Top of the Order: Mid-August Waiver Wire Roundup

Welcome back to Top of the Order, where every Tuesday and Friday I’ll be starting your baseball day with some news, notes, and thoughts about the game we love.

As we’ve covered in this column a few times, the only way to acquire major league players from other teams for the rest of the season is via waivers. We have yet to see an Angels-level dumping of impact players en masse this season, but there has still been some movement since the trade deadline passed. Let’s take a look at some of the notable players who changed teams recently, as well as some guys in DFA limbo who could get claimed in the coming days.

Reds Claim Amed Rosario From Dodgers

Amed Rosario is still only 28, but he may already be in the journeyman second act of his career, traveling not just from team to team, but also from position to position.

Shortstop has been Rosario’s primary position throughout his career, but for the most part, he has been a horrible defender there (-39 DRS, -59 OAA at the position). So when the Rays signed him before the season, they decided they’d use him in a utility role. This season, he’s played more than 100 innings at four different positions: second base, third base, shortstop, and right field. He’s been mostly a non-factor in the field this year, but that versatility is valuable.

It’s somewhat surprising, then, that he is now playing for his third team of the year. When the Rays fell to the fringes of the playoff race, they traded him to the Dodgers at the deadline. Yet, they designated him for assignment after just five games because they didn’t really have a roster spot for him with Mookie Betts back from the injured list and Max Muncy and Tommy Edman not far behind. Rosario was the odd man out in Los Angeles, but he fits nicely with the Reds.

Rosario is having his best offensive season of his career (114 wRC+, 287 PA entering Monday), at least in part because he’s being used strategically in more favorable matchups. He’s absolutely mashed lefties, with a 134 wRC+ against them compared to 102 against same-sided pitching, and 38% of his plate appearances have come against southpaws. With Rosario in the fold, the Reds now have three obvious platoons in their lineup; Jeimer Candelario, Jake Fraley, and Will Benson should start against right-handers, with Rosario, Santiago Espinal, and Stuart Fairchild playing against lefties.

Rosario probably won’t get a ton of opportunities to showcase anything but his offense — the Reds might end up using him as their regular DH against lefties — but as he plays out the stretch run prior to hitting free agency again, he’ll certainly be looking to show enough to beat his 2024 salary of $1.5 million.

Marlins Claim Cristian Pache From Orioles

Cristian Pache is another three-teamer, but he’s been far less impactful than Rosario this season. The 25-year-old Pache is already on his fifth major league team, with the Marlins the latest club hoping that his offense will turn around just enough to make his sterling defense playable on an everyday basis.

Last season, it looked as if Pache had turned a corner in his first year with the Phillies, albeit in a small sample, with a 99 wRC+ in 95 plate appearances. His performance this year has proven that what we saw from him last season was a mirage. Before the Phillies traded him and Seranthony Domínguez to the Orioles, Pache had just a 60 wRC+ over 118 plate appearances.

Unsurprisingly, Pache didn’t last long with the outfielder-heavy Orioles, getting DFA’d after just three games and making his way over to the rebuilding Marlins. It’s been even worse for Pache in his first 19 plate appearances with Miami; entering Monday his Marlins wRC+ was -1. He’s also out of minor league options, so unless he starts hitting soon, he may not even make it through the offseason on Miami’s 40-man roster.

Reliever Roundabout

Relievers will be in demand until the sun explodes, with few reaching their ceilings but every team believing they can help an interesting arm get closer and closer to realizing their potential.

John McMillon’s minor league career in the Royals system was beset with control issues, but he finally put it all together last year, with a ridiculous 91 strikeouts against just 25 walks in 51 1/3 minor league innings before earning his first call to the majors. His four innings in the bigs went even better, as he recorded eight strikeouts and no walks. But a forearm strain ended his season early and he was back to walking the world this year, leading to his DFA and claim by the Marlins. The stuff is far from its peak, with his fastball velocity down more than two mph from last year, and he’ll probably be used in lower-leverage spots for awhile, even in the Marlins’ new-look bullpen.

The Yankees acquired Enyel De Los Santos at the deadline, hoping he’d shore up the lower-leverage part of their bullpen. Spoiler: He did not. He allowed 13 hits (including three homers) and 10 runs in 6 1/3 innings with New York, culminating in a disastrous seven-run, five-out appearance against the White Sox last week. After getting DFA’d, he was claimed by — wait for it — the White Sox, where he’ll be higher on the depth chart. It’s a no-risk acquisition for the South Siders, who can have De Los Santos for up to two more years before free agency if they can iron out his issues.

Newest Angel Brock Burke has the best upside of the three in this section. He’s a lefty who can throw 99 mph and was brilliant two years ago, striking out 90 in 82 1/3 innings to go along with a 1.97 ERA. After taking a step back in 2023, allowing 13 homers in 59 2/3 innings, Burke was downright dreadful with the Rangers this year, allowing 14 runs in 13 2/3 innings. He also spent time on the IL with a broken non-throwing hand (yes, he punched a wall) in the middle of it all. His first two appearances with the Angels have gone swimmingly (3 2/3 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 BB, 5 K), and he could keep moving up their depth chart, especially for next season. Like De Los Santos, Burke isn’t a free agent until after the 2026 season.

Still On The Wire

Before we go, let’s run through a few other players who were recently DFA’d but have not yet been claimed or cleared waivers:

Former top prospect Brent Honeywell Jr. has a 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings with the Pirates and Dodgers, but couldn’t stick with either team. It would be surprising to see him clear waivers, and he if gets picked up, he’d be joining his sixth team in just his third major league season.

Dominic Smith performed admirably in Triston Casas’ stead, with a 95 wRC+, including a 122 since the beginning of July. But having another lefty who only plays first base on the roster would be redundant, so Smith was the tough cut. He’s probably nothing more than a good bench bat on a true contender, and it’s unlikely he’s claimed by a non-contender since he’s a free agent at the end of the year anyway, so maybe he finds his way back to Boston.

There’ll be plenty more players hitting the wire between now and the end of the month, with anyone claimed prior to September 1 being playoff eligible. We’ll circle back later in August with another look.