Three Players Elect Minor League Free Agency
A trio of former big leaguers reached the open market earlier this week. They head to free agency in search of another opportunity in the majors next season. These free agent decisions come from the MiLB.com transactions page.
Pitchers
Justin Lawrence (Nationals)
Lawrence spent his first four seasons as a member of the Rockies, with whom he pitched to a 5.43 ERA over 194 innings and 182 appearances. The right-hander joined the Pirates via waivers ahead of the 2025 season, and though elbow issues limited him to 17 innings, the results were excellent. Lawrence posted a microscopic 0.51 ERA with strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 33.3%, 11.6% and 47.2%, respectively. The Pirates may have thought they had a gem on their hands then, but the wheels fell off for Lawrence this season. The 31-year-old pitched poorly enough for the Pirates to designate him for assignment in late May and then trade him to the Twins for cash considerations. Lawrence only lasted a few weeks with Minnesota, which designated him June 21. The Nationals claimed Lawrence, but they wound up outrighting him a month later.
All told, the sinkerballer threw 34 1/3 frames among the three teams and was lit up for a 7.34 ERA. The rest of Lawrence’s numbers from last year also sharply declined, as he fanned hitters at a 24.3% clip, walked them at a 15.8% rate and induced grounders 42.4% of the time.
Max Kranick (Nationals)
Then a member of the Mets, Kranick underwent flexor tendon surgery last July. With Kranick still in the early stages of his recovery, the Mets non-tendered the 29-year-old righty in November. He stayed in free agency until the beginning of May, at which point the Nationals gave him a one-year pact with an $850K club option. It was clear they weren’t going to pick up the option in the wake of a rough 2026 for Kranick. He made his Nats debut on July 18 and went on to yield 19 earned runs on 27 hits, including four homers, and 13 walks (against 11 strikeouts) in 18 1/3 innings. Two days after Kranick’s 1 1/3-inning, five-run blowup against Atlanta on Sept. 2, Washington outrighted him.
Infielder
Jeimer Candelario (Angels)
Fresh off a 3.2-fWAR, 22-HR season divided between the the Cubs and Nationals in 2023, the Reds handed Candelario a three-year, $45MM payday in free agency. It was a regrettable move by the Reds, who released the switch-hitting Candelario in June 2025. He was only about halfway through the contract when the Reds cut ties. Candelario joined the Angels on a minor league contract last winter and played well enough in the spring to earn an Opening Day roster spot, but he didn’t last long with the Halos. After he went 2 for 18 with eight strikeouts and one walk in seven games, they outrighted him in mid-April. Candelario spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Salt Lake and hit a solid .281/.377/.509 (116 wRC+) with 15 homers in 387 plate appearances. Set to turn 33 on Nov. 24, Candelario will look for another minors deal.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
12 Players Elect Free Agency
Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents. Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.
To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2026 season without being added back. These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.
MLB Trade Rumors will offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion. These free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.
Catchers
- Riley Adams (Nationals)
- P.J. Higgins (Reds)
- Sam Huff (Orioles)
Infielders
- Joey Meneses (Athletics)
- Zack Short (Mets)
Outfielders
- TJ Friedl (Reds)
- Nolan Jones (Mariners)
- Alek Thomas (Dodgers)
Pitchers
- Kevin Herget (Mets)
- Parker Mushinski (Rockies)
- Jared Shuster (Cardinals)
- Steven Wilson (Rays)
Cardinals Claim Chase Hampton
The Cardinals announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Chase Hampton off waivers from the Nationals. Their 40-man roster now has 39 players. Washington designated Hampton for assignment Saturday, just two weeks after claiming him off waivers from the Yankees.
Hampton just turned 25 last month. The 2022 sixth-rounder out of Texas Tech was Baseball America’s No. 72 overall prospect in the 2023-24 offseason, but he’s battled numerous injuries in the years since, including a Tommy John procedure in Feb. 2025 that wiped out his entire ’25 campaign and limited him to just 55 innings this season. The 2026 season wasn’t a pretty one for the 6’2″, 225-pound righty. Hampton was rocked for an 8.18 ERA across three levels, including a 9.59 mark (38 runs in 35 2/3 innings) at the Double-A level.
