trying to get back to that level after missing spring training and the first four-plus months of the year. If his shaky performance during his handful of Triple-A outings is any indication, he could be in for a rough adjustment period in the majors. With only seven weeks left to play before October, that adjustment period could end up being most of his season.

The Phillies will hope Robertson can pick up right where he left off last year. Their bullpen has done well as of late, but on the year, it hasn’t been the strength it was in 2023 or ’24. Offseason signing Jordan Romano has not been able to rediscover his All-Star form from 2020-23, while long-tenured fireballer José Alvarado has missed much of the season on a PED suspension. He’ll be back soon but won’t be eligible to pitch in the playoffs. The addition of Jhoan Duran is already helping – he has three saves in three perfect appearances – but the Phillies could certainly use another high-leverage arm to join Duran, Orion Kerkering, and Matt Strahm as the club looks to go on a deep postseason run.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-recall-david-robertson.html
 
Twins Deadline Notes: Phillies, Duran, Jax, Paddack, Reds

It wasn’t really a shock that the Twins became deadline sellers, as the club’s downturn in June and July pretty much closed the door on Minnesota’s chances of contending. However, the sheer scope of the Twins’ selloff was eye-opening, as the club swung nine different trades within four days of the July 31 deadline and sent 11 different players to eight separate clubs. Several behind-the-scenes details about the trades the Twins both did and didn’t make have filtered out since July 31, and Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Minnesota Star Tribune adds a few more notes about the front office approached this pivotal four-day period.

Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax were both pursued by several teams, though “the Dodgers didn’t show much interest in” either reliever, Nightengale writes. This runs somewhat contrary to a pre-deadline report that linked Los Angeles to the duo, though it could be that the Dodgers simply weren’t interested in paying what ended up being a high price tag for either pitcher. Though the Dodgers were known to be considering pretty much every reliever on the market, the reigning World Series champs’ biggest bullpen splash ended up being another Twin in Brock Stewart. Though Stewart is arbitration-eligible through 2027, his “trade value was more commensurate with a rental reliever because of his injury history,” according to Nightengale, which is why Minnesota obtained outfielder James Outman (something of a spare part in L.A.) rather than prospects.

The Twins wanted two top-100 prospects for Duran, an asking price commensurate with the closer’s quality and the fact that he is arb-controlled through 2027. It was a big enough ask to dissuade the Mariners, who “were deep into talks with the Twins” and may have been the runners-up in the Duran talks. The Phillies refused to give up Andrew Painter for Duran or anyone, and ended up landing Duran for catching prospect Eduardo Tait and young starter Mick Abel.

Technically, this trade package didn’t meet Minnesota’s ask, since Abel was no longer part of top-100 rankings heading into the 2025 season. Still, Abel has been a regular on such rankings for the previous four years, was selected 15th overall by the Phils in the 2020 draft, and is a big league-ready starter after making his MLB debut this season.

Tait and Leo De Vries (acquired by the A’s from the Padres in the Mason Miller blockbuster) were the only consensus top-100 prospects who changed teams at this year’s deadline, speaking to the high value that clubs place on these top prospects. Nightengale writes that Minnesota felt Tait “had the highest upside” of any of the players that the Mariners offered for Duran, and preferred Tait to another top Phillies prospect in shortstop Aidan Miller. This would seem to imply that Philadelphia was also willing to include Miller as the top prospect in the package, which tracks with past reports indicating that Painter and perhaps Justin Crawford were the only real untouchables within the Phils’ minor league system.

Duran was dealt on July 30 and the Twins then swung another trade with the Phillies the next day, moving Harrison Bader for two lower-level prospects (outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria). The Twins and Phillies had previously talked about combining Duran and Bader into a single deal, but Nightengale writes that Minnesota wanted to move Duran separately.

This left Bader as one of the seven trades Minnesota swung on the July 31 deadline day itself, including the deal that sent Jax to the Rays for Taj Bradley. Since Jax is also arb-controlled through 2027, the Twins initially wanted a prospect package “similar to the one they received in the Duran deal.” This could explain why “Jax’s market didn’t pick up until the last day,” Nightengale notes, and perhaps why teams like the Dodgers were balking. Rather than getting a prospect back for Jax, the Twins instead got an experienced MLB starter who is controlled through 2029, and as the club is betting that Bradley has a higher ceiling of performance.

Minnesota’s trading flurry began when Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak were sent to the Tigers on July 28 in exchange for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez. Paddack was known to be receiving interest from the Rays and Yankees, and Nightengale adds that the Reds were another club at least exploring the right-hander’s market. With Paddack off the board, Cincinnati pivoted to land another rental starter in Zack Littell as part of a three-team trade involving the Rays and Dodgers.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/twins-deadline-notes-phillies-duran-jax-paddack-reds.html
 
Phillies Re-Sign Óscar Mercado To Minor League Deal

Outfielder Óscar Mercado is back with the Phillies. He opted out of a minor league deal with the Phils just over a week ago but his transactions tracker at MLB.com indicates he has re-signed with the club on a new minor league deal.

Mercado signed the deal he recently opted out of back in February. Before opting out, he got into 92 Triple-A games and stepped to the plate 378 times. His 14.6% walk rate was better than his 13.8% strikeout rate. That led to a .252/.373/.385 batting line and 107 wRC+. He also stole 35 bases while playing all three outfield spots.

That performance was solid but not enough to get called up to Philadelphia. The club has had an outfield rotation of Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler for most of the year, with others chipping in on occasion. They added Harrison Bader into the mix at the deadline and also have prospect Justin Crawford knocking on the door.

The path to a big league job isn’t great. Mercado took a few days to look around for other offers but has decided to return to the Phillies. He’ll provide them with some non-roster depth but it could take a few injuries for his services to be required in the majors.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-re-sign-oscar-mercado-to-minor-league-deal.html
 
Phillies Notes: Duran, Bohm, Nola

It seems like Jhoan Duran and the Phillies have dodged a major bullet after the closer had to be carted off the field during Friday’s game. Duran was hit on the right ankle by a Paul DeJong comebacker in the ninth inning of yesterday’s 6-2 win over the Nationals, leaving the reliever in some obvious discomfort as he briefly tried to walk off the pain. The cart was summoned as a precautionary measure, and Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote last night that Duran was able to freely walk through the clubhouse en route to the trainer’s room.

The Phillies revealed that Duran’s x-rays were negative, and the closer himself delivered another positive update to Lauber today, saying he felt “100 percent.” Lauber noted that Duran wasn’t even walking with a limp. It doesn’t seem like an IL stint will be required, and the right-hander may not need more than a day or two (if that) before he’s able to get back onto the mound.

Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, Duran came at a high price, as the Phillies had to give up big league-ready starter Mick Abel and top catching prospect Eduardo Tait. The Phils felt the cost was worth it to land a controllable (though 2027) closer, and the early returns have been stellar — Duran is a perfect 4-for-4 in save chances since joining the Phillies, and he has allowed only two hits over four scoreless innings of work. For the 2025 season as a whole, Duran has a 1.86 ERA, 25.5% strikeout rate, and 8.2% walk rate across 53 1/3 combined innings with Minnesota and Philadelphia.

