Not every deadline trade is dramatic, but that is OK teams also have to make low-key movements. Do you think James Bond saved the world every day? No! Some days he had to do paperwork. Some days he had to go to the dentist or take the car to the gas station to record the remaining cool Ranch Doritos Kruimels on the floor after they had spilled on his ride from Baltim … I mean Bristol. So let’s catch up with some smaller movements on Wednesday.
The Seattle Mariners acquired left -handed Reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right -handed starter Jeter Martinez
The Mariners are working this season with a shortage of Southpaws, with Gabe Speier Usually the only lefty on the active schedule. Speier has been good and this season is holding links to a .609 Ops, but he can’t pitch in every play -off game, and Andrés MuñozThe fact that the left handles pretty well does not make its entrance for the ninth inning, so a depth-oriented upgrade to give the team a different option and is very logical in October. Caleb Ferguson Has dropped some strikeouts this year because he has integrated his zinc shed more into his repertoire, but he compensated that loss by throwing a walk per nine last season and becoming one of the most difficult pitchers in baseball to make good contact. Of all pitchers with at least 30 innings this season, only Adrian Canin has permitted a lower hard percentage. Ferguson gives the Mariners a second lifty in the pen on which they can count, something they couldn’t really say about Joe Jacques or Tayler Saucedo.
Ferguson is a free agent out of season this season, so of course the Pirates have not obtained an elite prospects in exchange for this. Martinez was built as a prototypic starter and throws in the high 90s, but as noticed by colleague fangrapheteer Eric Longenhagen, he is raw and throws no strikes. Most pitchers of this type of ultimately do not work – if they did, they would pick up more than Ferguson – but lottery tickets pays off occasionally, and it is not difficult to imagine that Martinez will be really interesting if something clicks with his command. He already has a first name that will give him some fans.
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox for right -handed starter Gage Ziehl
Of Aaron Judge Out with a Flexorstam and initially limited to designated batter after his return, it was logical for the Yankees to strengthen their outfield depth on the deadline. While he calls the blazing hot Spencer Jones It seems the most exciting, ambitious option on his face, Jones has missed several matches with back spasms and playing a reserve role does not enable him to continue to iron his still present contact issues. Austin Slater Is a pure roller player, a man who can beat a Southpaw and at the same time is authorized in all three outfield positions. Are .236/.299/.423, 99 WRC+ line with the White Sox this year is about what the Yankees should expect from him.
Gage Ziehl is a 2024 trot with decent control and a solid sliding controller, but a rather ordinary fastball. He did not really miss bats with the speed that you would hope that a 22-year-old would manage in A-Ball, and although it is not unbelievable that he will be a good Triple-A depth that can make an emergency start or two, it is more difficult to see a dazzling benefit. The White Sox is not doing much well nowadays, but the Front Office and Pitching coach Ethan Katz have done shockingly good work to make a relatively sufficient starting rotation of spare parts this year, and if there is something more in Ziehl, they might find it. Ziehl probably has a better chance to contribute to a actually good White Sox team than a 32-year-old fourth outfielder.
The Detroit Tigers acquired Right -handed Reliever Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves for Infrielder Jarvis
A former starting pitching perspective with the Mets, Rafael Montero Had a nice little run from 2019 to 2022 and a World Series ring earned itself in the process. Then his Bête Noire came, walked back, came back to chase him and he started to see less and less success with the help of his four-seizer as his Strikeout-Pitch. He rescheduled his offer this year and went almost completely Fastball/Splitter, with definitely mixed results. He is probably better than his bloated Era, but probably worse than his 3.87 FIP, which is helped by him that only allows three home runs. Montero is still at least mildly interesting, but I am not sure if I would like it in innings with high leverage. He is a good depth, but hopefully the Tigers have more in the store to strengthen their bullpen than Montero, the recently signed Luke JacksonAnd Paul Sewald.
The agricultural system of Atlanta is generally light on infielers, but even without much competition, Jim Jarvis is probably organizational depth for the upper minors. Although he can play credibly everywhere on the Infield, he has a .652 Ops on Double-A at the age of 24, and although he has a good plate discipline, he lacks the power to really use that skill. The Braves would probably not get a better prospect for Montero.
The Atlanta Braves acquired right -handed reliever Tyler Kinley from the Colorado Rockies for right -handed Reliever Austin Smith
Sneaking in this group of transactions that are meant to strengthen teams for this season, there is one that has almost nothing to do with 2025. The Braves are much further than the point where they put shares in a wonderback, so here they look at a reliever that may be part of their 2026 bullpen. Tyler KinleyThe results are disappointing since his elbow operation a few years ago, but there are still things that can be found in his profile: he gets a lot of fluctuations and mistakes (71% compared to a competition average of 77%), and when battle people make contact, it is usually not difficult (31% hard rate). He will eat some auxiliaries for a few months, while the Braves evaluate him and decide whether they see enough to pick up his $ 5 million option or otherwise pay a buy -out of $ 500,000.
Given the terrible street of the Rockies, they have little need for an experienced reliever that may be on their way to a free desk, so the goal here is just to get someone who could at least be able to possibly Have a kind of impact on the schedule in the future. Austin Smith Is your basic Fastball/Slider Guy without striking speed, and it is already on the old side; He was 22 when he was set up and missed most of his professional career as a result of Tommy John operation. He could stand to throw a walk per nine and still has to make his debut in Triple-A, so he is not a SLAM Dunk to make the Bullpen of Colorado in the coming years, but he is at least an option.
#Wednesday #Minor #Moves #Roundup