RHP DOMINGO GERMAN EXERCISES OPT OUT, RELEASED BY PIRATES
Right-hander Domingo German has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and has been released by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Signed to a minor-league deal, German posted a 4-4 record with a 5.35 ERA in 10 starts for Triple-A Indianapolis. He also allowed one run on three hits in four innings in one start with Single-A Bradenton.
German, who turns 32 on Aug. 4, is just over 13 months removed from tossing a perfect game with the New York Yankees. He was placed on the restricted list Aug. 2 and entered an alcohol treatment program before being granted free agency on Nov. 6. He signed with the Pirates on March 16.
German went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 20 appearances (19 starts) last season. The highlight was the perfect game in Oakland on June 28, 2023.
In May of 2023, German was suspended 10 games and fined by Major League Baseball for violating policies regarding the use of foreign substances.
Overall, German is 31-28 with a 4.41 ERA in 112 appearances (89 starts) since reaching the majors with New York in 2017.
German was 18-4 in 2019 before his season ended in September when MLB placed him on administrative leave after domestic violence allegations. He was suspended for 63 games (making the total 81 for his punishment) in January 2020 and missed the entire COVID-19 shortened season.
WHITE SOX SIGN 3B NICK SENZEL
The Chicago White Sox signed free agent third baseman Nick Senzel on Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
Senzel, 29, was designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals on July 6 and released five days later. He appeared in 64 games for Washington this year, hitting .209 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs.
In six major league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (2019-23) and Nationals, Senzel has posted a .235 batting average across 441 games. He has 40 homers and 143 RBIs.
Chicago officially made two others moves on Wednesday, designating Danny Mendick for assignment and optioning fellow third baseman Lenyn Sosa to Triple-A Charlotte.
Mendick, 30, was hitting just .197 across 47 games this season. He had three home runs and eight RBIs.
The 24-year-old Sosa has hit .237 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 52 big-league games with the White Sox in 2024.
The Athletic reported that Martin Maldonado also was designated for assignment after the catcher hit a measly .119 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 48 games this season.
LHP DALLAS KEUCHEL ELECTS FREE AGENCY AFTER DFA FROM BREWERS
Veteran left-hander Dallas Keuchel elected to become a free agent Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported, after he was designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday and cleared waivers.
Milwaukee acquired Keuchel, 36, in a deal with the Seattle Mariners on June 25 and added to the starting rotation after a number of injuries to the starting staff.
In four starts with the Brewers this season, Keuchel had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings without a decision. In 13 major league seasons, the 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Houston Astros is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA in 282 appearances (267 starts).
After pitching his first seven seasons with the Astros, Keuchel has made appearances for six different teams in the past six seasons.
WITH 24 TEAMS IN PLAYOFF HUNT, PLAYERS EXCITED FOR SECOND HALF
ARLINGTON, Texas — The All-Star festivities always provide a nice respite for players and fans alike amid the regular season grind.
The Home Run Derby delivered an entertaining battle in the finals between champion Teoscar Hernandez and runner-up Bobby Witt Jr.
The All-Star Game itself had memorable moments, including Shohei Ohtani going deep for the first time in the Midsummer Classic and Jarren Duran winning MVP honors by belting the go-ahead two-run blast for the American League.
Now it’s back to reality and what has the makings of a wild second half for baseball. There are 24 teams within 7 1/2 games of a playoff spot.
“Every single team you face is going to put up a really good challenge,” Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman said.
The Orioles ended the first half with a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. The Boston Red Sox sit just 4 1/2 games back of the division lead and have a two-game cushion as the final wild card team.
“Pretty good first half. Job’s not done though,” Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck said. “I want to see this all the way through, play 162 (games) as a group. We’re exciting. We’re young. I feel privileged to show up in that locker room every day with those guys and go about our business.”
The AL West is just as stacked with the Seattle Mariners holding a one-game lead over the Houston Astros and the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers five games back.
In the AL Central, the Cleveland Guardians have a 4 1/2-game lead over the Minnesota Twins. The resurgent Kansas City Royals still are in the playoff mix at seven games back in the division and two back in the wild card.
“Our team has to trust everything day by day and not worry about standings,” said Witt, the Royals’ standout shortstop. “Just take everything one pitch at a time, one day at a time, and look up in September and see where we’re at.”
There is more separation in the NL divisions with the Philadelphia Phillies enjoying baseball’s best record at 62-34 and leading the NL East by 8 1/2 games. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a seven-game cushion in the NL West, while the Milwaukee Brewers are leading the St. Louis Cardinals by 4 1/2 games in the NL Central.