If Duran has indeed avoided the injury bug, it sets the stage for (knock on wood) a healthy weekend for the Phillies as two prominent players are set to be activated from the injured list on Sunday. Manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that Aaron Nola would be return from the 60-day IL to start Sunday’s game, and the skipper told The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes and other reporters today that Alec Bohm would also be activated from the 10-day IL to face Washington tomorrow.

Bohm has missed four weeks dealing with a fractured left rib. The injury was suffered a week prior to Bohm’s IL placement when he was hit by a pitch, and after using the All-Star break to try and heal up, Bohm reaggravated his rib problem in the first game of the second half. He started a Triple-A rehab assignment last Sunday, and served as both a third baseman and DH over five games with Lehigh Valley.

Bohm has a 98 wRC+ and a modest .278/.324/.391 slash line over 383 plate appearances in 2025, as he is still trying to fully shake off a brutal start to his season. After posting a .513 OPS in his first 126 PA, Bohm hit a much more palatable .309/.362/.455 over his next 257 PA before hitting the injured list. He’ll return to his usual third base position for the Phillies, which should push Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp back to their utility roles.

Nola will be making his first start in over three months, as he was initially sidelined by a sprained ankle back in mid-May. However, it was revealed in June that Nola was also dealing with a stress reaction in his right rib cage, which soon led to a move to the 60-day IL. This was only Nola’s third IL stint of the last nine seasons, and his prior two IL stints lasted only around seven weeks combined, speaking to Nola’s durability.

Trying to pitch through his ankle injury proved problematic for Nola, who allowed 13 earned runs over his last 8 2/3 innings and two starts before he succumbed to the injured list. This boosted his ERA up to 6.16 over 49 2/3 frames, and the hope is that the long layoff can allow Nola to look more like his old self down the stretch run.

The right-hander’s return also has a larger impact on the Phillies’ rotation as a whole. Thomson said the team will operate with a six-man rotation for at least one week, as the rest of the pitching staff (Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, and Taijuan Walker) has pitched so well that nobody deserves a demotion to the bullpen. While someone will have to be moved to relief work eventually, the Phillies will try to get creative in keeping their starters’ arms fresh for the playoffs, whether that means extra rest, skipped starts, or using two starters at once in a piggyback fashion.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-notes-duran-bohm-nola.html
 
Phillies Release Cal Stevenson, Activate Aaron Nola

The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve released center fielder Cal Stevenson. It had not been previously reported that Stevenson was placed on waivers, but he evidently must have cleared waivers will now head into free agency. Stevenson could not be outrighted to the minor leagues after being placed on the minor league injured list earlier this week.

Stevenson’s departure from the 40-man roster makes room for Aaron Nola’s return from the 60-day injured list. Nola will take the active roster spot of Zack Wheeler, who was placed on the injured list with a blood clot yesterday. In addition, the Phillies announced that third baseman Alec Bohm has been activated from the 10-day injured list. Bohm will take the roster spot of utility man Otto Kemp, who has been optioned to Triple-A. Both Bohm and Nola’s returns to action were previously reported last week.

Stevenson, 29 next month, was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2018. He’s played in parts of four MLB seasons but has yet to establish himself as more than a depth option. He made his big league debut in Oakland back in 2022 and moved on to San Francisco for the 2023 campaign before spending each of the past two seasons with the Phillies. In Philadelphia, Stevenson has appeared in just 23 games and been used primarily as a bench piece when on the roster. At the plate, he’s gone 8-for-32 with three walks, six strikeouts, and three doubles between the past two seasons. A career .178/.276/.238 hitter in 118 big league plate appearances, Stevenson has spent most of this season playing for Triple-A LeHigh Valley with middling offensive numbers.

Now that he’s a free agent, he’ll have the opportunity to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs or perhaps look at opportunities outside of affiliated ball. The specifics of Stevenson’s injury aren’t known, and if it’s a significant one it’s possible he’ll go unsigned over the final weeks of the season before looking to find a new club for the 2026 campaign. A skilled defensive center fielder with 22 steals in the minors this year, he should garner at least some interest as a depth option for teams in need of center field help.

As for Nola and Bohm, both have been out of commission for quite some time. Bohm missed about a month due to due a fractured rib, and while his 98 wRC+ doesn’t look like much it’s worth noting he was hitting a far more robust .299/.360/.410 in his final 150 plate appearances before heading to the injured list. Nola, meanwhile, last pitched in May due to an ankle injury and a stress reaction in his rib cage. His nine starts prior to hitting the injured list weren’t pretty, as he allowed a 6.16 ERA with a 5.05 FIP in 49 2/3 innings of work. Some of that is due to a 3 2/3 inning, nine-run blowup immediately before his placement on the IL, but he allowed four or more earned runs in five of his nine starts prior to the injury. A healthy and effective return from both players would do a lot to help the Phillies get ready for the postseason, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding Wheeler’s availability going forward.

As for Kemp, the utility man made his big league debut with the Phillies earlier this year and has gotten into 46 games so far while splitting time between the infield corners and left field. He’s slashed just .228/.298/.359 in 161 plate appearance, but his versatility and decent numbers (.740 OPS) against left-handed pitching make him a solid depth option for the club to have at Triple-A going forward.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-release-cal-stevenson-activate-aaron-nola.html
 
Phillies Recall Nolan Hoffman For MLB Debut

The Phillies announced that right-hander Max Lazar has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Fellow righty Nolan Hoffman has been recalled to take his roster spot. Hoffman will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Hoffman, 28, was acquired from the Rangers in mid-June. The Phils sent cash to Texas to get him. The Phillies added Hoffman to their 40-man roster but optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It’s likely that Hoffman had some kind of opt-out or upward mobility clause in his deal with the Rangers. The Phils were willing to give him a 40-man spot but didn’t call him up to the active roster until today.

Since coming over in that trade, the submariner has been posting decent numbers. He often gets strikeouts and grounders but also gives out walks, which has been the case since joining the Phils. In 19 Triple-A innings since the trade, he has a 3.32 earned run average. His 31.8% strikeout rate and 51.1% ground ball are strong but he’s also given out free passes to 12.9% of batters faced. Last year, he was in the Orioles’ system and tossed 58 Triple-A innings with a 3.88 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 52% grounder rate and 13.6% walk rate.

It’s possible that Hoffman will be quickly optioned back to the IronPigs. As noted by Paul Casella of MLB.com, lefty José Alvarado will be able to return from his 80-game PED suspension tomorrow. Perhaps that means Hoffman is just up to provide a fresh arm for tonight’s game.

The Phils used five relievers last night. One of them was Lazar, who pitched two nights in a row. It’s possible that Lazar was going to be the corresponding move for Alvarado tomorrow, but since he tossed a combined 40 pitches over the past two games and might have needed a night off anyway, he’s been sent out today. Time will tell if it’s actually just a one-day stint for Hoffman or not. Either way, he’s up in the show for the first time. The Phils will also need to open a 40-man roster spot for Alvarado’s activation.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-recall-nolan-hoffman-for-mlb-debut.html
 
Phillies Place Zack Wheeler On Injured List With Blood Clot

August 18: The Phils announced today that Wheeler “underwent a successful thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity this morning by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Further treatment and a subsequent timeline of recovery for Wheeler is to be determined.”

