yankees designated him for assignment

Yankees designated left-handed depth starter for assignment to clear room for new reliever

T he New York Yankees have announced that they will designate left-handed pitcher Tanner Tully for assignment to make room for newly acquired reliever Jake Cousins . Over the weekend, the Yankees demoted Clayton Beeter to Triple-A after he made a three-pitch, three-out MLB debut in the final inning of their 7-1 win over the Astros in the second game of their opening series. As the corresponding move, they promoted Tanner Tully up, adding him to their 40-man roster by designating Nick Ramirez for assignment, and this move adds another wrinkle to that transaction tree.

Yesterday the Yankees acquired Jake Cousins from the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations, and he could be an interesting addition to their bullpen.

Jake Cousins Added to the Roster, Yankees DFA Tanner Tully

Tanner Tully, whom the Yankees added to their 40-man roster this past weekend to have as bullpen depth, found himself as the unfortunate victim of the Jake Cousins trade. The Yankees were carrying him as a long-reliever option in their bullpen as insurance in case a starter got run out of the game early, but with Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt pitching past the fifth, they were able to avoid going to him in their final two wins of the series.

He spent last season with the Yankees in Triple-A, pitching to a 5.64 ERA across 19 starts with an 18.6% strikeout rate and 1.62 WHIP. The 29-year-old southpaw would opt out of his deal midseason and sign a contract with the NC Dinos in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), pitching to a 2.92 ERA to end his season and returning to the Bronx on a MiLB deal earlier this offseason.

When the Yankees acquired Jake Cousins, this made for a complication that would make Tully the obvious pick for a DFA, as they would need to clear a roster spot to bring him on their active roster. It shows faith in Cousins, as they didn’t have to place him on the 40-man roster as the White Sox originally acquired him as a Minor League free agent.

The cousin of Atlanta Falcons’ recently-signed quarterback Kirk Cousins, the right-hander posted a 1.29 ERA across seven outings, striking out 11 batters with just two walks in his stint with the White Sox in Spring Training. In his MLB career, he has a 3.08 ERA in 51 appearances, sporting a 31.4% strikeout rate and a nasty slider with a 49.8% Whiff Rate. The Yankees are hoping they can optimize his pitch mix and help him rebound after a nasty 2023 season where he had more walks than strikeouts.

New York will open their second series of the year in Arizona, as Luis Gil squares off against Ryne Nelson in the first game of a three-game set against the NL Champion Diamondbacks, with first pitch at 9:40 PM EST.

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Yankees activate RHP Cousins, designate LHP Tully for assignment

• Field Level Media

The New York Yankees selected right-hander Jake Cousins to the active roster Monday in advance of a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks .

In a corresponding move, the Yankees designated left-hander Tanner Tully for assignment. Tully, 29, had not appeared in a game this season.

Cousins, 29, was acquired Sunday in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in exchange for cash considerations.

In nine relief appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, Cousins had a 4.82 ERA. He has 51 career relief appearances over three seasons, all with Milwaukee, going 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA.

Cousins is the cousin of longtime NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Yankees’ Estevan Florial having ‘monster’ season in Triple A. But will he get a shot?

MOOSIC, Pa. — Estevan Florial , clad in a mix of Yankees and RailRiders workout gear, walked out onto the dimly lit concourse at PNC Field on Tuesday afternoon. He had just spent the last half-hour with the rest of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hitters preparing for a series against Boston ’s affiliate that was set to begin later that night.

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But the questions he was about to face weren’t about the WooSox. They were about how Florial got here, how he was handling the strangeness of the crossroads his career has reached, and where he saw this all going. Leaning with one foot on a metal railing behind a section of seats, Florial offered an easy smile and a quick answer when he was asked to assess his breakout season.

“It isn’t over yet,” the center fielder said.

But when it does end, it’s anyone’s guess as to where Florial will end up.

A former top prospect in all of baseball, his career hit a low point when the Yankees designated him for assignment just after Opening Day. Then he got knocked for another loop when not a single team claimed him on waivers, granting the Yankees the ability to outright him back to Triple A, a level he’s been stuck at since 2021.

But as of Tuesday, Florial’s redemption arc appeared to be in full swing. His 21 homers were tied for second-most in the International League. He was hitting .291 and his .973 OPS was the 10th-best in the league. And perhaps most important to Florial as he tries to break into a full-time major-league role, his strikeout percentage was at 29 percent — still high, but better than the 30.4 percent he posted in 2022 and the 30.9 percent he carried in 2021. He’s still just 25 years old.

Scranton manager Shelley Duncan said Florial has had a “monster” season.

“He just continues to get better,” Duncan said.

Florial’s accomplishments have come as the Yankees have passed over him every time they have needed help in the outfield, and particularly in left field, where their play has been underwhelming. Asked whether it’s been difficult seeing opportunities pass him by, he said, “What can I say? Sometimes.”

But he added that he understands those decisions are out of his hands.

“I know I can’t control that,” he said. “The only thing I can try to do is try to be better and try to improve.”

With this 449-ft moonshot, @Yankees outfielder Estevan Florial has 9 homers in his last 12 games for the @swbrailriders . Oh, yea, and he's a triple shy through three innings 😯 pic.twitter.com/xkOYdaJZWC — Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 28, 2023

At this point, it’s fair to wonder what Florial has to do to get an extended look with the Yankees. Going into Tuesday, the Yankees had used nine different players in left field. None of them were Florial. Those players had combined for 0.2 fWAR — the fifth-worst total in MLB . Their combined .671 OPS was the fourth-worst in the game. Coming out of spring training, the club handed the starting job to Oswaldo Cabrera , a career infielder, and he disappointed with a 63 OPS+. Things got so bad with Aaron Hicks that they cut him in May despite still owing him $27 million through 2025, and he caught on with the Orioles , where he’s had much more success. The light-hitting Isiah Kiner-Falefa (89 OPS+) has played the second-most games at the position on the team, behind Cabrera, and Kiner-Falefa is also a career infielder.

One of the problems with calling up Florial would be that he’s not on the 40-man roster and he’s out of minor-league options. That means the Yankees would have to create room for him on the roster by moving someone to the 60-day injured list or cutting a player. The team appears to prefer Willie Calhoun , Jake Bauers or Billy McKinney — outfielders who are on the 40-man roster but are also out of minor-league options. It also means that the Yankees wouldn’t be able to simply send Florial back to the minors whenever they wanted. They would have to DFA him, which would once again expose him to waivers and run them the risk of losing him to another team for nothing — a move they may not have the stomach to test twice.

On July 7, manager Aaron Boone said that Florial’s roster issues were “part of it” when asked why the team opted to promote Franchy Cordero over Florial when Bauers (left rotator cuff bruise) went on the IL.

“Flo’s done a really nice job down there of putting together a really strong season,” Boone said. “Certainly keeps pushing himself into the conversation any time we do have a need.”

But it would be curious for the Yankees to be more concerned about the manner in which they could lose a player like Florial rather than potentially using him to help the big-league team, if they believe he’s capable.

