The Blue Jays finally have a third catcher on the 40-man roster.
On Tuesday, the Blue Jays Twitter account announced that they have claimed Brian Serven off waivers from the Cubs.
ROSTER MOVE: We've claimed C Brian Serven off waivers from the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/HxSkYAejyu
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 16, 2024
Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time the Jays have claimed a player recently designated for assignment by the Cubs, as they picked up left-handed reliever Brendon Little earlier in the off-season
Speaking of earlier in the season, the Blue Jay actually had a catcher on the 40-man roster, but designated Tyler “The Magician” Heineman for assignment, where he was promptly picked up on waivers by the New York Mets.
Serven was selected in the fifth-round of the 2016 draft by the Colorado Rockies, the only organization he’s ever played a game for. He made his major league debut in 2022, where he slashed .203/.261/.332 with six homers in 205 plate appearances for a 52 wRC+. He also played 11 games with the Rockies in 2023, where he had a .130/.130/174 slash line with a double and a -42 wRC+.
The 28-year-old was claimed this off-season by the Cubs, but was designated for assignment less than a week later as the Cubs traded for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte.
Brian Serven nails J.T. Realmuto at 3rd. pic.twitter.com/VAPibHLx9O
— Caught Stealing (@MLB_CS) April 24, 2023
Serven has a bit of success in the minor leagues, as he hit .268/.326/.488 with 12 home runs in 337 plate appearances for a 114 wRC+ in 2018 while in High-A. In 2021 in Triple-A, Serven slashed .250/.308/.504 with 16 home runs in 276 plate appearances for a 93 wRC+.
The catcher had success with Colorado’s Triple-A team before the 2022 call up as well, as he had a .273/.406/.506 slash line with five home runs in just 96 plate appearances for a 129 wRC+.
Serven graduated in 2022, and the catcher was ranked as Colorado’s 16th-best prospect at the time. Fangraphs gave him a 40 hit tool, 40 game power tool, 45 raw power tool, 30 speed tool, and 50 fielding tool.
It’s likely that the catcher will remain on the 40-man roster as the Jays need a third catcher to call up in case of injury. Still, there may be a chance he’ll get a handful of opportunities with Toronto.
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The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Dallas Cowboys fans appear to have one thing on their mind during training camp, and they made sure to let team owner Jerry Jones know about it on Saturday. Hundreds of Cowboys fans showed up to the team's annual "Opening Day Ceremony" on Saturday in Oxnard, California. Jones addressed the crowd, and the 82-year-old was greeted with a lot of restless supporters when he took the microphone. As Jones began talking about how disappointed he was with his team's 7-10 season last year, many fans shouted the same two-word message: "Pay Micah!" The fans eventually settled enough for Jones to urge them to take note of all the changes the Cowboys have made this offseason. "I was shocked last year when we ended up with the record that we had. I never saw that coming. I want you to know, and I want you to look for as you watch practices this week, I want you to watch what we've done in the areas that we needed to work on," Jones said. "Look at what we've done in this offensive line. Look at what we've done, if you will, with our receiver cops. Look at what we're doing with our defense. A lot of changes out here -- a lot of coaching changes, a lot of player changes." Parsons is set to make $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. He is undoubtedly seeking to become the highest-paid defensive player in football, which would mean topping the $41M per year T.J. Watt recently got with his new deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Parsons had 12 or more sacks in each of his first four NFL seasons. Jones has hinted that he is playing hardball with the star linebacker in contract negotiations, and Cowboys fans do not seem to appreciate it.
The Minnesota Vikings rewarded 2020 sixth-round pick Josh Metellus with a sizable pay raise on Saturday, but they might be the bigger winner. Per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, Metellus agreed to a three-year, $36 million ($25M guaranteed) extension, keeping the versatile defender with the organization through 2028. While the Vikings list him as a safety on his profile, Metellus is so much more. Per NFL Pro data, he lined up everywhere on the defensive side of the ball last season, but predominantly at linebacker (43.5 percent) and slot corner (28.5 percent). Metellus also took snaps on the defensive line (edge and tackle), outside cornerback and both safety positions (free and strong). He provides enormous value at his cost. Per Spotrac, his $12M average annual value (AAV) puts him in the same class as Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit and Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson. Metellus entered training camp on the final year of a two-year, $8 million rookie extension he signed in 2023. In 2024, he appeared in 17 games with 10 starts, ending the season with 103 tackles, five passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Metellus, 27, figures to play a key role in what could be one of the NFL's top defenses this season, and his extension will keep in Minnesota through his prime. The Vikings had the fifth-ranked scoring defense (19.5 points per game) and led the league in interceptions (24) a season ago. During free agency, the front office bolstered the defensive line by adding veteran tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. The Vikings begin the preseason on Saturday, Aug. 9 at home against the Houston Texans. They open the 2025 regular season at the division-rival Chicago Bears on "Monday Night Football."
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