The real drama will likely come in the wild card hunt. The NL has nine teams within 3 1/2 games of a wild card spot.
“There’s a lot of good teams,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “We pay attention to the standings, but we’re really focused on one game at a time. It’ll be a competitive second half. We’ll have to go out there and play good baseball to win our division.”
In the AL wild card race, there are eight teams within 7 1/2 games of the final spot. The Detroit Tigers are seven games out, but there’s no reason to think they can’t make a legitimate run after closing the first half by winning eight of their last 10.
Asked his goals for the second half, Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal said: “One, obviously to stay healthy and stick with the routine, and then see how many games we can win in the second half and play for something down the stretch.”
Playing for something down the stretch is the goal for any team and it’ll be a dogfight to the end. It’s hard to rule out any team at this point.
That includes the Rangers, who are looking to become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000.
“We’ve had a slow start, but we’re trending in the right direction,” Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said. “We’ve got pitching coming. (Max) Scherzer is coming back. We’ve got a couple pretty good position players coming back, too. So once we get healthy and we’re all swinging the bat well, I think we’re a scary team.”
MLB FUTURES: FINDING BETTING VALUE TO START THE SECOND HALF
With the All-Star Game in the books, the second half of the season begins on Friday, making now the time to check out futures markets.
There’s value available if you know where to look.
A team or player on this list offers excellent value for the bet in question. It might be because of a surprise season or reflect a decent team that’s one bat or arm away from making a title run. It certainly won’t be the Chicago White Sox, who have provided no value at all this season and sit an incredible 32.5 games out of first place in the American League Central.
Here’s a dive into the available plays with a few values remaining on the board.
World Series
The biggest bet on the board offers a fair amount of value for anyone ready to buy into the surprise teams of the 2024 season.
You can still get the Cleveland Guardians at FanDuel at +1800 despite the club leading the AL with a .611 winning percentage.
At the other end of the spectrum — not quite as distant are the White Sox and Oakland Athletics — the Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the year’s biggest disappointments. The Jays were a dark horse World Series play, but they’re now going off at +30000 to win the title at multiple books.
While the Jays struggle, the best value lies in their division. The Baltimore Orioles (+700) have almost every piece of the puzzle to win a world title. They score the second-most runs in the American League and boast a quality rotation, key to any series in their own division. The big question with Baltimore is what the Orioles have learned from last year’s flameout. Baltimore got swept out of the playoffs last season, and the young club remains in the proving grounds this postseason.
One team they’ll need to watch is the Houston Astros (+2000), who are built for the postseason. Unlike Baltimore, Houston has proven it can handle postseason pressures. If the Astros make the playoffs, they are dangerous, especially if aging ace Justin Verlander gets back to form.
AL Winner
Getting the Guardians (+700) at this price is insane. Their bullpen has dominated this season, posting a 2.62 ERA. From the book perspective, the Guardians aren’t likely to get as much action as the more popular New York Yankees, Orioles or Astros to win the American League.
The Boston Red Sox (+1600) also represent incredible value. They’re a longshot because they’ll be hard-pressed to beat the Orioles for the division, but if they qualify, they have the potential to be disruptive.
NL Winner
The National League could come down to East behemoths, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Dismissing the Dodgers seems foolhardy, but Los Angeles doesn’t have the pitching to get through a short series at the moment. The value isn’t there to take Philadelphia (+210), but the Phils are so tough at home that it’s not the worst play on the board.
If value is the play, try the Pittsburgh Pirates (+12000). They have the fourth-worst odds because everyone believes the owners will go cheap at the deadline. But if the Pirates stay the course, they’re close to a playoff slot.
AL MVP
Aaron Judge (-370) is having a phenomenal year. The question is not whether he’ll win the MVP, but whether he’ll win the Triple Crown. The Yankees aren’t the same team without him. At -370, there is no value here. The next best play is Gunnar Henderson (+310), but the Orioles’ shortstop just hasn’t matched Judge in any production category.
NL MVP
Even without his pitching abilities, Shohei Ohtani remains an otherworldly talent. Ohtani’s name recognition and talent level means he’s almost certain to win this award. Taking anyone else seems foolish, but the -375 odds indicate books think this race is over.
Bryce Harper (+410) is at least in the mix and has had months where he’s unstoppable. But Ohtani’s hitting has been second to none and he faces a below-average second half schedule. That should give him a big edge.