“We didn’t really think about the power that he put up,” Duncan said of Florial, whose previous career-high in homers was 17. “What you end up seeing, you’ve got this dude who can hit fourth or fifth and be a huge RBI power guy, hitting in the leadoff spot, with a bunch of leadoff homers already. But every single time he comes up, he’s a serious threat.”

Hitting coach Trevor Amicone credited Florial’s work ethic and the importance the team placed on cutting down his swings-and-misses on pitches in the strike zone.

“He got to a good spot with his bat path to where he was able to swing-and-miss at less fastballs and … do more damage on the fastballs he was hitting just from being able to be longer (with his bat) through the zone and in the zone earlier, and able to be late and still do damage on a pitch,” Amicone said. “I think the emphasis this year has really been on game planning at a higher level.”

Florial’s production has been consistent, too. In April, he posted a .905 OPS, which he followed with a 1.187 OPS in May, an .820 OPS in June and a .919 OPS in July.

“It’s like a man on a mission,” Duncan said.

That mission went into overdrive when Boone called Florial into his office at Yankee Stadium and told him that he’d been designated for assignment on April 1. The Dominican Republic native immediately flew home to Tampa, where he received support from his father and his wife, and he worked out to pass the time.

“It was a tough moment,” Florial said. “As a player, you never want to hear that news.”

Even worse? Hearing that no other team picked him up when he was on waivers.

Prior to the 2018 season, Florial was Baseball America’s No. 38 overall prospect. But in 2018 and in 2019, he missed significant playing time due to right wrist injuries. In 2020, he played in one game — his MLB debut — and spent most of the year at the team’s alternate training site. And in 2021 and 2022, he played in just 28 total MLB games despite still being considered by many a high-ceiling youngster.

Passing through waivers and returning to the Yankees lit a fire in Florial.

“When he came down here,” Amicone said, “he had that chip on his shoulder and wanted to get better any way that he could.”

“Nobody picks you up and you’re like, ‘Dang, what do I do now? Nobody wants me,'” Duncan said. “Some people would just slowly give up. Not this guy. He took it as motivation.”

Florial said he was surprised no team claimed him.

“Because I know what type of player I am and what I can do when I have the chance to do it,” he said. “But in the end, it’s like I said, there are things you can’t control. Whatever happens on the outside is one of them. Whatever happens, get over it.”

It remains to be seen whether Florial will get a chance with the Yankees this season or if the team could look to trade him before the Aug. 1 deadline. Either way, Florial said he’ll be working. After all, it isn’t over yet.

“It doesn’t matter how good you’re doing in Triple A,” he said. “That doesn’t satisfy you. You want to go out there and prove yourself. You want to go up (to the majors) and help the ballclub.”

(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

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Brendan Kuty is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees and MLB. He has covered the Yankees since 2014, most recently as a beat reporter for NJ Advance Media. Brendan was honored to receive the 2022 New Jersey Sportswriter of the Year award from the National Sports Media Association. He attended William Paterson University and the County College of Morris, and he is from Hopatcong, N.J.

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Yankees designate OF Aaron Hicks for assignment, still owe him $20M+

The New York Yankees are moving on from longtime outfielder Aaron Hicks after eight years.

The team announced Saturday that Hicks has been designated for assignment. By the time reporters were allowed into the clubhouse, he'd already cleaned out his locker and packed his bags, and he was saying goodbye to his teammates.

Aaron Hicks has been DFA’d. locker here has been cleaned out — Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 20, 2023

Hicks, 33, hit .188/.263/.261 over 28 games this season. He'd shown some signs of life at the plate recently, going 6-for-15 in his last six games, but that wasn't enough to erase six weeks of relative flailing. The Yankees traded for speedy outfielder Greg Allen on Friday, and to open a spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, DFA'ing Hicks made the most sense.

The Yankees traded for Hicks in November 2015, snagging him from the Minnesota Twins , who drafted him in the first round in 2008. Hicks struggled with his health or his hitting in his first few years with the Yankees, but in 2018, he hit .248 in 137 games (still the most of his career), with 27 home runs.

That solid and steady season is what led the Yankees to sign him to a seven-year, $70 million contract in April 2019. Unfortunately, the future didn't repeat the past. Hicks missed massive chunks of 2019 and 2021 due to injuries and would've missed most of the 2020 season had it not been shortened by COVID-19, giving him more time to heal. Hicks did play 130 games in 2022 but ended up hitting .216.

The Yankees still owe him more than $20 million for the final 2.5 years of his contract.

“It is what it is,” Hicks said via the New York Post. “It’s part of the business side of it. Just got to move on to the next chapter. This is a very good baseball team. It kind of seemed like it wasn’t working out for me. Obviously, with the decision they decided to make, maybe somewhere else might be a little bit better.”

Of all the teams that could use hitting help right now, the San Diego Padres might be the best destination for Hicks. They're 20-25 and just lost Manny Machado to a hand injury . And as far as a change of scenery from New York, you can't get much different than San Diego.

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Yankees designate Estevan Florial for assignment

After eight years in the organization, the young outfielder’s time with the Yankees may be coming to an end.

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Share All sharing options for: Yankees designate Estevan Florial for assignment

Ahead of today’s game with the Giants, the Yankees announced they’ve designated outfielder Estevan Florial for assignment. The move comes in conjunction with the addition of pitcher Colten Brewer to the active roster.

Florial is out of minor league options, meaning that his removal from the roster had to come via DFA. Given the 25-year-old’s still evident physical tools, it seems quite possible that he won’t pass through waivers, meaning that his time with the Yankees, the only organization he’s known since 2015, is all but over.

The Yankees may yet try to trade Florial if interest in him is strong. To his credit, Florial hit a robust .283/.368/.481 in 101 Triple-A games last season, one of his finest professional performances to date. But the problem for Florial has been staying on the field; injuries have limited him virtually every season of his career, preventing him from getting the high-level game reps necessary to fully develop the impressive tools that once made him a consensus top-50 prospect.

If this spells the end of Florial’s time with New York, we wish him luck wherever he lands. “Cautionary Tale” is probably too strong a phrase to use with regard to Florial’s Yankees prospect journey, but his descent from toolsy blue-chip prospect to DFA serves as one more reminder of the wide range of outcomes on the table for this player archetype.

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Yankees' Nick Ramirez: Designated for assignment

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The Yankees designated Ramirez for assignment Saturday.

Ramirez failed to win a spot on the Yankees' roster during spring training, and he'll now be squeezed off the 40-man to make room for Tanner Tully, who was selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. The 34-year-old Ramirez posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 40.2 innings last season and may receive some attention on the waiver wire from teams in search of bullpen depth.

Yankees' Nick Ramirez: Sent to minor-league camp

Yankees' nick ramirez: collects first career save, yankees' nick ramirez: back in majors, yankees' nick ramirez: optioned to triple-a, yankees' nick ramirez: back with big club, yankees' nick ramirez: sent down to triple-a, our latest fantasy baseball stories.