Prior to his Tommy John surgery, Hampton had missed the majority of the 2024 campaign due to a flexor strain. His last full, healthy season came back in 2023. It was a strong one which saw a then-21-year-old Hampton pitch 106 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA against older and more advanced competition in High-A and Double-A. Beyond his solid earned run average, Hampton punched out a whopping 33.1% of his opponents against a quality 8.4% walk rate.
The Yankees designated Hampton for assignment earlier this month to open a 40-man roster spot when Aaron Judge was returning from the injured list. The Nats claimed him but booted him from their own roster this past weekend when reinstating southpaw Connelly Early from the 60-day injured list.
It’s fairly common for players who are claimed this time of year to be passed around the league as the offseason progresses. Hampton, after all, only recently turned 25 and isn’t all that far removed from being a top-100 prospect. He clearly hasn’t pitched well this season but still has two minor league option years remaining. A rebuilding/retooling club like the ones in D.C. and St. Louis makes for a sensible landing spot. Whether Hampton sticks on the Cardinals’ roster remains to be seen, but he’s already been claimed twice and has barely made it through one-third of the league on waivers. The Nats and Cards both finished 77-85, tied for 10th-worst in the game, and offseason waiver priority is determined based on the reverse order of the preceding season’s standings.
Nationals Designate Chase Hampton For Assignment
The Nationals announced that right-hander Chase Hampton has been designated for assignment, and right-hander Luis Perales was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. The two roster moves clear the way for Connelly Early’s activation from the 60-day injured list, and Early’s impending Nats debut was covered in greater detail yesterday.
Hampton has only been in the Nationals organization for a couple of weeks, and his time with Washington may come and go without any in-game appearances at the major or minor league levels. Hampton’s 2026 resume consists of an 8.18 ERA over 55 innings at three different levels of the Yankees’ farm system, and after New York DFA’ed Hampton earlier this month, the Nats made a waiver claim.
Considered one of the top 100 prospects in baseball prior to the 2024 season, injuries limited Hampton to just 18 2/3 minor league innings that season, and a Tommy John surgery in February 2025 shelved him for over a full year. He returned to action last May with the Yankees’ A-level affiliate, but the results just weren’t there for Hampton in A-ball, high-A ball, or at Double-A. The righty’s garish ERA was fueled by 13 homers allowed in his 55 innings, and he also had a 12.9% walk rate against a 21.3% strikeout rate.
Hampton has never been outrighted, so the Nationals would retain their control if he cleared waivers. Chances are that Hampton will be let go into minor league free agency, as the 25-year-old will seek out the next chapter of his career with a new club.
Nationals To Activate Connelly Early From 60-Day IL
The Nationals are expected to reinstate lefty Connelly Early from the 60-day IL ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Mets, per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal. Early will draw the start for his team debut. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since late June.
The plan is for Early to toss a few innings ahead of bulk reliever Jake Irvin, notes Zuckerman. He threw 40 pitches over 1 2/3 innings in his last rehab outing. Washington’s 40-man roster is currently full, so a move will be needed to make room for Early.
The Nationals acquired Early from the Red Sox straight up for infielder Curtis Mead in late July. It was an intriguing move for both sides, but one that has produced next to zero results so far. Early hit the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation in early July. Washington moved him to the 60-day IL in August. Unlike Early, Mead was healthy when he was traded. It didn’t last long. He was hit by a pitch in his second at-bat with the Red Sox and broke his wrist. Mead hasn’t played since the injury.
Early earned a spot in Boston’s Opening Day rotation with a dazzling four-start run at the end of 2025. The lefty piled up 29 strikeouts in his first taste of the majors. He permitted just five earned runs. The punchouts came down this season, but Early was a steady member of Boston’s rotation before the injury. He posted a 3.44 ERA across 17 starts.
