Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray went unclaimed after the team placed him on outright waivers Thursday, according to sources briefed on the process.
Though the move did not lead to immediate consequences, it raised questions about Gray’s future with the organization. The Rangers, five games back in the American League wild-card race, do not intend to place other players on waivers while still on the fringes of contention, a club source said. But Gray, a potential free agent, was an unusual case.
A starting pitcher who played a key role in relief during the Rangers’ march to the 2023 World Series title, Gray no longer has a significant role with the club. He is pitching in a mop-up capacity, and his opportunities might further reduce when righty Tyler Mahle returns from the injured list.
Gray, 33, allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings Saturday in the Rangers’ 14-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, increasing his ERA from 6.17 to 7.71. He cleared waivers at 1 p.m. ET, with no team willing to assume the approximately $3 million remaining on his contract even before his poor outing.
The Rangers could keep Gray, hope for improved performance and put him on waivers again before the Aug. 31 deadline for setting postseason rosters. Another option for the team would be to release Gray, but the Rangers might resist such a move while in the middle of the stretch in which they will play 13 games in 13 days.
The Rangers still want to contend and finish as strongly as possible. But if they fall further out of the race, it is not out of the question that they would consider other attempts to reduce their payroll. Right-hander Merrill Kelly, left-hander Patrick Corbin and relievers Danny Coulombe and Phil Maton are among their other potential free agents who could be subjected to the waiver process. Kelly, Coulombe and Maton all joined the team at the trade deadline.
The Rangers, two games under .500, trail three teams in the race for the third American League wild card. They are already believed to be under the $241 million luxury-tax threshold. The motivation for further waiver moves would be simply to save money.
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