The Cleveland Guardians have one of the best and deepest bullpens in baseball.
At least earlier in the season, Scott Barlow was an important part of it.
His experience in high-leverage roles in other teams made him a respected pitcher in the unit.
Things, however, haven’t been going his way for a while now.
The Guardians, needing the roster spot he was occupying, had to designate him for assignment on Sunday, ahead of the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“The Guardians designated RHP Scott Barlow for assignment this morning and selected the contract of LHP Anthony Gose. Barlow had struggled as of late, allowed 12 hits and 11 earned runs in his last 11 2/3 innings,” baseball writer Kyle Glaser posted on X.
The Guardians designated RHP Scott Barlow for assignment this morning and selected the contract of LHP Anthony Gose.
Barlow had struggled as of late, allowed 12 hits and 11 earned runs in his last 11 2/3 innings.
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) September 8, 2024
As it turns out, MLB’s best and deepest bullpen also has room for improvement.
In this specific case, getting rid of Barlow will give them the chance to bring in an arm who can perform better.
The right-hander is now removed from the 40-man roster.
The Guardians now have seven days to trade Barlow or place him on outright or unconditional release waivers.
He might find his way back to the Guardians’ Triple-A team if no team wants to be responsible for what is left of his $6.7 million 2024 salary.
The most likely scenario, however, is that no one claims him and he signs with another team as a free agent, with Cleveland being responsible for his salary and the signing squad would likely have to pay a prorated amount of the league minimum.
Barlow’s ERA is an acceptable 4.25 in 55 frames, but he was at 5.94 after the All-Star break.
NEXT: Guardians Can't Overcome Poor Start By Gavin Williams And Lose To Dodgers
