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The Guardians have released outfielder Ramon Laureano, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’ll now head to the open market and will be free to explore opportunities with all clubs.
This was the most likely outcome when the Guardians designated Laureano for assignment last week. The outfielder’s production has been trending down for a few years now and is at an especially low point this year. The 29-year-old has hit .143/.265/.229 thus far in 2024 while striking out 38.6 percent of the time.
On top of his poor performance, his salary has been creeping up gradually via the arbitration process. He’s making $5.15M this year and any team acquiring him via a waiver claim or trade would have been taking on that money. It’s unsurprising that no club wanted to take that on, given how he has been playing of late. He has more than five years of service time, meaning he can reject an outright assignment while also keeping that salary in place.
Now that he is a free agent, teams may be interested in a low-cost flier. Since he’s now been released, the Guardians are on the hook for what’s left of the money, meaning that any club that signs him would only be responsible for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Guards pay.
It’s been a few years now, but Laureano was once a solid regular for the Athletics. From 2018 to 2021, he stepped to the plate 1,257 times for the A’s and hit 49 home runs. His .263/.335/.465 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 119, indicating he was 19 percent above league average in that time. He also stole 34 bases and was generally given strong defensive grades, leading FanGraphs to credit him with 8.6 wins above replacement in 313 games.
But towards the end of that 2021 season, he was given an 80-game PED suspension and his performance has been tailing off since then. He hit .211/.287/.376 in 2022 for a wRC+ of 95 and his offense slipped a bit farther in 2023. The A’s designated him for assignment in August of last year and the Guards put in a claim.
Moving to Cleveland seemed to spur a bit of a bounceback, as Laureano slashed .243/.342/.382 for a wRC+ of 106 down the stretch. That apparently intrigued the Guards enough that they tendered him a contract, agreeing to the aforementioned $5.15M salary. But he has fallen off dramatically and now finds himself looking for his next opportunity.
As mentioned, Laureano can be signed to a major league roster at essentially no cost. Perhaps some club would give him a spot and see if he can play well enough over the next two months to be flipped for a lottery ticket prospect. Or even if no club is willing to bite on that, he should at least be able to find a minor-league deal somewhere.
More must-reads:
- Ron Washington Can’t Figure Out Home Struggles After Guardians Sweep
- Guardians' big 3rd ends up being all they need to top Angels
- The 'Cleveland's 1997 World Series roster' quiz
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Orioles give concerning injury update on young star
BOSTON — After missing more than a month with a left oblique strain, there was some concerning news about the other side of Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman on Tuesday. Rutschman was a late scratch from the lineup on Tuesday night as the Orioles wrapped up a quick two-game series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. The 27-year-old catcher was originally slated to hit second for Baltimore, but he was replaced in the lineup after reporting right abdominal discomfort during pregame batting work. Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino gave Rutschman credit for reporting the injury and not trying to push through it. "There was some side soreness that popped up a little bit. I'm learning now, but it sounds like yesterday he had some general soreness in the opposite side that he injured earlier," Mansolino said. "He came in today and started his cage routine. Didn't feel good, so wisely stopped. We'll get him checked out tomorrow and see the severity of it." The Orioles have an off day on Wednesday before starting a series at Camden Yards against the Houston Astros. Rutschman did not play against the Red Sox on Monday, but Mansolino insisted that was "a planned off day." Rutschman caught all three games for the Orioles in Houston before the trip to Fenway, going 2-for-15 at the plate. "It was all by design," Mansolino said of the off day, trying to alleviate concerns about Rutschman being out of the lineup yet again. Rutschman's trip to the injured list with the left oblique strain was his first time on the IL in his four-year career. It's part of a season that has been disappointing for the former top overall draft pick as he is just 3-for-29 over his last seven games, lowering his slash line to .227/.310/.373 in 308 at-bats. He is also batting just .138 with runners in scoring position, the third-lowest average among all MLB hitters with a minimum of 50 at-bats. Rutschman's soreness comes at a time when the Orioles are also without infielder Jordan Westburg, who left Monday's game in the top of the first inning with a sore right ankle. "It's not been fun. The injury situation and the injury bug that we've had, it's been pretty wild," Mansolino said. "At some point, the baseball gods will take their foot off our necks in some way. "But, nonetheless, we still have a game to go play. I like the nine guys we got out there. They might not be some of the regular names that we've seen here over the years, but I like what's out there. I like what we have on the mound, and I feel like we have a chance to go play a good game." All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Shaquille O'Neal makes peace with longtime enemy — mostly
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard patched things up Sunday after years of feuding. But even while describing their rapprochement, O'Neal couldn't keep from teasing his longtime nemesis. The "Big Aristotle" was at the BIG3 playoffs Sunday to watch Howard's L.A. Riot play the Chicago Triplets. In the middle of describing to Rachel Nichols how he and Howard had made peace, O'Neal broke off his explanation to make fun of Howard for missing a dunk. The two Hall of Fame centers had sparred for years, despite their common ground as former members of the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the tension seemed to be due to Howard adopting O'Neal's "Superman" nickname, though O'Neal claimed to Nichols that he was simply being tough on Howard to motivate him. That explanation doesn't account for the time O'Neal mocked Howard for playing basketball in the Taiwanese league or the decade-plus he's spent roasting Howard on his podcast, in public appearances and on "Inside the NBA." Still, it appears that the two have made peace. Despite O'Neal being left off the original list of presenters, he insisted that he'll be among a group of Hall of Famers inducting Howard Sept. 6, including Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman and Patrick Ewing. It means that two of the most dominant big men of their eras have finally buried the hatchet. It's added a new level of interest to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, and it should be a sweet moment between O'Neal and Howard. As long as Howard doesn't mention Superman.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Kyle Shanahan reflects on Trey Lance's failed 49ers tenure
Before Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance became one of the standout players of the ongoing preseason, he failed to cement himself as a long-term option for the San Francisco 49ers after they made him the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was part of the regime that brought Lance to San Francisco. On Tuesday, Shanahan reflected on Lance's failed 49ers tenure as Shanahan's club prepares to host the Chargers for this coming Saturday's preseason finale. "When I revisit that, we knew where our team was at and where it was going to be the next couple years, and we were committed to getting a rookie quarterback," Shanahan said about the 49ers' decision to draft Lance, as shared by Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We weren't sure that it would be forever, but we thought that was important, contractually, where our team was at, in order to keep a good team together." Lance spent the bulk of his rookie year as a backup, and he then suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 campaign. Later that year, Brock Purdy became a rookie sensation en route to guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. In the summer of 2023, Lance fell to third on the 49ers depth chart beneath Purdy and Sam Darnold. San Francisco then traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round draft choice in late August 2023. In total, Lance made just four regular-season starts for the 49ers. More recently, he rushed for a touchdown and passed for 296 yards with two scores over the Chargers' first three preseason games. It seems he still has a fan in his former coach. "I'm pulling for Trey. I love Trey," Shanahan added about Lance. "One of the best people I've been around, and I really hope it works out for him." One may never know if Shanahan truly wanted to select Mac Jones over Lance in the spring of 2021. Jones is now on track to open the upcoming season as Purdy's primary backup, while Lance is trying to revive his career with the Chargers. It could be interesting to see if Shanahan and Lance get together for a chat after Saturday's matchup wraps up.
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