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Yankees claim diego castillo from mets, designate jeter downs for assignment.

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Diego Castillo didn’t fit in the Mets’ roster plans, but the Yankees have a spot for him.

The 26-year-old infielder/outfielder was claimed off waivers by the Yankees on Friday, after the Mets designated him for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for Sean Manaea .

Castillo had been claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks earlier in the month.

Castillo appeared in only one game last season for the D’backs. He played 96 games for the Pirates in 2022, when he posted a .206/.251/.382 slash line with 11 homers and 29 RBIs.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated infielder Jeter Downs for assignment.

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• Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers must add Aaron Hicks after Yankees designated him for assignment

Why the Los Angeles Dodgers must acquire OF Aaron Hicks after he was designated for assignment by the Yankees

Joey Mistretta

Aaron Hicks isn't a name that will excite Los Angeles Dodgers fans. In fact, LA fans may even scoff at the notion of adding a player who's struggled mightily over the past few seasons. Hicks, however, has labored with the New York Yankees , a market that is especially difficult on players. LA is a big market of its own, but a player like Hicks may be able to thrive with the Dodgers.

Hicks was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Saturday. Yankees fans rejoiced for the most part , as they had been calling for New York to move on since last season. The outfielder is still owed over $20 million dollars over the next two seasons as well, which could deter potential suitors. If the Yankees are willing to take on a large amount of Hicks' remaining salary though, Hicks would make sense for a ball club like the Dodgers.

Aaron Hicks to the Dodgers: Why it makes sense

Hicks hit just .188 with a .524 OPS across 28 games in 2023 with the Yankees. Those numbers won't inspire confidence moving forward. However, Hicks is a switch-hitter who offers power and speed. Los Angeles features a number of outfielders, but none of them are switch-hitters.

Mookie Betts (right-handed) and James Outman (left-handed) lead the way in the Dodgers' outfield. Others such as Jason Heyward (left-handed), Trayce Thompson (right-handed), Chris Taylor (right-handed) and David Peralta (left-handed) have all impacted the ball club. Betts and Outman are mainstays, but the other four have labored in 2023.

Taylor will probably keep a spot on the active roster because of his versatility. Heyward and Peralta haven't been good, but they both can hit right-handed pitching. That leaves Trayce Thompson, who's 2023 campaign has been nothing short of abysmal.

Peter Sampson · 1 hour ago

Benjamin Adducchio · 7 hours ago

He's been mired in a long hitless streak and is slashing just .111/.273/.302 with a .574 OPS. With the exception of a three-home run game early in the season, almost nothing has gone right for Thompson this year.

That is where Aaron Hicks enters the picture. As bad as he's been in 2023, he hasn't been worse than Thompson. Additionally, both Hicks and Thompson would benefit from a restart. Sending Thompson to the minor leagues for a stint could help him get back on track. Meanwhile, Hicks may find his footing in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

Again, the Dodgers shouldn't have to pay Hicks a lucrative amount of money. If the Yankees are willing to eat a significant portion of his contract, then Los Angeles must take a chance and acquire Aaron Hicks.

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Yankees trade for cousin of NFL star QB after sweeping Astros

• Updated: Apr. 01, 2024, 5:31 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 31, 2024, 8:18 p.m.

After Sunday's win in Houston, the Yankees traded for reliever Jake Cousins, who is a cousin to four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins. AP

• Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

HOUSTON — The Yankees made a trade for bullpen depth after an Easter Sunday 4-3 win at Minute Maid Park that completed a four-game, season-opening road sweep of the hated Astros.

Incoming arm Jake Cousins, who will be in the Yankees’ bullpen for Monday night’s game in Phoenix, is interesting.

He’s a big righty with some impressive stats in his Major League opportunities with the Brewers from 2021-23, a 3.08 ERA over 51 outings with 72 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. The Ivy Leaguer who was drafted out of Penn also did well this spring in a failed attempt to make the White Sox’s Opening Day roster.

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RESTORING THE GLORY

And here’s maybe the fascinating thing about the guy:

Cousins’ cousin is Kirk Cousins, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who in March signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons after six seasons with the Washington Redskins and six with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Yankees’ Cousins is an inch taller at 6-foot-4, he’s six years younger at age 29 and he throws a lot harder than his famous relative.

Here’s a scouting report on Cousins from an MLB scout who saw him pitch this spring when he allowed one earned run over seven innings in seven outings with the White Sox:

“He has a good arm. Fastball 92-96 mph with armside run. Has ability to get to the top of zone. Two-seam fastball has some sink. Shows average to better slider with some sharpness. Uses a cutter 87-88 mph and shows good usage. He should be of some help in the Yankees’ pen.”

Left-hander Tanner Tully was designated for assignment two days after being recalled from Triple-A to create a spot for Cousins on the active 26-man roster and organizational 40-man roster.

2023 was a bad year for Cousins, who spent most of the season struggling in Triple-A with two organizations, the Brewers and then the Astros.

In 29 outings with Triple-A Nashville, 28 in Triple-A and one rehabbing in rookie ball, he was 3-2 with a 6.35 ERA. He also spent a month on the minor-league injured list with shoulder inflammation and was with the Brewers for nine games and allowed five runs over 9.1 innings for a 4.82 ERA.

In the two previous years, Cousins pitched to a 2.70 ERA as a big leaguer both in 2021 (over 30 games) and in 2022 (12 games).

Cousins left the Brewers organization last July 31 when he was claimed on waivers by the Astros, then he became a free agent after the 2023 season and signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox last December.

And now the cousin of an NFL star is Yankees property.

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Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected] .

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Yankees earn first 5-game winning streak to start season since 1992, knock off Diamondbacks 5-2

PHOENIX — Luis Gil had a successful outing in his return from Tommy John surgery and the New York Yankees started the season on a five-game winning streak for the first time in 32 years, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 on Monday night.

Anthony Volpe had his first career four-hit game — including two doubles — and an RBI. The Yankees also started the year with five wins in five games in 1933, 1988 and 1992. The 1927 Yankees started 6-0, but also had a tie in their third game.

Gil made his first MLB appearance since May 12, 2022, with an impressive fastball that touched 100 miles per hour.

“He came out firing first batter of the game,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said. “That was really cool. We were all super pumped for him to be out there.”

The 25-year-old was a surprise addition to the Yankees’ rotation, but manager Aaron Boone said the righty “kicked the door in” with standout performances during spring training. He rewarded that confidence on Monday, giving up one hit through 4 2/3 innings while walking three and striking out six.

The Yankees jumped ahead 2-0 in the second on an RBI single by Oswaldo Cabrera and an RBI double from Gleyber Torres.

“That’s the thing, I feel like as well as we’ve done so far offensively, I also feel like we’re not really rolling yet,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But we’re putting together tough at-bat after tough at-bat after tough at-bat.”

