The post-deadline churn keeps rolling, and four more pitchers have landed in limbo after last week’s flurry of DFA moves.
Ben Bowden has been outrighted by the Athletics to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Bowden had the right to turn down the assignment and become a free agent, but he has already made a couple of appearances for the Aviators since being sent down, which points to him accepting the move. In his major league career, the left-hander has posted a 6.65 ERA across 47 1/3 innings.
Germán Márquez is no longer in the Padres’ plans, either. San Diego released the right-hander, also per his MLB.com transactions tracker.
Because he has at least five years of service time, Márquez could have refused an outright assignment while still collecting the rest of his salary, but the Padres went straight to a release. The club remains responsible for what he is owed, and any team that signs him would only need to cover the prorated league minimum, with that amount deducted from San Diego’s bill.
Márquez finished with a 5.26 ERA in 53 innings for the Padres, though the source notes his underlying numbers were worse.
The Rangers have also cut ties with Chris Martin, who was released after dealing with injuries this year. Martin would have had the same option to reject an outright assignment and keep his money, so Texas chose the cleaner path of a release. Another team could sign him now and pay only the prorated league minimum, but Martin’s season has been rough: a 9.00 ERA, plus a history of flirtation with retirement.
Kansas City made a similar move with Matt Strahm, releasing the left-hander rather than going through an outright assignment. Like Márquez and Martin, he had the right to refuse while keeping his salary, and the Royals opted not to go that route. Strahm is now available to be signed for the prorated league minimum after putting up a 7.32 ERA in 35 2/3 innings this season.
In Other News...
Padres Are Turning The NL Wild Card Race Into A Fight
The Padres have turned a middling summer into a real push, climbing from 50-53 on July 23 to 64-57 by Aug. 12 and landing in a three-way tie for the second National League wild card spot. A team that looked stuck in the middle a few weeks ago has suddenly found itself in the thick of the race, and the change has been fueled by a deeper rotation after trades for Robbie Ray and Casey Mize.
Just as important, the offense has started to carry its weight, with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ty France all giving the lineup a much-needed lift. San Diego is putting real pressure on the clubs around it now, even if the Cubs still sit well ahead for the top wild card berth, and the rest of the race is starting to look less like a cushion and more like a fight. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Move On From Another Pitching Depth Option
The Padres have trimmed another arm from their Triple-A pitching mix, releasing right-hander Misael Tamarez from El Paso after a difficult season in the Pacific Coast League. Tamarez, who joined San Diegos organization in 2025 after previously pitching in the Astros system, spent the year working in relief but never found much traction, finishing with a 6.14 ERA across 31 appearances.
For a club that is always trying to keep enough depth on hand for the long grind of a season, the move is another sign of how fluid the back end of the pitching staff can be. Tamarez is now a free agent, and while the Padres continue to shuffle arms through the upper levels, this one leaves them looking for a more reliable option to fill those innings in El Paso. [Read more 🡒]