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The Padres announced that Tyler Wade was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso after going unclaimed on waivers. As a player with five years of major league service, Wade could have declined the minor league assignment while retaining his $900K salary. It seems he’s comfortable enough with the organization to report to Triple-A instead of pursuing other opportunities.
San Diego designated Wade and Eguy Rosario, both of whom are out of minor league options, for assignment on Opening Day. Teams have seven days to resolve DFA limbo. Waivers take 48 hours, so teams have five days after a DFA to line up a trade. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller said the team was trying to find a trade partner on Ruiz, but he’d presumably end up on waivers on Wednesday if they don’t make a trade Tuesday evening. Wade hit waivers more quickly, as he was less likely to get an MLB roster spot from another team.
The lefty-hitting Wade held a spot on San Diego’s big league roster for all of 2024. He appeared in 90 games, hitting .217/.285/.239 without a home run through 156 plate appearances. It’s an incredibly light bat, but Wade is a plus runner who can play anywhere aside from catcher. The Padres guaranteed him $900K on a deal with a $1M club option to buy out his final arbitration season. That gave him a decent chance to win another bench job entering spring training, but he was jumped on the depth chart in camp.
Wade had a poor spring, hitting .209 with one homer in 19 games. San Diego brought in Jose Iglesias on a minor league contract with a $3M base salary that made him a strong candidate to win the backup shortstop job. Iglesias, Yuli Gurriel and Gavin Sheets all made the roster as minor league signees. Brandon Lockridge had a great spring training to take the fourth outfield role. Lockridge runs very well himself, so he can replace Wade as Mike Shildt’s top pinch-running option.
The lack of flexibility on the bench obstructs Wade’s path back to the big leagues. He’s versatile enough to serve as injury insurance or an alternative if Iglesias isn’t performing well.
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New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
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.
Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Chris Long Lauds Tua Tagovailoa for Owning Up After Getting Caught Red-Handed About His Reading Habits
After a string of disappointing seasons, Tua Tagovailoa is heading into what feels like a do-or-die year. To be at his best, he sure needs to be focused on self-improvement, and well, you can count the QB’s reading habit as a big part of that. Whether it’s to mentally chew on a good story or to find an inspirational quote, Tua says that books have helped him keep his mind right. Through reading and also podcasts, the Miami Dolphins quarterback says he’s taking full advantage of his downtime this offseason. Tua decided to flex this self-improvement journey in his latest interview at training camp. “I watch a good amount of podcasts, listen to like a good amount of audiobooks as well. I’m reading a book right now. So, that’s kind of like my process before I got to bed, kind of helps with the dreaming aspect of it,” he told the media via The Hochman, Crowder Solana Show. It all sounds like a solid process. Especially before bed, reading is a great activity to help one sleep. It also reduces blue light exposure, which helps the body naturally wind down. Reading basically engages the brain in a relaxing way that helps quiet the mind. However, in an immediate follow-up question asking what he was reading, Tua got exposed. “I don’t know what I’m reading … funny,” Tua said. If you’re going to lie to the media about reading, we recommend that you at least know a random book title to back yourself up. Clearly, Tua was trying to impress everyone by looking more intelligent as a reader. But it was promptly thrown right back in his face. Still, hey, at least he didn’t lie once confronted about it! That’s what former player Chris Long lauded Tua for the most in reaction to the clip. “I actually have a lot of respect for Tua not trying to lie in that situation. Sometimes you have to take a sack, and to me, that was very mature of him,” Long said on the Green Light Podcast. At the same time, though, Long suggested that Tua always have a fallback book to get out of those situations. “I wouldn’t have gotten myself into that situation. You’ve got to have a book in your back pocket,” he professed. It’s a great strategy that many fake readers employ. Long recommended saying a simple book like Lord of the Flies. That said, Long’s co-host, Nate Collins, suggested that maybe Tua is making a major transition in life, and the book that he’s reading would give that away. So, perhaps he wasn’t comfortable sharing the book title. The funniest part about Long’s advice for Tua, though, was that when he was asked what his fallback book was, it took him a while to remember as well. “Uh, there’s a book right now that I’ve been reading, it’s been in my car for f**king 6 weeks.” It’s the classic answer that we all give when we act like we’re reading something. Before he knew it, Long backed himself into the exact situation Tua was in. But he was able to wiggle out of his jam by remembering the name of his book, “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari. All in all, this is a good lesson to all you fake readers out there. Remember to always have the title of a book in your back pocket if you don’t want to look as foolish as Tua. But also don’t continue to lie if you get caught red-handed, not knowing what the book is about. It’s always more respectable to be upfront, like the quarterback was.
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