August 16: The Phillies announced that Zack Wheeler has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right upper extremity blood clot. According to Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, the clot is near his throwing shoulder. The team has not announced a timetable for his return.

Philadelphia will activate Aaron Nola from the 60-day IL tomorrow. He’s listed as the probable starter for their series finale in Washington. They initially intended to go with a six-man rotation. Instead, Nola will take Wheeler’s spot in a five-man staff that also includes Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker. They’ll still need to open a 40-man roster spot for Nola and make an active roster transaction to clear space for Alec Bohm, who is expected back from a 10-day IL stint tomorrow.

The immediate roster considerations take a back seat to concern about Wheeler’s future. The Phils should be able to withstand a short-term absence, at least with regard to the division. They’ve built a five-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. Their hold on the #2 seed in the National League and the associated first-round bye is tenuous. They’re only half a game up on the Dodgers and Padres, who enter play Saturday night tied for the NL West lead. (San Diego and L.A. are playing one another, so one of them will tie Philly this evening.) The scorching hot Brewers have pulled well ahead of the pack for the NL’s top seed.

If this requires a longer-term absence, it’d obviously be a massive blow. Wheeler remains on the short list for the title of MLB’s best pitcher. He has a 2.71 earned run average and leads the majors with 195 strikeouts. He’s averaging more than six innings per start. This will probably be Wheeler’s second consecutive sub-3.00 ERA showing and his fifth time allowing fewer than three earned runs per nine over his six seasons in Philadelphia. Wheeler has been exceptionally durable. This is just his second IL stint as a Phillie, with the other being a month-long absence due to forearm tendinitis in 2022.

A healthy Wheeler would be Philadelphia’s Game 1 starter. There’s no indication that the team is concerned about his playoff availability, but a blood clot comes with a level of uncertainty. The Phillies will presumably provide more specifics in the next few days.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...-wheeler-on-injured-list-with-blood-clot.html
 
Vesting Options Update: Giolito, Polanco, Strahm

The upcoming free agent class doesn’t feature a ton of players whose contracts contain vesting options. Marcus Stroman’s deal with the Yankees would’ve contained an $18MM player option had he reached 140 innings, but an early-season knee injury made that impossible. The Yanks released him earlier this month anyhow.

While Stroman’s option was a non-factor, a trio of players are closing in on their own vesting provisions.

  • Lucas Giolito, Red Sox RHP ($14MM club option converts to $19MM mutual option at 140 innings; $1.5MM buyout in either case)

Giolito is up to 106 2/3 innings across 19 starts. He needs another 33 1/3 frames to convert next season’s $14MM team option into a $19MM mutual provision. That’d allow him to decline his end and retest free agency as he heads into his age-31 campaign. He’d very likely do so and could command a three-plus year contract.

The righty’s season numbers aren’t exceptional. Giolito carries a 3.63 earned run average with a 19.6% strikeout percentage that is his lowest since his terrible 2018 campaign. He had a trio of blowups in his first seven appearances after missing all of last season to an internal brace surgery. He has been locked in over the past two-plus months. In his last 12 starts, Giolito carries a 2.34 ERA while averaging over six innings per appearance. His 20.4% strikeout rate still isn’t great, and he has benefitted from a .229 opponents average on balls in play, but he at least looks the part of a durable mid-rotation arm again.

Giolito has a good shot to reach 140 innings. He’d need to average a little under six innings per start over his next six appearances. If he stays healthy, he should take the ball at least seven times — which would give him leeway in case he has one bad outing in which he’s knocked out after two or three frames. Even a minimal injured list stint would take it off the table, though.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said over the weekend that the Sox had no intention of changing Giolito’s workload to keep him from vesting the option. No front office executive would publicly admit otherwise, of course, but there’s no reason to doubt Breslow in this case. The Red Sox are trying to secure a postseason berth. Even if they were out of contention, limiting a player’s workload so they could exercise an option to keep that player at a below-market rate wouldn’t make for an especially good relationship. If he gets to free agency, Giolito could take aim at something like the three-year deals secured by Luis Severino ($67MM with an opt-out after the second season) and Sean Manaea ($75MM with deferrals).

  • Jorge Polanco, Mariners DH/2B ($8MM mutual option converts to $6MM player option at 450 plate appearances, escalates to $8MM player option at 550 plate appearances; $750K buyout in either case)*

Polanco re-signed with Seattle last offseason on a somewhat complicated deal that reflected his health uncertainty coming off left knee surgery. The deal contains an $8MM mutual option which would vest into a $6MM player provision if Polanco reaches 450 plate appearances. Polanco has taken 395 trips to the dish. He’s 55 plate appearances from reaching the vesting mark, and he’d escalate the player option price back to $8MM if he tallies another 155 trips before season’s end.

Initially, the Mariners looked to have struck gold with that surprise re-signing. Polanco blasted nine home runs while hitting .384 through the end of April. Even with knee and side discomfort limiting him to early-season DH work, he looked rejuvenated. Polanco’s production completely tanked over the next two months, however. He had a huge July but is back to a .213/.275/.298 showing in 14 games this month.

Polanco has hit .209/.283/.344 across 315 plate appearances since the beginning of May. His season batting line (.245/.310/.439) is still above-average, but there have been significant peaks and valleys. Cole Young has taken over at second base. While Eugenio Suárez’s impending free agency leaves an opening at third base, Polanco hasn’t shown he’s healthy enough to play there regularly. There’s a good chance the Mariners would buy out their end of the option if it remains a mutual provision. Polanco only needs to start another 13 or 14 games to give himself more security.

That shouldn’t be a problem with 36 games remaining on the schedule. The M’s have sat him in each of their past two games against left-handed opponents, but he continues to play regularly versus righties. He’s highly unlikely to get all the way to 550 PA’s to push the player option to $8MM, but he should easily unlock the $6MM player option that’ll give him the unilateral decision whether to return to free agency.

* The vesting provision also requires that Polanco hasn’t suffered a lower body injury that’d prevent him from being ready for Opening Day 2026.

  • Matt Strahm, Phillies LHP ($5.5MM team option becomes guaranteed at $7.5MM at 60 innings)*

Strahm’s extension with the Phillies contained a $4.5MM club option for the 2026 season. The southpaw has already pushed that to $5.5MM and will escalate it to $6.5MM when he records two more outs. He’s 10 2/3 innings away from hitting the 60-inning threshold, at which point the price jumps to $7.5MM and becomes guaranteed.

In his case, it’s probably immaterial. Even if Strahm suffers a minor injury that keeps him from getting to 60 frames, the Phillies would probably exercise the option. Strahm is having another impressive season, working to a 3.10 ERA with six saves and 14 holds. His velocity has dropped a tick and he has lost a few points on his strikeout rate, but he has still punched out an above-average 27.7% of opponents. Strahm is one of Rob Thomson’s more trusted setup arms.