New York pushed the advantage to 5-0 in the third, taking advantage of two walks and two D-backs errors. Volpe drove in the first run with an RBI single and Austin Wells brought home the second on a sacrifice fly.

The third run of the inning was scored by Volpe, who came around from first on the same sacrifice fly.

D-backs left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made an errant throw to home, which allowed Volpe to dash for third. Then pitcher Ryne Nelson, who was backing up home plate, made a poor throw to third that bounced into the outfield, allowing Volpe to score. Gurriel and Nelson both received errors on the play.

That was the end of the night for Nelson (0-1), who surrendered five runs, including four earned, over 2 2/3 innings. He gave up five hits, walked four and struck out two.

“I don’t think it was our finest game,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

Luke Weaver (1-0) got the win, giving up one run over 2 1/3 innings of relief. Victor González earned his first save with a scoreless ninth.

Arizona’s Ketel Marte had one of the team’s four hits and two RBIs, both on sacrifice flies.

The Yankees opened the season with a four-game sweep over the Houston Astros. All five of their wins have come on the road.

MAKING MOVES

The Yankees put RHP Jake Cousins on the active roster after acquiring him on Sunday in a trade with the White Sox. To make room on the roster, New York designated left-hander Tanner Tully for assignment.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The D-backs placed OF Alek Thomas on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring . The injury happened during Sunday’s game. Arizona called up OF Jorge Barrosa to take Thomas’ place.

The D-backs send RHP Zac Gallen (1-0, 1.80 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night while the Yankees counter with LHP Nestor Cortes (0-0, 7.20).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Former No. 2 Pick in MLB Draft Gets DFA'd by San Francisco Giants

After parts of four mediocre seasons with the San Francisco Giants, former No. 2 pick in the draft Joey Bart has been designated for assignment.

• Author: Brady Farkas

In this story:

Former No. 2 overall draft pick Joey Bart has been designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants.

Jon Heyman had the report on social media:

Joey Bart, No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been DFA’ed by Giants

Joey Bart, No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been DFA’ed by Giants — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 31, 2024

After being designated, Bart will have an opportunity to be traded or claimed on waivers. If he passes through waivers successfully, he can be released or assigned to the minor leagues with the Giants. However, given his age (27) and former prospect pedigree, it's certainly plausible that a team takes a flier on him.

Bart has played parts of four seasons with the Giants, but has never been able to be the successor to Buster Posey that the organization envisioned when they drafted him out of Georgia Tech. He played a career-high 97 games in 2022 and is just a .219 hitter lifetime with 11 home runs.

It's a disappointing outcome for a player that was once so highly regarded, but again, this isn't the end for Bart and he's likely to get more chances to turn his career around.

As for the Giants themselves, they clearly ran out of patience with Bart as they look to get back to the playoffs in the National League. After signing Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks, Jung-Hoo Lee, and Matt Chapman this offseason, they see themselves as contenders and don't have time for developmental projects anymore

San Francisco is currently 2-2 on the season and they will open up a series with the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

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MLB Trade Rumors

By Mark Polishuk | March 31, 2024 at 12:24pm CDT

The Giants have designated catcher Joey Bart for assignment, thus creating 26-man and 40-man roster space for Daulton Jefferies , whose contract selection was reported yesterday.

The move likely marks the end of Bart’s time in San Francisco, which began with great fanfare when the Giants selected the backstop with the second overall pick of the 2018 draft.  Widely considered a top-tier prospect coming out of Georgia Tech, getting drafted by the Giants added another layer of expectation onto Bart since he was now viewed as the heir apparent to franchise legend Buster Posey .

Bart continued to place in top-100 prospect rankings as recently as 2022, yet after posting solid numbers in his first two pro seasons, the catcher was promoted to the majors in 2020 without any Triple-A time.  The lack of a minor league season in 2020 obviously kept Bart from any more minor league seasoning, but even though the Giants clearly liked what they saw of Bart at their alternate training site, he didn’t look ready for the Show while hitting .233/.288/.320 over his first 111 MLB plate appearances.

Posey’s decision to opt out of the 2020 season left a hole for the Giants at the catching position, but he returned with spectacular numbers in 2021 in what ended up being the twelfth and final season of his Cooperstown-worthy career.  Bart played in only two games in the majors in 2021 but still couldn’t seize the job with Posey retired, as Bart hit .215/.296/.364 in 291 PA in 2022.  Injuries further hampered Bart in 2023 as he struggled to a .528 OPS over 95 PA in the majors, and Patrick Bailey ’s ascension to the starting catcher role essentially served as the writing on the wall for Bart’s chances of sticking in San Francisco.

Trade speculation has followed Bart for well over a year, though since Bart is now out of minor league options, teams might have been waiting to force the Giants’ hand with a DFA rather than work out a trade.  It doesn’t seem likely that Bart will pass through waivers without a claim, and it’s possible he might not even end up far outside San Francisco — NBC Sports Bay Area’s Taylor Wirth reports that the Athletics are among the many teams who have scouted Bart.

Now 27 years old, Bart has a career .219/.288/.335 slash line over 503 PA in the Show, and a .274/.357/.434 slash over 554 Triple-A plate appearances.  Those minor league numbers are actually a little underwhelming, considering how Bart played in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.  Bart has also struck out 28.34% of the time in Triple-A, as he has yet to figure out how to make either consistent contact or quality contact against even minor league pitching, let alone MLB hurlers.

With this in mind, it is far from certain that Bart might enjoy a post-hype breakout with a change of scenery.  Simply sticking as a big league regular would be a good outcome given how inconsistent Bart’s pro career has been, but given his prospect pedigree, he’ll certainly get some kind of opportunity from one of the many teams in need of catching depth.

192 Comments

End of an era

End of an error?

To A’s or Rays

A’s, because the[r pick will have priority over the Rays.

A’s have two really talented young catchers already

Poolhalljunkies, So why are the A’s scouting him?

Yeah but they have Soderstrom in AAA

Jean Martrac, i have no idea..thier interest makes no sense to.me..perhaps you have some thoughts?..they have langoliers former braves top catching prospect starting who they aquired in the murphy deal..and they also have sodorstrom…do you think they would use bart as a backup since they cant option him?

Due diligence. Probably most teams have scouted him. Doesn’t mean they liked what they saw.

Poolhalljunkies, Every team has their own assessment of every ballplayer out there. Maybe the A’s like Bart, and think there’s still some upside. I like Langeliers, but he hasn’t really hit much.

And they can’t count on Soderstrom. He could fail at the ML level just like Bart has. In fact, Bart’s and Soderstrom’s MiL stats are very similar, only a difference of 19 points of OPS. Soderstrom’s had more HRs, but Bart got on base more.

I’m sure that SF let everyone know that he was available and attempted to find a trade before finally deciding to DFA him. I’m sure lots of teams sent a scout to see what the deal was.

technically 3

I dont think you can really compare them currently as there is 5 year age differnce , sodorstrom is 22 this year with alot of potential upside in front of him…bart is 27 and should be in his prime as a player..unless you think hes a late bloomer

Statistically catchers have the latest development age of any position. So Bart is not too old to be productive, but that’s irrelevant in regard to Soderstrom.