Washington locked down ace Cade Cavalli on a four-year deal last week. Beyond Cavalli, the 2027 rotation is unsettled. Lefty Andrew Alvarez has put together a solid audition over the final two months of the season. Fellow lefty DJ Herz is back after missing the 2025 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. Irvin and Jackson Kent are in the mix. Brad Lord, Riley Cornelio, Luis Perales, and Will Dion all have ample starting experience. It’s not the caliber of group that would keep a healthy Early from securing a rotation spot next year.
Photo courtesy of Jaiden Tripi, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: Free Agent Power Rankings, Cade Cavalli’s Extension, And Likely Playoff Matchups
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…
- MLBTR’s final edition of the Free Agent Power Rankings before the offseason (1:15)
- The free agency of Trevor Rogers (4:35)
- Teruaki Sato (11:15)
- Freddy Peralta (16:35)
- The Nationals and Cade Cavalli signing an extension (20:25)
- What are the storylines to watch in the final days of the regular season and into the playoffs? (24:10)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Should teams get an extra ABS challenge in the playoffs? What is the best playoff format? Will it expand again at some point? (33:30)
- Will the Padres leave Casey Mize off the playoff roster? What does his free agency look like? Could the Tigers re-sign him? (42:35)
- What can the Reds do to build around Elly De La Cruz? Should they consider trading him? (51:20)
- Who will be filling out the lineup card for the Red Sox in 2027? (recorded as the news of Chad Tracy’s extension was breaking) (56:10)
Check out our past episodes!
- Dodgers Hot Topics, The D-Backs Claim Jesús Sánchez, And Prospect Evaluation Time – listen here
- What To Expect From The Angels Under Stan Kroenke – listen here
- The Rays’ New Stadium Approved, Luis Robert Claimed By The Orioles, And Prospect Promotions – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
Nationals To Release Cole Henry
The Nationals announced Monday that they’ve requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander Cole Henry. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to left-hander DJ Herz, who has wrapped up his rehab from last summer’s UCL surgery and been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Henry was placed on the minor league injured list about four weeks ago. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, so once the Nats settled on Henry as the corresponding 40-man move for Herz’s return, their most straightforward course was to release him.
A second-round pick out of LSU back in 2020, Henry signed a $2MM bonus out of the draft and previously ranked among the Nationals’ top prospects. He’s yet to solidify himself in the majors, in large part because injuries have regularly set him back. Chief among those health troubles was a 2022 surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, but Henry has also missed time due to elbow pain, a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder and a back strain. The Nats didn’t provide an injury designation at the time of his most recent IL placement with Triple-A Rochester.
The 6’4″, 200-pound Henry has pitched 66 1/3 big league innings, all coming in 2025-26. He’s logged a 5.02 earned run average in that time while posting a 21.5% strikeout rate that’s just shy of average and an unsightly 12.5% walk rate. He tossed 22 minor league innings this year and was torched for an ERA north of 6.00 despite a tidy 21-to-2 K/BB ratio.
Henry works primarily off a four-seamer and slider combo, though he’ll mix in an occasional sinker and cutter, too. The go-to four-seamer has averaged 93.8 mph this year, while he’s sat 82.2 mph on the slider. With all of his injuries (plus the canceled 2020 minor league season), Henry has pitched only 218 2/3 professional innings despite being drafted more than six years ago. Interest in the right-hander this winter will depend on his health outlook, but Henry is still 27 years old with a minor league option year remaining. He should command interest on a minor league deal — perhaps even back with the Nationals themselves. It’s fairly common for players in similar situations to simply re-sign with their previous organization.
Herz, 25, made a big impression with the 2024 Nats, who’d previously acquired him in a trade sending Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs. The 2019 eighth-rounder started 19 games and posted a 4.16 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 36.4% ground-ball rate in 88 2/3 innings as a rookie. Metrics like SIERA (3.77) and FIP (3.71) were more bullish on his work than his earned run average.