* The vesting provision also requires that Strahm pass a postseason physical.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/vesting-options-update-giolito-polanco-strahm.html
 
Phillies Designate Josh Walker For Assignment, Activate José Alvarado

The Phillies announced that left-hander José Alvarado has been reinstated from the restricted list. That move was expected as he had served his 80-game PED suspension. To make make room for him, the Phils optioned right-hander Nolan Hoffman to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and designated left-hander Josh Walker for assignment.

Walker, 30, was acquired from the Jays in exchange for cash back in May. He pitched five innings with Toronto but hasn’t appeared in the majors with Philadelphia. Rather, he’s spent his entire time with the Phillies organization in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s logged 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate.

A towering 6’6″ left-hander, Walker has appeared in parts of three big league seasons — two with the Mets and earlier this year with the Jays. He’s pitched only 27 1/3 MLB frames, however, and sports a rocky 6.59 ERA in that limited sample of work. He’s fanned nearly one quarter of his opponents and has a sharp 12.4% swinging-strike rate, but command has been a struggle for him both in the majors and in the upper minors. That said, Walker does have a more palatable 4.46 ERA and 26% strikeout rate in 167 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.

Alvarado has been out since May 16 after receiving an 80-game ban following a positive PED test. His absence subtracted one of the Phillies’ top relief arms, and he’ll return to a new-look bullpen that suddenly looks like a powerhouse. In Alvarado’s absence, the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins and signed free agent David Robertson. That pair, combined with Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks and the returning Alvarado, makes the Phillies’ relief corps both exceptionally deep and dangerous for opposing lineups.

In 20 innings prior to his suspension, Alvarado pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and just a 4.8% walk rate. While he had some struggles last year (4.09 ERA), Alvarado has generally been a high-impact bullpen weapon for skipper Rob Thomson for the past several seasons. Dating back to 2022, he’s pitched 174 major league innings and logged a 3.10 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 50.5% grounder rate.

Despite being on the restricted list, Alvarado was allowed to pitch in a minor league rehab stint as a tune-up to return to the Philadelphia bullpen. He tossed five shutout innings, albeit with as many walks as strikeouts. Alvarado recorded a huge 62.9% ground-ball rate in that time. His average sinker dipped from 99.3 mph to 98 mph, though that’s not exactly a surprise given the lengthy layoff.

While Alvarado will provide a major boost to the Phillies down the stretch, he’ll be a non-factor when the postseason rolls around. Players who are suspended for PED usage are ruled ineligible for the playoffs during the year in which they served their suspension. Thomson will have Alvarado at his disposal for the next six weeks, but in October, it’ll be Duran, Robertson, Strahm, Banks and Kerkering anchoring the bullpen — perhaps alongside one of the current rotation members, depending on the health and performance of the group between now and late September.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-designate-josh-walker-for-assignment.html
 
MLBTR Podcast: The Pohlads Aren’t Selling The Twins, Nathaniel Lowe, And Service Time Manipulation

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 Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…


Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Are there some notable relievers who could be on waivers this month? Also, what happens to a player when he is on waivers? (44:55)
  • If I told you that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker, would you believe me? (52:40)
  • What’s the craziest out-of-nowhere team to make the playoffs and could a team do it this year? (56:35)

Check out our past episodes!


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

Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...aniel-lowe-and-service-time-manipulation.html
 
Orioles Claim Josh Walker

The Orioles have claimed left-hander Josh Walker off waivers from the Phillies, according to announcements from both clubs. The O’s have optioned the southpaw to Triple-A Norfolk. They already had a 40-man vacancy from outrighting outfielder Jordyn Adams a few days ago, so no corresponding move was required. The Phils designated Walker for assignment earlier this week.

Walker, 30, has a limited amount of big league experience. He has thrown a combined 27 1/3 innings over the three most recent seasons. In that time, he has a 6.59 earned run average, which is obviously not strong. His 10.9% walk rate is also a bit high. However, his 24.2% strikeout rate is a good figure. His ERA has seemingly been inflated by a .380 batting average on balls in play and 59.4% strand rate. His 3.99 FIP and 2.70 SIERA paint a more optimistic portrait.

Ultimately, it’s a small sample of work and the O’s are probably putting more stock in his minor league numbers. From 2022 to the present, Walker has thrown 125 innings on the farm with a 3.96 ERA. His 12% walk rate is a bit high but his 30.6% strikeout rate is very intriguing.

For the O’s, they are playing out the string on a lost season, so they are making moves focused on the future. They sold at the deadline and have grabbed a number of players off waivers since then. Walker is in his final option season. That means he can be kept in the minors for the rest of this year but will be out of options going into 2026. He has less than a year of service time, so he is still a ways away from arbitration and even further away from free agency. If he can carve out a role in Baltimore’s bullpen, they can cheaply retain him well into the future. It also wouldn’t a surprise if they try to pass him through waivers at some point in order to keep him as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/orioles-claim-josh-walker.html
 
Zack Wheeler Recommended For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his near his throwing shoulder earlier this week, but the right-hander is now facing another serious health setback. As per a team media release today, Wheeler has been “diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and the recommendation is to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks.” This naturally ends Wheeler’s 2025 season, and he’ll need roughly 6-8 months to recover from the surgery, according to the Phillies’ projected timeline.

The brutal news adds to a tumultuous week for Wheeler, as it was just seven days ago that he was placed on the 15-day IL due to the blood clot. The successful surgery on Monday at least alleviated the most serious health concerns and put the focus back on when Wheeler might be able to return to pitching, even if getting back to the mound in 2025 seemed unlikely. Details were kept relatively scarce about Wheeler’s status, yet speculation about thoracic outlet syndrome was raised just due to the co-relation between blood clots and the venous version of TOS.

Merrill Kelly is the best-known example of a pitcher who underwent a venous TOS procedure, and Kelly is also the best-case scenario for what Wheeler can hope to achieve in the aftermath of his upcoming surgery. Kelly underwent his surgery in September 2020, was ready to go for the start of the 2021 season, and essentially didn’t miss a beat in the aftermath as the right-hander continued to post solid numbers for the Diamondbacks and Rangers from 2021-25.

This return to form was helped by the fact that a venous or vascular TOS surgery (related to blood clots) is the slightly less serious version of thoracic outlet syndrome, at least in regards to pitching. Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post wrote a piece a little over two years ago detailing some differences between venous TOS and neurogenic TOS — the latter is the nerve-related version that essentially ended Stephen Strasburg’s career.

“If you had to pick, you’re not really sure which one you’d rather have [between venous and neurogenic TOS],” Kelly told Dougherty. “The blood clot was not fun. They are life-threatening. But for pitchers, TOS surgery to address a blood clot is much more straightforward than nerve issues. The diagnosis is more straightforward. The recovery is more straightforward. I was lucky in that way.”

This provides a bit of a silver lining to Wheeler’s situation, though naturally every person’s body responds to surgery in different ways. Only time will tell if Wheeler’s recovery can be as thorough as Kelly’s, or if Wheeler’s rehab period will extend into the 2026 season.