Their current ages are misleading. Bart played 264 games in the MiLs, Soderstrom 270. Most of Bart’s MiL career, almost 200 games, came between the ages of 21 to 24. Soderstrom’s came between the ages of 19 to 22.

Compare their age 21 seasons. Bart played 51 games and had an OPS of .952. Soderstrom played 77 games with an OPS of .834.

The point was both Bart and Soderstrom had/have good MiL numbers. Whether you think they’re comparable or not, the universal truth is no prospect, even with good MiL stats, is a sure thing once they get to the MLs. Soderstrom is not a sure thing.

24 hours ago

Right, but while Soderstrom might not be a sure thing we know based on age and opportunity Bart has been a bust so far or SF would not have designated him for assignment..bottom line the former has more years to figure it out the latter will likley be out of baseball in less than 2 if he cant start to figure it out..agree Bart still could turn it around but unfortnatley time is no longer on his side

23 hours ago

I agree completely that Bart has not shown development so far, while that same conclusion does not apply to Soderstrom.

But my point was, why would the A’s not be at all interested in Bart, who might still be productive, and instead put all their chips on Soderstrom? It’s good to have options. Bart provides an option should Soderstrom struggle like Bart has. It makes no sense to me that the A’s would say they’re not interested in Bart simply because they have Soderstrom in AAA.

Soderstrom will move to first base.

Well he is going to the BRAVES

Pinto and Rortvedt have been pretty good for the Rays so far.

True.. but catching is almost like pitching…seems like you can never have enough.

I would not put any stock in Rortvedt’s 7 ABs lol. He was a below average hitter even in the minors.

You wouldn’t want him on the Braves. He has dreads. Oh wait. Sorry, wrong guy. Carry on. =D

And he’ll probably do good like Duvall did lol

About time, just never worked out. He’s still young enough for a second chance

Fish will be looking to trade for cash consideration. We’ve wanted this guy for awhile now.

Second chance at the bus station. Exact change only please! Ahahaha!

Rays should pick him up

The A’s have first crack and he’s a better C than McCann.

Cleveland stole six bases off of McCann on Saturday. Bart would be an upgrade. I would not be surprised if Soderstrom is not called up in 2024; the guy can’t hit.

How about the Mariners?

He had a good spring but too little to late. Will be interesting to see if he gets claimed and if someone is willing to roster him all year

he has a good spring every year.

He’d look great in teal!

No doubt he gets claimed.

Doubt Bart makes it to a waiver claim. Some team will jump in with an offer, at least cash or a lottery ticket.

I’d guess the only way he gets claimed is by a team that immediately DFA’s him themselves, trying to be the one that gets him through waivers so he can be sent down. I can’t imagine there’s a team that wants him on their MLB roster. He just has no value beyond what’s left of his prospect cred.

If I had to guess, I think the Rockies pick him up. Their team is horrendous. They need anyone they can get

I was hoping the Rox would pick him up this past offseason, but since they got Stallings I don’t really think they need help at catcher until Drew Romo or another prospect is ready to take over.

That makes no sense unless Bart has some pitching talents I’m not aware of.

Rockies hitting is way worse than their pitching. Not that Bart solves that (there’s zero chance they’ll claim him).

This would have been perfect for the Rays before the Ben Rordverdt trade. They probably still could pick him up

Bart might pass through waivers because he’s out of options.

This. Almost certainly, unless someone throws in a claim with the intention of immediately DFA’ing him and re-starting the cycle.

Wish they had DFAd Wisely and sent Teng back down instead

I agree, Wisely has not done jacksht compafed to Bart

Bart has a .7 WAR over four seasons. That’s also not jacksht.

That’s not a good compafison.

A reply from Bofton c. 1803. By George!

They needed room on 26 man roster. Wisely on 40 but in minors

Why I also said to send Teng back to Sacramento

D’oh!

Fall from Grace

Someone will take a chance on him.

Rockies White Sox

Hey Dinger- White Sox? You don’t know anything about the White Sox do you? They have 5 C’s with more upside than Bart. They need Bart like they need Hemorrhoids. It’s probably the only position they DON’T need.

You mean Quero in AA Hackenberg in AAA Flores in rookie Hernanez in rookie Harris in A Turner in A?

Yeah white Sox should totally not take a flier on Bart in a down year when they’re rebuilding and see if they can fix him.

Taking a chance on Bart doesn’t interfere with anyone in their farm system long term. Quero and Hackenberg could use 1 more minor league season and Hackenberg could be a near end of season call up to give him a look. Taking a chance on Bart giving him a long term look means Hackenberg and Quero can develop more without feeling the need to rush them up in event of an injury.

If he sucks they got him for free. Lost nothing and didn’t affect any long term plans.

You kind of left out Maldonado, Stassi and Korey Lee but by all means talk about nothing. The one thing Getz did was set up the young C’s with Maldonado to get to the young guys. By all means try to sell Bart. You must be related or his agent. They’ve been trying to dump him for years since they found out he’s not going to be Buster Posey. Or Posey’s jockstrap for that matter.

Martin Maldonado who’s 37? Stassi who is 33? Lee who batted. .077 last year?

Yeah they’re definitely in the long term plans. Totally should pass up on a young catcher and give him a shot cause of….. Maldonado, Stassi, and Lee.

Lmao I’m related or his agent cause I’m saying white Sox who currently have bad old options at c should take a free chance on a significantly younger player in a rebuilding year and if it works out great if it doesn’t he was free and they can let him go? Yeah that’s it. Nailed it.

Bart sucks and nobody wants him. Just deal with facts. There’s always Asia and Mexico. Does he speak Japanese or Korean?

So do the white Sox. Match made in heaven. AAAA player meets AAAA team.

They have a cheap owner. They’re not without talent. Unlike your hero.

If they only thing positive you can say about Bart, over those 3, is that he is younger, you don’t have an argument. He’s not a better hitter. He’s not a better defensive player. If the White Sox were looking for younger, they could get someone younger than Bart, and they would probably have a better chance at being successful.

He just doesn’t want to admit the Giants made a horrible pick with the 2nd pick in the draft. It was a waste of the pick. The sooner he goes to a shrink and makes peace with it the sooner he can get on with his life. Trying to peddle his misery on somebody else is sad. The Sox have enough problems, They sure don’t need somebody else’s.

K. Name 1 catcher his age or younger they can get for free.

You’re making a lot of weird random baseless accusations which really tells us your reading skills are subpar.

Me: a rebuilding team should take a chance on Bart. See if he can live up to his draft status. He’s free. White Sox blow this year might as well take a free chance.

Mike: OmG sOx HaVe CatChErS!

Me: a lot of old ones, ones many years away, few who are close and could be promoted for September in 6 months.

Mike: OmG hE sUcKs!

