The August 31 postseason roster deadline has passed, meaning MLB teams have to work with what they have in the run to October. Several teams were active, including the Royals, who acquired a trio of players to support their roster amidst the hunt for a playoff spot. Here’s a look at what went down.
Astros
We’ll start with the Astros, who designated Jacob Amaya for assignment last week. A few days later, Houston signed Jason Heyward to a Minor League deal. Heyward was used primarily as a specialist against right-handed pitchers by Los Angeles over the last two seasons. However, he’s hit left-handers (.286/.286/.500 over 14 PA) better this season than righties (.200/.286/.382 over 189 PA), albeit with a much smaller sample size. He’ll look to stabilize an Astros outfield that’s still without Kyle Tucker, recovering from a fractured shin.
Braves
The Braves got Tyler Matzek back on a Minor League deal. San Fransisco cut Matzek, who was acquired by the Giants in the Jorge Soler trade. The 33-year-old reliever is currently with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Brewers
The first-place Brewers were quiet before September 1.
Cubs
Chicago took advantage of the Cardinals’ mini-selloff, as the Cubs picked up Shawn Armstrong. The 33-year-old Armstrong pitched well with the Cardinals (2.84 ERA, 12 K over 12.2 IP). Armstrong can get hitters off balance with his stuff, which includes a sinker, cutter, and four-seamer that sits in the mid-90s and plays up with extension. He’s also not an easy pitcher to pick up.
Diamondbacks
Arizona was quiet before September 1. The last transaction the D-Backs made before September 1 was when Gavin Hollowell was claimed off waivers by the Cubs from Arizona.
Dodgers
The Dodgers did not make any significant additions.
Guardians
Cleveland stole the show during last year’s deadline when the Guardians picked up Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. The Guardians weren’t anywhere near that active this time around. Cleveland did DFA Anthony Gose, who re-signed with the Guardians on a Minor League deal.
Mariners
The M’s didn’t do much, although Seattle did get J.P. Crawford back last week. The Mariners selected Luis Urias‘ contract on August 31.
Mets
There were reports the Mets may be in on Taylor Rogers, who was placed on waivers by San Francisco before August 31. That, however, did not come to be. Had the Mets claimed Rogers, New York would have been on the hook for his contract, which goes through the rest of 2025.
Orioles
Baltimore made some tweaks to their relief core. The O’s designated Dillon Tate, now with the Blue Jays, for assignment. and signed Nick Anderson to a Minor League deal. Anderson’s Whiff% rate is down to 23.4% at the MLB level, a stark change from 27.8% in 2023.
Royals
The Royals were arguably the most active team before the August 31 deadline. Kansas City picked up Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers, then traded for Yuli Gurriel in a deal with the Braves. Since Gurriel was on a Minor League deal and hadn’t played in the Majors this season, he was not subject to the July 30 deadline.
The acquisition of Gurriel, on paper, made sense, given the Royals’ loss of Vinnie Pasquantino to the IL. That only lasted five at-bats before he exited with hamstring tightness on September 1. As for Grossman and Pham, the two will look to provide offensive support for a Royals outfield that’s labored to do that in 2024. No Royals regular outfielder this season has an OPS+ above league average (100).
Padres
San Diego picked up 2023 NL All-Star Elias Diaz on a Minor League deal before the postseason cutoff date. Diaz, signed on a Minor League deal, was promoted to San Diego when the rosters expanded. The veteran catcher doesn’t have much power, although he is a solid defender and receiver. Thus, it’s not entirely shocking no other team took on Diaz’s contract with the Rockies when Colorado cut bait with him. He’ll join Luis Campusano and Kyle Higashioka.
Phillies
The Phillies made their moves at the Trade Deadline. Besides shuttling relievers between the MLB level and Triple-A, Philadelphia wasn’t active on the transaction front.
Yankees
The Yankees were not active at the postseason waiver deadline. However, the Yankees did get Anthony Rizzo back on the 1st, a welcome addition for New York after the struggles of Ben Rice. Rice, who got off to a scorching start, batted just .174/.269/.356 with the Yankees before being demoted to Triple-A. The Yankees will get Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt back over the coming days.