Herz’s rehab this season stopped and started a couple times, so he’s made 10 starts in the minors — albeit pitching only 25 2/3 innings overall. He’s notched a 3.16 ERA, 29.1% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate in that time. Herz was roughed up for six runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Mets’ Triple-A club on Sept. 1 but otherwise never allowed more than one earned run in any of this year’s rehab outings.
Whether out of the rotation or the bullpen, Herz figures to get a few innings in with the Nats over the season’s final week. He’ll be in the mix for next year’s rotation — a group headlined by recently extended breakout starter Cade Cavalli. Others in the rotation mix include deadline pickup Connelly Early, rookies Jackson Kent and Andrew Alvarez, and veteran Jake Irvin. Lefty Mitchell Parker underwent an internal brace procedure in late July and will be sidelined well into next summer. The rotation figures to be an area of focus for the Nats again this winter, and some of the positive developments from this year’s group could spur second-year president of baseball ops Paul Toboni to be a bit more aggressive than last time around, when the Nats gave out cheap one-year deals to innings eaters Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell as well as NPB returnee Foster Griffin.
Nationals To Activate DJ Herz From 60-Day IL On Monday
The Nationals announced that left-hander DJ Herz will be activated off the 60-day injured list to start Monday’s game against the Tigers. Left-hander Jared Simpson was optioned to Triple-A today to open up a spot on Washington’s active roster, and the Nats still need to create space for Herz on the 40-man roster.
Herz will return to a big league mound for the first time in almost exactly two years, as his last outing came on September 25, 2024. That five-inning performance (in a 3-0 Nats loss to the Royals) was the 19th and final start of a solid rookie season that saw Herz post a 4.16 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate across his first 88 2/3 innings against MLB hitters.
These numbers seemed to line Herz up as a potential building block for the rebuilding Nationals, but the southpaw’s career was put on hold when he sprained his UCL during Spring Training 2025. The result was a Tommy John surgery that cost Herz the entire 2025 season, and another setback emerged when Herz suffered a flexor strain three starts into a minor league rehab assignment this year. Finally returning to action for good at the start of August, Herz has a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings over seven more rehab games.
Herz’s last outing for Triple-A Rochester saw him toss 65 pitches over 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball. The Nationals will probably limit Herz’s workload to roughly that same pitch count on Monday, and if all goes well, he might be able to make another start (or maybe a bullpen outing) before the 2026 season wraps.
Though Herz has gained almost two full years of MLB service time due to his elongated stint on the 60-day IL, he’ll still finish 2026 shy of the service time required to gain Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility. (MLBTR contributor Ethan Hullihen currently projects this year’s Super Two cutoff point as two years and 134 days of service time.)
This contractual detail is probably small potatoes for Herz compared to the relief of finally ending his lengthy injury absence. He is the second Washington pitcher this week to return from a Tommy John surgery and then a flexor strain, as Friday marked Josiah Gray’s first MLB game since April 2024.
The peace of mind gained from these late-season returns will help Herz and Gray enter the offseason with the goal of making the rotation in Spring Training. The newly extended Cade Cavalli will sit atop the D.C. rotation in 2027, with Connelly Early and Andrew Alvarez looking likely to slot into starting roles. The Nationals figure to add at least one veteran arm to the mix, and whether that veteran is more of a one-year stopgap or a pricier signing will hinge on whether or not the club thinks it is ready to take a step forward into contention after a better-than-expected record in 2026.
Nationals, Cade Cavalli Sign Extension
September 18: The Nats announced they have signed Cavalli to a four-year deal covering the 2027 to 2030 seasons, with a club option for 2031. It’s a $47MM guarantee but Cavalli would earn $70MM if the option is picked up, per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic.
September 17: The Nationals and right-hander Cade Cavalli are closing in on a contract extension, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Murray says the deal is not done but there is optimism about getting something across the finish line. The BBI Sports Group client is in the first of four arbitration years as a Super Two player, so he is currently under club control through 2029. This new deal will buy out at least one free agent season, per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, but details aren’t publicly known apart from that.