Me: yeah that’s why he’s free. And a change of scenery could help. Not like playing Bart is gonna make the white Sox season any worse. They’ll finish top 5 worse record with or without him.

Mike: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE unintelligible off topic remarks due to poor reading ability.

Mike seems really angry, like his marriage is going the way the Sox season is going.

You really are a blind idiot aren’t you. LMAO.

You’re an angry miserable white Sox fan with reading comprehension issues and clearly lots of personal issues you need to sort through.

Yes your team sucks. They’ll suck are year.

Yes sucky teams take fliers on players other teams get rid of.

Your marriage is probably doomed if this is how you treat your significant other when they say thing you don’t like. You should work on that.

Yeah cheap owner, sure. Pathetic farm system. Pathetic team. White Sox blow and have for a long time.

Just tell me when nobody wants him you’re not going to end it all? I mean the shrink thing is still on the table. Get help before you take the pills. I’d like to say it’s been fun, But it hasn’t. Laughing all the way home.

Tell me. Why are you so upset over mentioning the white Sox suck so they should take a chance on Bart? Why did that trigger you? It obviously affected you significantly.

Is your self worth tied to how Sox do? Thats sad.is the Sox all you have after your family abandoned you? Are you enjoying your Easter alone sad and starring down empty bottles?

Nobody will miss you when you’re gone. I’m sure the kids can’t wait to go live with mom when she leaves you, if she hasn’t already. She made the right decision for what it’s worth.

Remember, yes it was you that ruined your marriage. Enjoy living with that forever.

The wife is dead and the kids are all 40 and have lives of their own and I’m 67 and way smarter than you’ll ever be. Thanks for bringing back memories. Just curious why you didn’t mention the A’s whose owner never found something for free he wouldn’t take? Or the Guardians and Royals whose owners are just as cheap as Reinsdorf. Or why the Giants were trying to peddle him all spring and couldn’t even get an A ball prospect. And now you think everyone thinks he’s going to be valuable. The best he’s ever going to see in MLB is a minor league deal from now on. But thanks again for showing you know absolutely nothing about me and even less about baseball. The Giants are lucky to have you for a fan because you’re dumb.

I guess the censor got rid of him. It’s not a bad thing because he was a moron. Yeah but it’s a good 0-3! Solid! LOL Oh they got rid of your other account. That’s it just move on to the next one. Maybe I’ll report this one and see how many you have.

Make fun of Korey Lee all you want but in 4 at bats this season he has already tied his career high in homers.

I’d be so embarrassed to reach the age of 67 and behave the way you do. You act like an angsty teenager. So many years to grow up and yet you just didn’t bother it seems. How pathetic.

Even the A’s won on opening weekend. How do you do worse than the A’s especially against the Tigers?

lol awe did Mike get upset and flag comments. Cute.

Nope. Changed name so you see a constant reminder of how bad the Sox are this year. But that’s nothing compared to your marriage going down the drain. You should focus on that.

@uncle Mike, that draft pick was pretty bad. While I don’t totally dosageee I’ve looked at this and even in hindsight it’s hard to say who would have been a better pick. Curious who out of the top 20 picks would you have taken instead of Bart with the information available at the time?

Bart’s a good player. Better than Bailey. Farhan just wanted his own 1st round pick to be the guy. They sabotaged Bart consistently, batting him 9th with no protection behind him. For a guy with power, that kills a career

Bart has much more power than Bailey, the stamina to play a whole season and no MLB catcher commits more errors than Bailey

Snellzilla #75 hours ago They sabotaged Bart consistently, batting him 9th with no protection behind him. ======================= Having the #1, 2, and 3 batting behind you is pretty good protection.

Catcher is VERY far from the Rockies main problem, and their roster is completely full, mostly with young guys. Zero chance.

Try him at C. Diaz and Stallings are 33 and 34 a piece. Definitely not guys preventing Rockies from giving someone like Bart a look for a couple months during a rebuilding year.

Try him at 1B. Try him in RF. Rockies aren’t set anywhere long term except at ss with Tovar’s extension so roster is full is silly. I’d definitely replace Stallings with Bart as a C/1B/COF/DH player.

Craig is in low A and Romo just started at AAA far as top catching prospects goes. Definitely not going to hurt to give Bart a chance.

Flop. Should have traded him.

For what? I’m sure they tried, especially after a good Spring

You really don’t think they tried? If nothing else him being on the roster the first three games proves they were trying. Teams are clearly ready to wait until he hits waivers. I think with a change of scenery he still might be able to find a path to the majors but Bailey is younger and has shown a lot more promise. Good luck Bart

Bart is the better player overall, time will reveal that

For some other team maybe but not the Giants he’s had plenty of chances to show it

Well that’s a fine howdy do…

Roughly 500 plate appearances in the majors, I’m not convinced he is done. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he still eventually develops into an above average starting catcher.

I’d bet money on it. More than I would on Bailey having the stamina to play the whole season or not leading the league in errors again.

Are you serious? Bailey had the highest defensive WAR of any player- not catcher, player in the majors last year and didn’t play a full season. If course he didn’t have stamina, he caught a full major league seasons worth of games on the fly after never doing that in the minors- there is a reason that normally that doesn’t happen with rookies, it takes a year or two to adjust to the workload

Why on earth would you think that? At this point the ONLY thing in his favor is how good he was in college. That was seven years ago. He’s toast and the most likely thing is he’ll be out of baseball in a couple years.

Wasn’t he once considered to be one of the Giants top prospects?

Not since new FO joined the club.

Farhan and Kapler intentionally sabotaged him, because they wanted their own 1st round pick to be the guy.

God you are dumb. Do you really think Farhan had a secret plan to make a player that they needed to step up strike out 60% of the time

Yup, that’s what GMs do. They sabotage as many players as possible in order to get fired.

The scouting report on him was his floor was a backup catcher based on glove and power. He was power over hit and could he hit enough to get to the power and approach his ceiling. He never got off his floor in SF, he was rushed due to injury at MLB level and then had injuries of his own in the minors.

ATL would be a homecoming however it’s tough for catcher’s to be traded intra-season due to their unfamiliarity with staffs. Ex Giant Chadwick Tromp is now the back up in ATL after Murphy’s injury and has been with the organization for some time.

I suspect he wasn’t moved earlier because other teams saw the SFG roster crunch and preferred to wait until he was DFA’s for leverage in trade talks. If you look around MLB you’d be hard pressed to find 29 backups C’s who have Bart’s possible ceiling.

If he doesn’t get traded it’s because SFG deem the offer to “nominal” and instead allow the player to be become a free agent.. That said I see a lottery ticket type of return, Low A pitcher who projects as a RP with 95+ FB who can’t spin anything with 45 control.

@sfjackcoke And he’s pretty much a backup catcher already, on an ordinary club, about 1 WAR over a full season, probably still with some upside.

A little bit of a platoon edge from the better side, still pre-arb, and should be cheap at arb 1 even after a pretty good 2024.

I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t net a minor leaguer in the range you imply.