Losing Wheeler for 2025, of course, is bad enough for a Phillies team that has designs on winning the World Series. Wheeler was in the midst of another excellent season, posting a 2.71 ERA and elite secondary metrics across the board over 24 starts and 149 2/3 innings. Even in his age-35 season, the righty was continuing to add to a resume that will garner some attention from Cooperstown voters when he eventually retires. Since the start of the 2018 season, Wheeler leads all pitchers in fWAR (37.5) and has a 3.11 ERA over 1356 2/3 innings with the Mets and Phillies.

Wheeler has been the anchor of Philadelphia’s rotation since signing a five-year, $118MM free agent deal prior to the 2020 season, and then a three-year, $126MM extension for 2025-27 that was inked in March 2024. While losing Wheeler is a major blow, the Phils at least have a deeper rotation than most, and can still roll out Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker as the starting five. There’s extra pressure on the staff now that Wheeler is unavailable, and his sterling 2.18 career postseason ERA will be missed as the Phils try to capture that elusive championship ring.

Looking ahead to 2026, Suarez is a free agent this winter but the other four pitchers will return, plus top prospect Andrew Painter is expected to be ready for his first full Major League season. This gives the Phillies some cover if Wheeler’s recovery does stretch beyond Opening Day, yet adding a depth arm might now be part of Philadelphia’s offseason plans based on Wheeler’s progress.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...ded-for-thoracic-outlet-syndrome-surgery.html
 
Phillies Release Joe Ross, Place Jordan Romano On Injured List

The Phillies announced that they have recalled right-hander Daniel Robert and selected the contract of fellow righty Lou Trivino. In corresponding moves, righty Joe Ross has been released and Jordan Romano has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right middle finger inflammation. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported many of these details prior to the official announcement.

The Phils signed Ross to a one-year, $4MM deal in the offseason. He had missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to injuries but had bounced back with a solid 2024 campaign. He tossed 74 innings for the Brewers as a swingman with a 3.77 earned run average.

He has been in the Philadelphia bullpen all year, apart from a brief IL stint due to back spasms, often providing the club with more than a single frame. On the whole, he has thrown 51 innings over 37 appearances with a 5.12 ERA. His 7.9% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate are decent figures but his 17.1% strikeout rate has been subpar.

The length provided by Ross has occasionally been useful in sparing the rest of the bullpen from greater wear and tear but that should be less of a concern going forward. On September 1st, rosters expand from 26 to 28, which will allow teams to carry 14 pitchers instead of the usual maximum of 13.

By cutting Ross today, the Phils are giving him a chance to land somewhere else. Given his salary and unimpressive results this year, he will likely clear waivers, if he hasn’t already. That will leave the Phils on the hook for the majority of what is still to be paid out. Any other club could sign Ross and would only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. If he signs somewhere else before September 1st, even on a minor league deal, he would be postseason eligible with that club.

Romano was also signed to a one-year deal this offseason, his coming with an $8.5MM guarantee. His results have been far worse than Ross’s, as he has an 8.23 ERA in 42 2/3 innings. That has many Philly fans clamoring for him to be cut but there’s more reason for optimism under the hood with Romano, despite the awful ERA.

His 25.1% strikeout rate this year isn’t as good as his previous benchmark but is still above average, while his 9.1% walk rate is near par. He’s been undercut by an extremely unfortunate 49% strand rate. ERA estimators such as his 3.62 SIERA suggest he has deserved far better than his ERA. Perhaps he will get a chance to course correct, depending on how long this finger issue lasts.

As part of these moves, Trivino gets back to the big leagues. He was released by the Dodgers about a month ago and then landed a minor league deal with the Phils. Since then, he has tossed seven scoreless Triple-A innings.

His big league work hasn’t been amazing this year. Between the Giants and Dodgers, he has thrown 38 2/3 innings with a 4.42 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 35.6% ground ball rate. His larger body of work is better but he missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to injury and hasn’t fully bounced back. He came into this year with a 3.86 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 47.4% ground ball rate in 284 2/3 career innings.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-to-release-joe-ross.html
 
Phillies Sign Walker Buehler To Minors Contract

5:07PM: The Phillies have announced the signing, with the added detail that Buehler has inked a minor league contract and will report to Triple-A.

4:45PM: The Phillies have signed right-hander Walker Buehler, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports. The deal will become official once Buehler (who is represented by Excel) passes a physical, and Buehler is eligible for inclusion on a playoff roster because he is joining the Phillies before September 1. Gelb reported Philadelphia’s interest in Buehler earlier today.

It was just two days ago that the Red Sox released Buehler, bringing an early end to their partnership after Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05MM free agent deal last winter. Roughly $3.4MM remains on that contract, but the Sox will remain responsible for most of that money, as the Phils will owe Buehler just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary.

The signing is a flier to see if Buehler can bounce back in Philadelphia after a rough year in Boston. Buehler has struggled to a 5.45 ERA, 16.5% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 112 1/3 innings this season, and opposing batters have taken him yard 22 times. The numbers aren’t far removed from Buehler’s regular-season performance over 75 1/3 innings with the Dodgers in 2024, when Buehler was returning to action after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.

That was the second TJ procedure of Buehler’s career, and given how shaky he has looked in the aftermath, it remains to be seen if the righty can ever return to his past All-Star form. However, Buehler showed some flashes of his old self during the Dodgers’ playoff run in 2024, throwing 10 shutout innings over his last three appearance to help Los Angeles capture the championship. Most notably, Buehler even picked up the save to close out the clinching Game Five.

As Gelb notes, the Phillies are probably viewing Buehler as a bullpen contributor again for the playoffs given how the team already has its postseason rotation set. While losing Zack Wheeler for the season blew a big hole into the Phils’ pitching plans, there’s still plenty of starting options available in Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker. The Phillies were considering a six-man rotation for September when Wheeler was still available, so Buehler could potentially make a start or two just to help ease the innings burden on the other starters, and then slide into a relief role in October.

With a healthy 6.5-game lead over the Mets in the NL East, the Phillies have some breathing room to use September as a bit of a laboratory to figure out their optimal playoff roster. If Buehler’s struggles continue, the Phils could just leave him off a postseason roster entirely, with no cost to the team apart from his minimal salary.

A bigger-picture look at Buehler’s free-agent future should wait until his 2025 season is actually over. Buehler is still just 31 and probably wants to keep trying to re-establish himself as a starter, so he’ll likely sign another one-year deal (worth far less than $21.05MM) with a team in need of rotation help. Should Buehler pitch well as a reliever in Philadelphia, however, it might add an interesting wrinkle to the situation, as exploring a full-time role change would add more interest to Buehler’s market.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phillies-sign-walker-buehler.html
 
Poll: Will Anyone Get To 60 Home Runs This Year?

It’s been a great year for power hitters in MLB, as five different players slugged their 40th home run of the season before the end of August. It’s not often that so many hitters enter September with a realistic shot at the lofty threshold of 60 home runs in a season. It’s a feat that’s only been accomplished nine times, and the combination of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire account for five of those nine 60-homer seasons. Of course, it’s an incredibly rare feat for a reason, and many promising campaigns fall short in the season’s final month. 12 seasons with between 56 and 59 home runs have been logged throughout MLB history, after all.