Cavalli, now 28, was the club’s first-round pick in in 2020, getting selected 22nd overall. His initial minor league results were impressive, vaulting him onto top prospect status. He also made his big league debut late in 2022, barely two years after being drafted.
However, the next step was a lengthy injury odyssey. He required Tommy John surgery in March of 2023, wiping out that entire season. He tried to get back on the mound in 2024 but hit various setbacks. He made three minor league appearances but otherwise missed that season as well. Even as the 2025 season began, Cavalli was still not ready, getting placed on the injured list to start that campaign.
He was finally activated from the IL in May of last year but the Nats then optioned him to the minors in order to monitor his workload after so much missed time. He was recalled in August and made ten decent starts down the stretch, posting a 4.25 earned run average, though with a subpar 18.3% strikeout rate.
Here in 2026, he has finally become the pitcher he was expected to be, stepping up as Washington’s ace. He has taken the ball 31 times and logged 164 2/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA. His 28.2% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate are all really strong figures. He has racked up 3.7 wins above placement in the eyes of FanGraphs, which puts him ninth among pitchers in the National League, so he may receive Cy Young votes.
While the Nats had legitimate reasons to want Cavalli in the minors last year, it’s probably not a total coincidence that he was held down long enough to prevent him from getting to three years of service time. He did become a Super Two guy and qualified for arbitration but his path to free agency was pushed by a year.
Since he missed so much time, his earning power in arbitration was minimal. The filing deadline in January passed without Cavalli and the Nats having an agreement in place. The pitcher and his reps filed at $900K, not much more than this year’s $780K league minimum. The Nats countered at $825K. Rather than go to a hearing over that paltry difference, the two sides agreed to a deal shortly thereafter. Cavalli was guaranteed $870K on that new pact, in the form of an $862.5K salary and a $7.5K buyout on a $4MM club option for 2027.
On the heels of this strong season, Cavalli now has far more earning power than he did a year ago. There’s good logic in both sides wanting to get a deal done, though it’s hard to evaluate the agreement without any of the details.
For Cavalli, he was on track to become a free agent after his age-30 season. If he had gone year to year, he could have been in line for a strong payday at that point. Plenty of pitchers have received nine-figure deals going into their age-31 seasons, with Max Fried, Blake Snell, Framber Valdez and Aaron Nola being some recent examples. But after an injury odyssey of almost three years, Cavalli is well aware that things could happen between now and then to lessen his earning power.
For the Nats, they have been rebuilding for many years and still have a lot of work to do before they become contenders again. Their successes have mostly been on the position player side. This year’s club is third in runs scored, behind only the Cubs and Brewers. But the pitching staff has been trailing behind, as the team has allowed the fourth-most runs in the majors this year, better than just the Rockies, Athletics and Reds. With so much uncertainty on the pitching staff, it makes sense that they would look to lock up their best arm before he gains even more earning power by getting closer to free agency and further from his injury troubles.
Cavalli’s service time is between three and four years, meaning he’s three seasons from free agency. For pitchers in that service window, there have been three relevant deals of comparison, as seen on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. Logan Webb got $90MM over five years from the Giants. Shane Baz and the Orioles agreed to a four-year, $64.5MM extension. Cristian Javier got five years and $64MM from the Astros.
It’s possible that Cavalli comes in under Webb, based on track record. Webb had some brief time on the injured list in 2021 but effectively had two fully healthy seasons under his belt when he signed his deal. Baz and Javier might be better comps. Like Cavalli, Baz had plenty of injury trouble over the years and had one fully healthy season under his belt when that deal was signed. Javier began his career as a reliever/swingman and also had just one season where he was really established as a starter.
As mentioned, it would be understandable if Cavalli wanted to sacrifice some long-term upside for some near-term piece of mind, based on the long road he has been down. The Nats have close to nothing on the books. Stephen Strasburg’s deal is finally up after 2026, though the deferred payments will continue for a few more years. Keibert Ruiz is the only player still on the roster, apart from Cavalli, who is guaranteed anything next year. The Ruiz deal never pays him even $10MM in any of the guaranteed seasons. Ideally, Cavalli will be anchoring the Washington rotation for years to come as the team becomes a more legit contender over the course of the deal.