Why would anyone trade something for him when they can get him as a waiver claim? Dude’s been very publicly available since 18 months ago.

4 hours ago

Because a team could be down the waiver list and this allows them to jump to the front of the line. Has he been available for 18 months? I don’t believe that’s the case, I think SF would have loved for him to grab the job like Bailey did last summer but that didn’t happen.

He became available when Murphy was signed but as an organization you just don’t dump assets you can control because C can and do get hurt quite often. They are here now because he’s out of options and SFG needed a 26 man spot..

FWIW he’s not a bust, busts are 1st rounders who don’t get out of high A. It’s more common than you think for MLB draft pics.

Bart, Wiseman, and Lance.

Bay Area busts for the ages

For those of us old enough to remember, Chris Washburn.

If we are talking Warriors busts, we could be here all day. Before Curry and Klay, the Warriors were one of the worst drafting teams in NBA history. Patrick O’Bryant. Ike Diogu. Taking Vince Carter and immediately trading him and picks for Antawn Jamison. Joe Smith at #1 overall ahead of several All Stars including Kevin Garnett. And the classic taking of Todd Fuller two picks before Kobe Bryant.and four picks before local standout Steve Nash.

When you talk about bad draft picks for the bay area teams, nobody comes close to being as bad as JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders screwed the pooch on that one. Coming in second was warrior draft pick Joe Barry Carrol.

Don’t forget picking Penny Hardaway and then trading him for Chris Webber and 3 – 1st rounders. Then when Webber cried about being with the Warriors (yes I typed the word cried), he gets traded to Gugliata (sp?).

Take that all those bandwagon Warrior fans.

In fairness, they did get 3 first rounders back, including two of the exact same picks they traded to Orlando. Of course those two picks ended up being Todd Fuller (picked over Kobe) and Vince Carter (immediately traded away), so maybe they shouldn’t get credit. Ah the circle of life.

Joe Barry was a good player, only seen as a disappointment because he was first overall pick. Not the level of bust of top-10 picks Washburn and Russell Cross. Agree with you that JaMarcus Russell needs to be at the top of that list.

2 hours ago

Adonal Foyle is one of my favorite busts in Warriors history. The Raiders (while in Oakland) have the most hilariously bad draft history in the last 3 decades.

That’s how bad the Warriors have been at drafting. Adonal Foyle was one their better picks from like 1991-2011. The guy had a 12 year NBA career. Not an All Star by any means, but he was a very good shot blocker. His problem was everything else required of a basketball player.

The B in Joey’s name , just like his report card , quickly became an F

I’ll have to try to remember that one, Ed Poo!

2nd Overall….You can’t miss that high up in the draft. Unacceptable. The Giants really were Bochy and Posey for a 5 year period.

briar-patch thatcher, Normally, that’s true, except that 2018 draft class was about the worst one in decades. And every draft has some high picks not develop. It happens to every team. it will be hard to do worse than the Astros did missing on two #1 overall picks over a 3 year span.

Yeah, the entirety of the 2018 MLB draft was a real shat sindwich.

Although you’re kinda right about Houston, not signing the one guy netted them Bregman the following draft with the comp pick. So it kinda worked out

What about drafting Kyler Murray with the 9th overall pick? I’d say that’s more embarrassing.

Bart was drafted by Bobby Evans, this along with other bad decisions is why he was fired and Zaidi was hired.

Bart wasn’t a mistake, the dude’s good. Farhan just wanted his own 1st round pick to be the guy. We saw how ‘compassionate and kind’ Farhan really is, with JD Davis, Crawford, Madbum, Panda, Renel, ect.

Damn your takes her worse and worse, Farhan had nothing to do with renel- her bosses are ballpark ops that Farhan has nothing to do with and this spring Pablo struck out in 80% of his plate appearances. Would you really DFA Chapman in order to have that on the team?

Snellzilla #75 hours ago We saw how ‘compassionate and kind’ Farhan really is, with JD Davis, Crawford, Madbum ======================= Wait, did you just say that SF should’ve topped AZ’s offer?

5 picks in the first 43 of that draft have been worth more than 5 war. Only one so far worth 10. The only other person that was in discussion worth number 2 was bohm, and he’s barely been better than Bart

I feel like the longer you scroll the better it gets. Drew Rasmussen and Shane McLanahan were good pickup for the Rays. Palacios might also have some upside if he continues the way he played in Spring.

Best of luck to Joey Bart! He hasn’t had an easy time of it. Trying to follow Posey’s footsteps and get through the pandemic without his minor league Triple A time, good grief. He will improve with a solid position on another team, hopefully.

Holy cow ! Didn’t realize he was #2 pick overall. Just rmbr hearing bout em bein nxt big thing in San Fran. The proverbial change of scenery could benefit em or does he just suk ?

He seems like he has gotten somewhat better but he needs a team that can let him fail for a while because he needs to prove that as a bat first catcher he can actually hit. He has a ton of power but also struck out so bad in 2022 that they couldn’t keep him up- over 60% of the time

38% K-rate in 2022! That’s wild. Still, his oWAR projected to be about 2.0 over a full season. And for a catcher. That’s wilder!

What a waste of a roster spot if they designated him after 3 days.

okinnitram, Not really. What were they going to do with that spot anyway? They didn’t need it until today. I think they were playing a bluff, showing other teams they’d roster him, and not let him go cheap. It didn’t work, but it didn’t hurt to try.

Part of it too is that they wanted to see if teams could fill their spots to try to sneak him through waivers. One thing about position players is that they are harder to claim than pitchers because you can usually stash a pitcher in the pen more easily than you can open up a position once the rosters are set

This. Some people here seem to think a team can pick him up (either trade or waiver claim) and stash him in AAA. They cannot. He’s out of options. A team would have to replace one of their major league catchers with Joey Bart, which is just not gonna happen. Some team (could be the Giants, could be someone else) is gonna outright him eventually, and he will play in the minors this year, but he’s not gonna get traded for or claimed at this point.

Where’s that poor deluded soul who predicted that Bailey would be benched, and Bart made the starter?

Sitting in a corner hiding with the poor deluded soul who said Bart was Rutschman’s equal two years ago.

I said to trade Bart TWO YEARS AGO when he still had a potential upside. Now the Giants get what the little bird left on the rock. Baseball version of Trey Lance.

What a total Jack hoff man

Not allowed to trade guys?

Knowing that Bart knows, I’ve been looking for him in the dugout shots these last 3 games. Saw smiling, laughing and cheering hard. Respect.

Move across the bay to OAK

Nobody wants to live in the Bay Area or play for those teams.

What are you saying, JackHoff? I love living in the Bay Area!

Sad day …too much pressure and hype after Posey. Dude has power I could see him DH for some team and be Rob Deer type force.

Stonecoldaustin, For him to be a DH he needs to make better contact, which he hasn’t been able to do. His best chance is to be a catcher.

Jean Matric Bart was hitting over .300 consistently last year, before he got injured and it affected his performance. Farhan and the front office just want their own 1st round pick to be the guy. The history shows that your point is mute.