Will this year’s biggest power threats join that club of also-ran seasons, or will we see the tenth 60-homer season in MLB history come to fruition this year? Here’s a look at each of the top home run hitters from this season and their chances of reaching that illustrious 60-homer plateau, in order of their current home run totals for 2025:

Cal Raleigh

While everyone else on this list hit their 40th homer of the season in August, Raleigh’s 40th home run was actually slugged on July 26. The Mariners’ catcher has had a historic season this year, setting the all-time single season home run record for a catcher while sitting just four behind Mickey Mantle for the all-time single season record for home runs by a switch hitter. With 50 homers tallied so far this year, it’s hard not to see why Raleigh could have a very real shot at hitting 60 home runs this season. He’s hit at least ten homers in three of the season’s five months so far, and has never hit less than eight in a month this year. With that being said, it’s also worth noting that Raleigh has slowed down a bit in the second half of the season. In 40 games since the All-Star break, Raleigh has posted just a 112 wRC+ with 12 home runs. With just 25 games left to play on the Mariners’ schedule, he’ll need to pick up the pace if he’s going to reach 60 homers this year.

Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber is just one homer back of Raleigh in the race for the MLB home run lead after an incredible four-home run performance on August 28. Schwarber has long been one of the game’s premiere power threats and, like Raleigh, has hit at least 10 homers in three of this season’s five months so far. He’ll need to hit 11 in 25 September games in order to reach 60 homers, but one thing working in his favor is that he’s saved most of his power for the second half this year. He’s hit 12 home runs in both July and August, so if he can put up just one more month like the last two, he’ll get there. Of course, a player slugging .655 over his past 52 games also runs the risk of getting pitched around, which could damage Schwarber’s chances of making it to 60. One thing that could work in Schwarber’s favor is his home ballpark, as Statcast considers Citizens Bank Park to be the fifth-most homer friendly stadium in the majors this year.

Shohei Ohtani

With three MVP awards in the past four years, no one should put anything past baseball’s two-way superstar. Ohtani became the first player to go 50-50 last season, and with 54 homers tied with Mantle (and seven other seasons) at 22nd on the single-season home run leaderboard. With 45 home runs headed into September, he has an outside shot at not only breaking that personal record, but getting a coveted 60-homer season. 15 home runs in a single month is a tall order for any player, but Ohtani did exactly that back in May when he crushed 15 long balls in 27 games. The Dodgers have two fewer games than that in September, but Ohtani will benefit from playing his home games at Dodger Stadium, which is far and away the most homer-friendly ballpark in the majors this year per Statcast.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge hit his 43rd home run of the season yesterday, and that makes it a tall order for him to reach 60 homers this season. With that being said, onlookers around the game should know better than to doubt the hulking slugger’s offensive abilities at this point, with MVP wins in two of the last three seasons and a completely absurd 202 wRC+ since the start of the 2022 season. Judge is also, of course, the only active player who’s already a member of the 60 home run club after bashing 62 long balls to take the AL home run record from Roger Maris during his 2022 AL MVP campaign. Judge finished just short with 58 home runs last year, but perhaps this year will be different. In order to reach 60 on the season, Judge will need to make a different kind of history: as noted by Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com last year, the record for home runs hit in September (and October, in seasons where it hosts regular season games) belongs jointly to Albert Belle and Babe Ruth. Judge would need to at least tie that duo’s 17 homers in the final month of the year in order to crack 60 long balls this year.

What do MLBTR readers think? Will the league enjoy a 60-homer campaign for the second time in four years this season? And if so, who is most likely to pull it off? Have your say in the polls below:

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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/poll-will-anyone-get-to-60-home-runs-this-year.html
 
MLBTR Podcast: Aroldis Chapman, And Offseason Possibilities For The Braves, Rangers, Pirates And Marlins

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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…


Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What will the Braves do this winter after claiming Ha-Seong Kim? (10:10)
  • What can the Rangers do this winter? (22:05)
  • What can the Pirates do for left field next year? (31:30)
  • Who will the Marlins make available in trades this offseason or at next year’s deadline? (36:40)

Check out our past episodes!


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

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...r-the-braves-rangers-pirates-and-marlins.html
 
Nick Castellanos Losing Playing Time In Phillies’ Outfield

The Phillies started Max Kepler in right field tonight against Marlins righty Valente Bellozo. That left Nick Castellanos on the bench for the third time in the past four games, all of which came with a right-hander on the mound.

Manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Kepler would pick up increased playing time against righties (link via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic). “At this point in the year, I’m going to put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win a ballgame,” Thomson said. “There’s still a bit of a rotation, if you want to call it that. If you want to call it a platoon, doesn’t matter to me.”

That won’t leave much playing time for the righty-hitting Castellanos. That’s less about handedness and more a reflection of his numbers in the second half. Castellanos carries a .199/.253/.309 batting line since the All-Star Break. He had a sub-.600 OPS in both July and August. Kepler’s season numbers are poor, but he’s been the much better hitter in recent weeks. The lefty batter owns a .267/.318/.483 slash with a dramatically reduced 12.1% strikeout rate since the beginning of August. That doesn’t include tonight’s performance, in which he chipped in another two knocks and a home run.

The Phils haven’t wanted to give Kepler playing time against left-handed pitching all season. He’s hitting .196/.258/.304 without the platoon advantage. Castellanos will continue to get at-bats against southpaws. The outfield against righty pitching will run Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Kepler from left to right. Castellanos obviously isn’t going to take more than a scattered start at DH or first base from Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper. He’ll be relegated to a short-side platoon role barring an injury.

Castellanos is in the fourth season of a five-year deal that pays him $20MM annually. The Phils signed Castellanos and Schwarber within days of one another coming out of the 2022 lockout. The Schwarber contract has been one of the best free agent pickups in recent memory. The Castellanos addition hasn’t worked out nearly as well. He’s been exceptionally durable and racked up counting stats (including a 29-homer season with 106 RBI in 2023). His rate metrics at the plate have been essentially league average, though, and he’s one of the league’s worst defensive outfielders. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have each valued Castellanos around a cumulative one win above replacement over the past four seasons.

Schwarber, Bader and Kepler are each impending free agents. The Phils could turn left field to former first-round pick Justin Crawford in 2026. It’s tough to imagine they’ll roll with Castellanos as an everyday right fielder next season. They’re going to make an effort to bring Schwarber back at designated hitter. It stands to reason they’ll try to find a trade partner willing to assume a small portion of Castellanos’ salary, but his second-half numbers could leave them weighing an offseason release if they don’t find a taker.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...losing-playing-time-in-phillies-outfield.html
 
9 Contract Options To Keep An Eye On In September

The final push of the 2025 season is upon is, which means postseason chases for fans lucky enough to root for contending clubs and offseason dreams for those whose clubs are already out of the running. It also means that players with vesting clauses in their contract and/or performance incentives are beginning to unlock bonuses related to plate appearances, innings pitched, games finished, etc.

