Jarred Kelenic, Joe Ross and Chris Paddack are all back on the open market after clearing waivers and turning down outright assignments to Triple-A Round Rock, according to a Rangers announcement.
For Kelenic, the move adds another stop to a career that once carried huge expectations. The outfielder was the sixth overall pick by the Mets in 2018 and, after debuting in the minors and being traded to the Mariners in the Edwin Díaz deal, was viewed as one of the 10 best prospects in baseball. Seattle even talked him and Julio Rodríguez up as a possible long-term outfield tandem.
Rodríguez has become a star. Kelenic hasn’t found that same lane.
Outside of a solid 2023 in Seattle, he has struggled to generate much offense in the majors, and the Mariners eventually moved him to the Braves in the 2023-24 offseason while using his prospect value to clear salary tied to Marco Gonzales and Evan White. That didn’t change his trajectory.
Atlanta never got much out of him either.
Kelenic, who turns 27 later this month, spent time this season with both the White Sox and Rangers and didn’t do much with either club. He had just 10 plate appearances with Texas and picked up only one hit in eight official at-bats. On the year, he’s hitting .213/.304/.295, and across six major league seasons he owns a .211/.283/.372 line in 1,557 plate appearances.
Ross, 33, also heads back into free agency after a brief Rangers stint. He worked eight innings over five relief appearances, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out five. It’s another chapter in a career that has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries.
Early on, Ross looked like a promising starter with the Nationals. Through his first 35 big league appearances - 32 of them starts - he posted a 3.52 ERA in 2015-16 and logged 181 2/3 innings while showing solid strikeout, walk and ground-ball numbers. Since then, though, the injuries have piled up: two Tommy John surgeries and a procedure to remove bone spurs from his elbow.
He did rebound for a useful season with the ’24 Brewers, throwing 74 innings with a 3.77 ERA, but the results slipped again after that. In a partial season with the ’25 Phillies, he had a 5.12 ERA and a career-low 17.1% strikeout rate. This year, he’s been tagged for 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings between the D-backs and Rangers.
Over nine major league seasons, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has totaled 580 innings and a 4.38 ERA. The overall number still looks respectable, but it’s padded by those early years before the injuries took their toll.
Since that promising 2015-16 stretch, Ross has thrown 398 1/3 MLB innings with a 4.77 ERA. A team looking for veteran rotation depth or a possible bullpen swingman could take a look, though he and Kelenic both appear headed for minor league deals.
Paddack’s stay in Texas was even shorter. He was really only on the roster for a spot start, with Tyler Alexander technically opening the game but working just one inning. Paddack followed and covered four frames, allowing two earned runs before the Rangers designated him for assignment after only one day.
Now free again, Paddack could still draw interest because he’s experienced and inexpensive. He signed a $4 million deal with the Marlins before the season, and Miami is still responsible for the rest of that salary. Any club that signs him now would only owe the prorated league minimum, with that amount deducted from what the Marlins are paying.
The Reds tried that setup for a while, then moved on from him after a few weeks. That opened the door for Texas to add him and give its rotation a breather after Jack Leiter landed on the injured list.
Paddack’s résumé still includes that excellent rookie year in 2019, when he put up a 3.33 ERA in 140 2/3 innings. Since then, though, the production has not matched the promise.
Since the start of 2020, he has thrown 498 innings with a 5.26 ERA. His 5.3% walk rate is strong, but his 19.3% strikeout rate has been modest, and it’s dipped even further lately - 16.7% last year and 15% so far in 2026.
Even with those numbers, teams dealing with injuries may still see him as a live arm worth a look.
In Other News...
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The part that makes the idea linger is the timing. The player in question is nearing free agency, and the Orioles struggles only add another layer to the discussion, since clubs in Seattles position tend to watch situations like that closely. For the Mariners, it is the kind of possible addition that makes sense on paper and invites an immediate debate about whether the cost, the fit and the urgency all line up before the market gets moving. [Read more 🡒]
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For Seattle, the bigger picture matters as much as the individual absence. The As have already had to navigate injuries elsewhere in the lineup, and losing one of their more dangerous bats only makes an already difficult divisional climb more complicated. The Mariners still have work to do, but any break in a tight race can matter, and this one leaves Oakland with another hole to fill. [Read more 🡒]
Andrs Muoz May Have Just Changed Seattles Trade Deadline Plans
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Muozs rebound does not erase every bullpen need, though. The Mariners still have reason to hunt for relief depth because of injuries and the usual wear-and-tear of a long season, but the priority has shifted some. Instead of chasing a closer, Seattle can focus more narrowly on arms that can strengthen the group around him, with several potential relief targets already in the mix. [Read more 🡒]