Veteran is right Chris Paddack was selected in free agency after being waived by the Reds, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Cincinnati designated him for assignment on Monday.
This is the second time Paddack has been withdrawn this year. The first came after he was released by the Marlins in mid-May, an unusually quick turnaround for a major league free agent since last season. It was inevitable that he would clear waivers at that point, as the team that wanted him would take his $4MM salary off Miami’s books.
The Reds waited until he resigned, then signed him to at least a major league contract. Paddack took the ball six times for Cincinnati, making three starts before moving to the bullpen. He posted a 6.04 ERA through 22 1/3 innings. That was better than his first season performance with Miami, as he gave up nearly eight earned runs in nine innings to Fish.
Paddack has a 6.96 combined ERA over 53 frames on the season. He still throws strikes but has a 15.7% strikeout percentage and has given up a lot of home runs in Miami. It has been the same general profile for several seasons. Paddack had a great rookie season with the Padres in 2019 but hasn’t been the same since battling injuries (mainly Tommy John surgery) the past few years. He still has a quality changeup, but opponents have applauded his fastball and he hasn’t had good breaking stuff.
Any team would have wanted Paddack for a league-low price this time around. The Marlins are in a position to receive the remaining salary either way because he has cleared waivers after the initial DFA. It seems that no one was willing to plug Paddack directly into the MLB roster. He may be limited to a minor league contract this trip to the market.