In particular, there are a handful of club options that are worth keeping an eye on either for incentive purposes or for season-long rehabbers who’ll have a limited September window to audition for next year’s club. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco already highlighted the three vesting options of note last month, but we’ll still take a look at how those players are tracking and also shine a light on six more club/mutual options that’ll have some present financial ramifications as well as potential 2026 roster implications.

Here are nine options to keep in the back of your mind as the season’s final weeks play out…

Pete Fairbanks, RHP, Rays

Fairbanks’ three-year, $12MM extension with Tampa Bay contained a $7MM club option for the 2026 season, but he’s boosted that option’s value considerably. Fairbanks already triggered $1.5MM in escalators based on his total appearances in the first three seasons of the deal, and he’s maxed out a set of escalators based on his number of games finished in 2025, tacking another $2MM onto the option price. His option at this moment is valued at $10.5MM, but if he appears in even two more games this year, he’ll boost his 2023-25 appearance count to 150, adding another $1MM to its value. If he appears in seven of Tampa Bay’s final 22 games, he’ll bump his 2025 appearance total to 60 and add yet another $1MM escalator onto the deal.

A $12.5MM salary for a reliever is steep for the Rays, but Fairbanks has pitched a career-high 52 1/3 innings and logged a 3.10 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate en route to 24 saves. Even if the Rays were hesitant to commit $11.5MM or $12.5MM to a frequently injured reliever who’ll turn 32 in December, a team with lesser budgetary concerns would be willing to do. The option will very likely be picked up either way, but the steeper the cost, the likelier an offseason trade becomes.

Andrés Muñoz, RHP, Mariners

Muñoz’s four-year, $7.5MM contract has become one of the game’s great bargains. At the time of the agreement, he’d made just one appearance for the M’s and had only 23 2/3 major league innings under his belt due to Tommy John surgery. The four-year term bought out his final pre-arbitration year and all three arbitration seasons, while also giving Seattle options on his first three free agent years. It’s easy to say now that Muñoz would’ve earned more through arbitration, but it’s hard to blame a 22-year-old who’d scarcely pitched in the majors for locking in that life-changing payday, and there was some modest risk for the Mariners in the deal as well.

The first of those three option years has a $6MM base value, but Muñoz has already boosted that by $500K. He unlocked $250K option escalators when he reached 20 and 30 games finished on the season. He’s finished 39 games now, and he’ll hit additional $250K escalators when he finishes his 40th and 45th games of the season. The first of those is a lock, and the second is certainly within reach.

Muñoz’s contract also has an $8MM club option for 2027 and a $10MM club option for 2028. He can boost both those figures by $1MM with the same set of escalators based on his games finished in the next two seasons, and beginning next year, he can also earn an additional $2MM per season based on games finished.

John Means, LHP, Guardians

Coming off his second career Tommy John surgery, Means signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Guardians. Cleveland knew full well he’d miss most of the season recovering from last summer’s UCL operation. Means has a $6MM club option, with no buyout. He can’t boost that sum any further, but he’s on the cusp of returning to the majors and making what’ll amount to a two- or three-start audition.

Means, 32, has made four minor league rehab starts and has pitched well. He’s tossed 13 1/3 innings and yielded four earned runs (2.70 ERA) on eight hits and five walks with 13 punchouts. He’d been slated to make his final rehab start today before being scratched with an illness, but a return to the majors could happen as soon as next weekend.

When healthy, Means has been a high-quality starter. He’s posted a 3.68 ERA in 401 big league innings, all coming with the Orioles. He’s a former Opening Day starter and All-Star for Baltimore who has twice topped 140 innings in a season. A pair of UCL surgeries has limited him to just 52 1/3 innings since Opening Day 2022, however.

The Athletic’s Zack Meisel suggests that as long as Means is healthy, the option will be picked up. The Guards have committed a full year to rehabilitating the talented lefty. And, as explored at MLBTR last night, Cleveland has an uncharacteristic need for some pitching upgrades. A $6MM gamble on Means isn’t exactly a pricey roll of the dice, but the Guardians are one of the sport’s lowest-payroll clubs. If Means returns next week and gets rocked in his only two or three big league starts this year, it doesn’t feel like a given that they’ll dedicate that $6MM sum to him. If he looks even close to his old form, it seems like a reasonable risk to take. His handful of starts will be worth watching with a careful eye for Cleveland fans.

Jose Urquidy, RHP, Tigers

Urquidy is in a very similar situation to that of Means. He’s rehabbing from a second career Tommy John surgery and signed a one-year, $1MM deal with a $4MM club option for the 2026 season. Like Means, he’s on a minor league rehab assignment right now and could be activated in the near future. The former Astros righty tossed three scoreless innings for Triple-A Toledo three days ago and has now pitched 14 2/3 minor league innings with a 4.30 ERA and a 12-to-3 K/BB ratio.

Urquidy and Means have nearly identical career innings totals, though Urquidy’s 405 frames have come in a more condensed five seasons. From 2019-22, the right-hander posted a 3.74 ERA with a 20.3% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate in 342 innings for Houston. He was hit hard in a 2023 season that was shortened by shoulder troubles (5.29 ERA in 63 frames) and didn’t pitch in 2024 due to the elbow/forearm discomfort that eventually prompted his Tommy John surgery in early June last year.

If Urquidy comes back anywhere close to that 2019-22 form, a $4MM option should be a no-brainer, but a rocky performance could give the Tigers reason to pause. Urquidy’s return will also be worth monitoring since he could pitch his way into postseason roster consideration for Detroit.

Tyler Kinley, RHP, Braves

Atlanta looked past Kinley’s dismal 5.66 ERA with the Rockies and acquired him in July, clearly believing that the hard-throwing righty was only a few tweaks away from success. It’s been a masterstroke. Kinley has pitched 13 2/3 innings and allowed just one run since being traded to Atlanta in exchange for 26-year-old Double-A righty Austin Smith. The Braves have Kinley throwing even more sliders and working with a slightly lower release point, and the results have been stellar — albeit in a small sample.

The Braves were out of the postseason chase by the time the deadline rolled around, so the mere fact that they traded for a potential free agent with a 2026 club option signaled that they were open to exercising that option in spite of his struggles. Kinley’s success in Atlanta makes it quite likely he’ll return, but there’s a good chance it won’t be at the $5MM base price of his value. His contract contains option escalators based on games finished, the first of which kicks in at 20. Kinley has currently finished 18 games this year, including three with Atlanta. If he finishes two more, he’ll boost next year’s option to $5.5MM — and he’ll also unlock a $500K bonus for the current season.

It’s not a major change, but those incentives would bump him from a $2.08MM luxury tax hit to $2.875MM. Assuming the options on Kinley, Pierce Johnson, Chris Sale, Ozzie Albies and Ha-Seong Kim are all exercised, Atlanta will have $207.5MM committed to next year’s books when the offseason begins (before accounting for arbitration raises).

