Nats Make Third Set of ST Cuts
Yesterday, the Nats made the third set of cuts, as Darren Baker was optioned to Rochester while Daylen Lile, Yoyo Morales, and Cayden Wallace were reassigned to minor-league camp.
As Zuckerman noted in his article (linked above), that brings the major-league camp number to 41, with 15 cuts to go. While ST stalwarts Robert Hassell, Andrew Pinckney, and Brady House are still in camp, the order in which they’re presented among the position players is roughly their odds from best-to-worst.
Not so much with the relievers, which still include Brad Lord and Rule 5 pick Evan Reifert. Lord has the odds stacked against him because he’d have to be put on the 40-man. Reifert has the benefit of already being on the 40-man and the Nats’ tendency to hold on to Rule 5 guys no matter how bad they do (see: Ward, Thad; Nuñez, Nasim).
If past is prologue, the next set of transactions will be the releases prior to the setting of the full-season rosters.
in past years they’d likely keep Riefert but with the improved group of arms in the system the need is not as great. his spot is a perfect place for Lord.
Reifert has been returned to the Rays. No doubt Rizzo has been closely monitoring all of the “oh, Rizzo will hang onto him no matter what” cries that I’ve seen in the InterNats and decided to send Reifert back out of spite.
And this will in no way impede folks from repeating the criticism in future seasons should the Nats make another Rule 5 claim, because narratives are nearly impossible to kill.