Snellzilla #75 hours ago Jean Matric Bart was hitting over .300 consistently last year, ========================= He had a .302 on 5/3, with -0- HRs and a 13/2 K/W. That’s awful.

More likely he just can’t really hit MLB pitching.

These guys have been playing in front of screaming fans (and parents) in packed stadiums since they were eight. The idea that they’d choke and keep choking because they followed a HOFer doesn’t ring true.

Watch the Tampa Bay Rays claim him and turn him into an All-Star LOL

DFAd Bart for a dude that has given up 9 runs today before completing 2 innings smh

Unless Bart can pitch, that’s apples and oranges.

How is Bart behind the plate? I imagine he wouldn’t have been DFA’d if he was above average behind the plate…

ilikesports, According to Statcast he’s not terrible. They have him slightly above average framing, about average throwing, slightly below average blocking, with a poor pop time. He might be able to improve on some of those things If he started to hit he would be serviceable. But that’s a big if.

He’s A’s starting C as soon as they claim em. Best AAAA team very lil money could buy.

Catcher is the one (and only) position at which the A’s are pretty set for the future.

It’s about time.

They should have just had Bart take the mound today instead — couldn’t have possibly done worse than the guy that replaced him.

Yep! he’s the new Blake Swihart

I have to admit, you guys really care about your team! BTW, can he play defense? If he can, he should go to Atlanta. They do not need his offense! Thank You!

So now Bart can take BART to Oakland.

Sick public transportation burn, TIG!

Bart to the cubs. Finally complete the Bryant trade.

Player to be named way way later.

Giants fans will still clamor not to trade Bart after a good spring training

Trading Bart would be a big mistake

For the team acquiring him, yeah, although they won’t be giving up anything so no harm no foul.

KBO. Hebwoukd mash there

Good luck Joey, sorry it didn’t work out.

Just another example of how dumb it is to take prospect rankings seriously. It’s just as dumb as high football recruiting stars.

Watched the Bart saga from the start. He did have a good spring this year, but no roster spot and out of options. I think once he is picked up by another team he just might pan out some. He has handled everything surrounding him very professionaly. I think his biggest problem was him getting into his own head at times. The amount of pressure on him has been overwhelming at times. Also don’t think Kapler believed in him at all and that’s a confidence crusher. Joey’s a hard worker and I hope he lands with a team that is able to give him playing time. Tough to be the heir to what Posey did in a Giants uniform. Less pressure now and he just might pan out for another team. I hope it happens for him. He is a standup guy. Good luck Joey.

Biggest problem Bart had was a front office that wanted their own 1st round pick to be the guy, so they batted him 9th with no protection behind him, so he wouldn’t get any good pitches to hit, sabotaged

so they batted him 9th with no protection ==================== The #1 hitter is good protection. You never want to walk a guy in front of the top of the lineup.

All singles this spring pretty much. Bunch of weak base hits. Swing is too long for MLB talent. Might be a solid independent league catcher

Double digit HR power, unlike Bailey. Bart’s double nearly cleared the wall. We just gave up light tower power, for… Jeffries

I admire your devotion, but Georgia Tech was a long long time ago.

Right, Bailey had all singles pretty much this spring, good point

He got a 7 million dollar signing bonus He never needs to work another day in his life

I still can not understand why teams need to give squat to draft picks He could go dig ditches if he didn’t want to play baseball, he really did nothing to deserve that bonus as his play has proven

I think this once again proves the insanity of this planet

Uhh. Go team!

By that logic, my cardiologist should also dig ditches.

That makes absolutely no sense at all

Captainmike1

“…he really did nothing to deserve that bonus as his play has proven”

That’s clear hindsight. Over a 3 year college career he had a line of 322/.407/.544 and an OPS of.950. The Rays drafted him out of HS, but they couldn’t sign him.

Teams have to give bonuses. Otherwise, they go to, or back to, college, and enter the draft the next year. If teams could get away without giving signing bonuses they would. They don’t do it out the goodness of their hearts.

This is a HUGE mistake! Bailey’s passed ball in the first inning is an omen. Just wait till July, when Bailey’s leading all MLB catchers in errors, batting .220, is too fatigued to play, while Bart has 15-20 HR for another team and is still going strong. Jeffries sucked!

By golly gosh darn it! I was so looking forward to the Marlins finally accepting that Jesus Luzardo, Edward Cabrera or Braxton Garrett for Joey Bart were fair trades. Now we have no choice but to see if we can convince him to join us for nothing.

Wonder if he’ll come home to the Braves and take a minor league deal. Assuming he clears waivers, etc. Braves need a little depth and clearly can let him work on things if needed. He’s still young enough and catching around the league is so poor that he can turn himself into a fine backup if not starter

I can see the Braves or the Marlins and probably Rays in on him. If I were a betting man, I think there’s a very good chance he ends up with one of our teams to try to start over with a team that’s closer to his home surroundings.

Pirates should have made a move for him over Grandal. Obviously couldn’t have cost much to make a move.

Bart isn’t in Grandal’s universe as a player. Where are you all getting this idea that the guy can play? Like, at all?

Grandal hasn’t done anything in the last 2 years. Like, at all.

Their floors are about the same but the ceiling for Bart as a change of scenery player is higher than Grandal’s.

If the Pirates were going to spend any sort of resources I’d rather them take a flyer on a guy who was recently a top prospect vs a guy who can’t even start the season healthy.

Hey, where are all those Giants fans that said in the offseason it makes sense for the Marlins to trade one of their young pitchers for Joey Bart?

Not falling for revisionism.

Joey Bart was not an awful 1-2 draft pick in 2018. At 1-1, the Tigers picked Casey Mize while many, many fans preferred Bart.

There was no real third-candidate debate other than some who liked high-schooler Kelenic – similar to the crowd who loves Detroit’s Max Clark pick from last summer. Mize was considered almost-ready so he won out.

Other than Brady Singer outliers, whose candidate slid a bit, I don’t recall any other players pegged above Bart on any notable pre-draft lists from 2018.

Bart didn’t pan out. Different answer to a different question.

And just look at that 2018 list. Whole lotta nothin’.

20 hours ago

People fall in love with first round picks.Top prospects.In Baseball there is a lot of players who never fullfill their potential.If you get a chance for a top player,Trade your prospect.But i look at Duran and you can’t teach his speed.You can teach him to play the outfield.You can work on his hitting.Take advantage of their strengths.Saying he should hit homeruns when he is more exciting to hit gap to gap.Just Remember Andy Marte.Huge prospect and never amounted to anything.

17 hours ago

Bart = Bust

We all saw this coming with Bart, especially since they signed Murphy to clearly team up (and provide an offensive boost) with Patrick Bailey.

I liked Bart, and this is a disappointment, but I can see him catching on and developing into an everyday starter in the next few years, especially if he lands in a place who can give the development time needed.

Joey Bart was a bust from the start, the Giants overhyped him to be the next Buster Posey.

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