Harrison Bader, OF, Phillies

Bader has proven to be a terrific pickup for the Phils, hitting .307/.374/.477 in his first 99 plate appearances since being traded over from Minnesota. He’s up to 406 plate appearances on the season, which is just enough for his incentive structure to kick in. The $1.5MM buyout on Bader’s $10MM mutual option jumped to $1.7MM when he reached 400 plate appearances, and it’ll climb to $1.9MM at 425 plate appearances and $2.1MM if he reaches 450. It’s a minor bump, but for a Phillies club that’s a third-time luxury payor in the top tier of penalization, they’ll pay a 110% tax on the prorated portion of that extra $600K.

Given the strength of Bader’s play, they’ll happily pay that, of course, and the increased buyout does nothing to change the fact that Bader will return to free agency this winter. It’s been over a decade since the last time both sides of a mutual option were exercised in MLB (Brewers, Aramis Ramirez in 2014). Bader’s plus defense and strong season at the plate should position him for a multi-year deal in the offseason.

Jorge Polanco, INF, Mariners

Polanco is nine plate appearances shy of converting his 2026 mutual option into a $6MM player option. He’s also already tacked $2MM onto his 2025 salary via plate appearance incentives, and when he hits the 450 mark needed to trigger that player option, he’ll unlock another $500K. That’ll bump the veteran switch-hitter up to a $9.5MM salary in 2025. He’d get another $500K if he can make it to 500 plate appearances, but it’s not a guarantee he’ll get 59 plate appearances in between now and season’s end.

Though he’s slumped considerably in the middle months of the season, Polanco has heated up again in the past three weeks. He’s slashing .254/.319/.471 with 23 homers and 17 doubles in only 441 plate appearances — miles better than the down year he had with the M’s in 2024 before undergoing offseason knee surgery. He’s played well enough that he’s probably going to decline a $6MM player option anyhow, but it’ll be a nice safety net in the event of an injury (so long as it’s not a lower-half injury, as his contract contains language that’d prevent the player option from kicking in if he’s dealing with an injury related to that offseason knee procedure).

Matt Strahm, LHP, Phillies

Strahm is on the cusp of having his contract’s 2026 option vest. While that originally came at a $4.5MM base value, he’s already boosted the option value to $6.5MM via $1MM escalators at 40 and 50 innings pitched. Once he reaches 60, the option value increases to its maximum $7.5MM. The contract also stipulates that if Strahm pitches 60 innings and passes a physical at the end of the season, it’ll automatically vest.

Strahm has been excellent in 2025, logging 56 1/3 frames of 2.88 ERA ball with a 27.9% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. He’s saved six games and tallied 17 holds. The Phillies would’ve picked up the option anyhow, but this removes any doubt.

Lucas Giolito, RHP, Red Sox

Giolito’s two-year, $38.5MM contract with Boston couldn’t have started much worse. The typically durable righty went down with a UCL injury in spring training last year, ultimately requiring surgery that wiped out his entire 2024 season. His 2025 return didn’t appear to be going well early on, either. Through his first seven starts, the 31-year-old was shelled for a 6.42 ERA in just 33 2/3 innings.

Since June 10, however, Giolito has returned to form. He’s started 15 games, totaled 91 2/3 innings and logged a pristine 2.26 earned run average. His 21.1% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate in that time are both about half a percentage point worse than league average among starting pitchers, but it’s been a strong run overall, pushing his season ERA down to a tidy 3.38.

That turnaround would make Giolito’s $14MM club option likely to be picked up — but it’s not likely to remain a club option. The right-hander’s contract stipulates that with 140 innings pitched this year, that option converts into a $19MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout. With 125 1/3 innings under his belt, Giolito only needs another 14 2/3 frames in the final three weeks to convert that option to mutual status. If and when he reaches that point, Giolito is a lock to decline his half of the mutual option, collect that buyout and return to free agency in search of a multi-year deal. The Sox could — and likely would — counter with a qualifying offer, but the hefty contracts for mid-rotation arms like Eduardo Rodriguez (four years, $80MM), Sean Manaea (three years, $75MM), Taijuan Walker (four years, $72MM), Jameson Taillon (four years, $68MM) and Luis Severino (three years, $67MM) in recent offseasons all suggest that Giolito can reasonably seek a pricey three- or four-year deal ahead of what’ll be his age-31 season.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/9-contract-options-to-keep-an-eye-on-in-september.html
 
Trea Turner To Undergo MRI Due To Hamstring Strain

4:17pm: Turner is slated to undergo an MRI tomorrow, according to a report from Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Turner told reporters (including Lauber) that he hopes his current ailment proves to be milder than the hamstring strain he suffered last year that sidelined him for six weeks, but an exact timeline won’t be known until his test results come back.

2:58pm: Phillies shortstop Trea Turner made an early departure during the seventh inning of today’s game with the Marlins due to what the Phils announced as a right hamstring strain. A throwing error from Miami shortstop Otto Lopez allowed Turner to reach base, but Turner immediately left the field and headed into the Phils’ dugout, and was replaced by pinch-runner Edmundo Sosa.

Manager Rob Thomson will provide more of an update in his postgame meeting with reporters, but it surely looks like Turner is heading for the injured list. The only question now is the severity of the strain, and whether or not Turner’s availability for the playoffs is now in question. Philadelphia entered today’s action with a healthy seven-game lead in the NL East, and with the second-best record of the division leaders, the Phillies would receive a first-round bye if the postseason began today. Securing the bye gains even greater importance for the Phils if Turner needs a few more days to recover.

Losing Turner would be another huge blow to a Phillies roster that will already be without ace Zack Wheeler for the playoff run. Turner has been not just Philadelphia’s best all-around player but one of the top players in all of baseball in 2025 — his 6.5 fWAR ranks fourth in the league, topped only by Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Bobby Witt Jr.

Turner launched his 15th home run of the season today, and the shortstop is now hitting .305/.356/.458 over 637 plate appearances. On top of his 125 wRC+ and 36 stolen bases (in 43 attempts), perhaps the biggest story of Turner’s season is his enormously improved glovework. After posting subpar defensive metrics across the board in 2023-24, Turner has quieted whispers about a possible move to the outfield by delivering +16 Outs Above Average and +2 Defensive Runs Saved from the shortstop position.

Durability has also been a big part of Turner’s production, as he has missed just three of Philadelphia’s games all season. Sosa is the only other player who has gotten any time at shortstop this year, and while the utilityman is a decent replacement, naturally he brings a lot less than Turner in terms of overall productivity. Bryson Stott could also handle some shortstop in a pinch, and Otto Kemp could be called up from the minors to then provide more infield depth if Sosa is taking on more of an everyday role. Star shortstop prospect Aidan Miller is having a big season at Double-A, but it doesn’t seem too likely that the Phils would have Miller bypass Triple-A and toss him into the pressurized environment of a pennant race.

The pickings are slim in terms of external help, as any player acquired off a big league roster isn’t eligible for postseason play. The Phillies can only trade for minor leaguers who haven’t yet appeared either in the Show or on a 40-man roster in 2025, or they can pick up players via the waiver wire. If a team wants to shed some money off the books by designating a shortstop for assignment, the Phils might be more inclined to make a claim if Turner will miss significant time.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/trea-turner-leaves-game-due-to-hamstring-strain.html
 
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