The Rangers and Blue Jays have accomplished a commerce, as each golf equipment introduced that right-hander Yerry Rodriguez is heading to Toronto in trade for minor league righty Josh Mollerus. Rodriguez has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, whereas the Rangers assigned Mollerus to their high-A affiliate.
Texas designated Rodriguez for project earlier this week, and at the moment’s commerce formally ends Rodriguez’s decade-long run within the Rangers group. A global signing out of the Dominican Republic in September 2015, Rodriguez made his MLB debut in 2022 and has a 7.11 ERA over 31 2/3 huge league innings for the Rangers over the past three seasons. This 12 months specifically, Rodriguez has a 6.88 ERA in 17 frames, permitting 5 homers and recording virtually as many walks (11) as strikeouts (12).
Virtually one thing of a management specialist throughout his earliest days as a prospect, Rodriguez’s stroll charges have turn out to be more and more problematic over three-plus years on the Triple-A stage. The righty has a 5.42 ERA in 151 profession Triple-A innings, and his stroll fee spiked as much as 15.2% this season over 13 1/3 frames at Spherical Rock.
On the plus facet, Rodriguez is a tough thrower who has a 28.16% strikeout fee in his Triple-A profession. Whereas this swing-and-miss capacity hasn’t translated but to Rodriguez’s huge league work (18.9K% within the majors), Rodriguez has stuff to attraction to different groups, and Toronto scouts could have seen one thing to make them suppose they will repair Rodriguez’s management issues.
If nothing else, the commerce provides an MLB-ready reliever to the depth chart of a Blue Jays workforce in sore want of bullpen assist. Between the variety of accidents and ineffective arms within the Jays aid corps, Rodriguez is an optionable reliever who can shuttled up and down from Triple-A a couple of extra instances when the Blue Jays are in want of a contemporary arm. A starter earlier in his profession, Rodriguez has principally transitioned over to full-time aid work, and might function as a multi-inning reliever.
Mollerus is a College of Oregon product who was a Tenth-round decide for Toronto in final 12 months’s draft. Mollerus’ early outcomes have additionally yielded a excessive variety of strikeouts and walks, because the right-hander has a 32.26% strikeout fee and a 15.05% stroll fee over 42 1/3 professional innings. Beginning at A-level Dunedin final season, Mollerus has pitched with high-A Vancouver in 2024.
