Two pitchers who left San Diego this summer have already been cut loose by their new clubs.
Matt Waldron and Ron Marinaccio, both right-handers, were designated for assignment after short stays with their latest teams. Waldron’s run with the Toronto Blue Jays ended after four appearances, while Marinaccio was moved on by the Cincinnati Reds after an even rougher stretch.
Waldron had been designated for assignment by the Padres in late July after a rough stretch and a pile of injuries. Toronto picked him up quickly, but the results never followed. In four outings for the Blue Jays, he posted a 10.38 ERA.
His season with San Diego had already been a grind. Waldron made 10 appearances for the Padres, including three starts, and finished with a 7.16 ERA across 32.3 innings. He did not debut until mid-April because he opened the year on the injured list following hemorrhoid surgery.
He later went back on the IL in May with a right brachialis injury and missed two months before returning as a bullpen option. After coming back, Waldron put up a 3.86 ERA over 9.1 innings before San Diego moved on.
Waldron had spent his entire career with the Padres, and 2024 had hinted at a breakthrough. In 27 appearances, including 26 starts, he logged a 4.91 ERA over 146.2 innings pitched.
Across parts of four seasons in San Diego, he finished with a 5.19 ERA over 225.1 innings and 195 strikeouts.
Marinaccio’s path has been even busier. Cincinnati became the third team he played for this season, after stints with the Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds designated him for assignment after he struggled badly in their uniform, and he has chosen free agency instead of going to Triple-A.
With San Diego, Marinaccio worked mostly out of the bullpen and made 33 appearances, posting a 4.79 ERA over 47 innings. His season also included a two-game suspension tied to an incident with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this year.
After a trade to Pittsburgh, he appeared in only four games and recorded a 6.75 ERA before the Pirates designated him for assignment. The Reds claimed him off waivers, but the change of scenery didn’t help. In four appearances for Cincinnati, Marinaccio had a 16.88 ERA.
Over his last 26.2 innings, he has allowed 25 runs. His best major league work came in his rookie season with the New York Yankees, when he posted a 2.05 ERA over 40 appearances.
In Other News...
Padres Have A New Late-Inning Weapon Drawing Serious All-MLB Buzz
The All-MLB conversation is already starting to take shape, and for clubs around the league, it is a useful snapshot of which pitchers are forcing their way into the seasons biggest honors discussion. The projections lean heavily on current performance, with names like Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Snchez and Dylan Cease headlining the starting group while high-impact relievers such as Mason Miller and Louis Varland have also pushed their way into the picture.
For a Blue Jays team that knows how quickly late-inning arms can change the feel of a series, the reliever debate is the most interesting part of the board. Miller and Varland are drawing serious buzz as the kind of weapons that can reshape October expectations, but these All-MLB predictions remain just that for now, a snapshot of where the season stands before anything is officially handed out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Broadcast Crew Still Earned Respect During A Tough Transition
Awful Announcings latest local MLB broadcast rankings offered a small reminder that the Blue Jays television crew still carries real weight with viewers, even through change. In a vote based on more than 85,000 ballots, Torontos Dan Shulman, Joe Siddall and Hazel Mae finished eighth, sliding from fourth a year ago but still holding a spot among the sports more respected booths.
The drop was tied in part to Buck Martinezs retirement, a shift that naturally altered the familiar rhythm for Blue Jays fans. Even so, the result shows the audience has not drifted far from the crew, and it also places Toronto in a category that included the Padres Don Orsillo and Mark Grant at No. 1 for a second straight year, a useful benchmark for how strong the competition remains. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found A Serious Bat Far Later Than Expected
Jake Bennett has made an early impression in Dunedin, and it is not hard to see why the Blue Jays were drawn to him in the draft. The club took him in the eighth round largely because of the bat, and through his first 12 games with Single-A Dunedin, he has given that evaluation some real traction with four home runs and a .940 OPS. The extra-base damage has been the headline, even if the approach still comes with a fair amount of swing-and-miss.
What makes Bennett especially interesting is how much room there still is for the Blue Jays to sort out the rest of the profile. His defensive home is not settled yet, with catcher, first base and designated hitter all in the mix, which leaves Toronto with a pretty straightforward question: how much of his value will come from the bat alone? For now, the organization can at least feel encouraged that a late-round pick is already forcing a closer look. [Read more 🡒]