Photos courtesy of Brad Mills, Raymond Carlin III, Imagn Images
Nationals Reinstate Josiah Gray From 60-Day Injured List
The Nationals announced that right-hander Josiah Gray has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Outfielder Andrew Pinckney was optioned to Triple-A Rochester yesterday, which opened an active roster spot. In a corresponding 40-man move, the Nats have requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander Wyatt Mills.
The move is not significant for Washington’s 2026 season but it’s an incredible step regardless. The Nats are 71-82 and playing out the string on a losing season but getting Gray back on the mound is a nice symbolic and emotional victory, as he has spent almost three full seasons in the wilderness. Once he gets into a game, he will be making his first appearance April of 2024.
Acquired from the Dodgers in the trade which sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles, Gray once seemed like a rotation building block in Washington. He made 28 starts for the Nats in 2022, though with an unimpressive 5.02 earned run average. He took a step forward in 2023, posting a 3.91 ERA over 30 starts.
Ideally, Gray would have taken another step forward from there. Despite the strong ERA, his underlying numbers were actually not great that year. His 20.5% strikeout rate, 11.5% walk rate and 37.8% ground ball rate were all a bit worse than league average. A high strand rate of 80.4% helped keep the ERA down while his 4.93 FIP and 5.08 SIERA painted a less optimistic portrait.
But instead of finding a new gear, Gray was thrown off course. He made just two starts in 2024 before landing on the injured list and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery that July. That wiped out the remainder of his 2024. By late 2025, he made some rehab appearances in the minors but didn’t get back to the big league squad.
That seemingly set him up to for a healthy 2026 but that hasn’t come to pass. The club optioned him to the minors March 19 but had to rescind that option when Gray was diagnosed with a flexor strain. Instead of going to Triple-A, he went straight onto the major league 60-day IL. That strain kept him on the shelf until today. He started a minor league rehab assignment in August. He surpassed five years of service time while on the IL this year and can no longer be optioned without his consent.
Gray has been pitching as a reliever on that rehab assignment, with none of his outings lasting longer than two innings. He will join the Washington bullpen for a few appearances before the year is out. As mentioned, it’s not a big deal for the current club’s results but it has to be a great feeling for Gray and the team to get him back out there after so much missed time.
This is the second of three arbitration years for Gray. He made $1.35MM last year and is making the same mark this season. Arb-eligible players who miss an entire season generally get the same salary the following year, so the Nats could re-up with Gray around that same number for 2026. If he is tendered a contract for 2027, he wouldn’t be optionable. Taking on a full starter’s workload after so much missed time might also be a stretch, so perhaps a bullpen role could be a target.
What he can provide next year is anyone’s guess at this point. As mentioned, he had a good ERA in 2023 but with underwhelming numbers otherwise. In this year’s rehab games, he has thrown 12 innings with four earned runs allowed and eight strikeouts. His fastball has been averaging 91.3 miles per hour in his Triple-A games, down a couple of ticks from his previous big league work. He was at 94.4 mph in 2022 and then 93.5 in 2023.
As for Mills, he landed on the minor league injured list August 21, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers. A trade isn’t allowed right now since the deadline has passed. Since the Nats wanted to give his roster spot to Gray, they have released Mills. In these instances, the player will sometimes re-sign with the club on a minor league deal. However, Mills doesn’t have a long relationship with the Nats, since they just claimed him off waivers last month.
The 31-year-old righty has 48 1/3 innings in his career with a 6.14 ERA, 18.4% strikeout rate, 12.7% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate. He has generally been more impressive in the minors. This year, he has logged 37 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.41 ERA, 33.1% strikeout rate, 11.5% walk rate and 42.7% ground ball rate.
He started this year with the Dodgers on a minor league deal. He was added to that club’s roster in May and served as an up-and-down arm for a while. He was designated for assignment in August, claimed by the Nats and sent to Rochester but hasn’t pitched since that claim.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images