Waiver - Baseball Wiretap

The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker on Thursday morning, absorbing roughly $15 million in remaining salary. Walker's 9.13 ERA in 22⅔ innings this season made his roster spot unsustainable.

"He has tried everything he possibly can, just has not been able to be effective for us this past year," said president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Walker surrendered eight home runs across his 2026 appearances, finishing his Philadelphia tenure with a 5.12 ERA over 89 outings. Only four pitchers in franchise history have logged more than 70 starts with an ERA above 5.00. He was in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract.

Manager Rob Thomson spoke warmly of Walker despite the struggles.

"He's one of the best teammates and best people I've ever been around," Thomson said. "This guy always took the ball, never refused it, always answered questions after the game. This guy's a pro, and I'm going to miss him."

The move leaves Philadelphia's rotation depth thin. Dombrowski and Thomson pointed to Alan Rangel as one potential option, though he was optioned to Triple-A Thursday to maintain his turn. Prospect Jean Cabrera carries a 9.00 ERA in 16 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies have now committed $19.2 million to released outfielder Nick Castellanos and $15 million to Walker — a combined $34.2 million in dead money this season.

Walker is the ninth free-agent signing Dombrowski has released during a season or spring training since joining Philadelphia in December 2020.

The New York Yankees have designated Cade Winquest for assignment without him appearing for the team in a game. The Yankees selected Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals during the Rule 5 draft in December. 

The Yankees needed to create a roster spot for Luis Gil, who was recalled from Triple-A. 

Winquest went 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA during spring training.

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated reliever Anthony Banda for assignment on Friday after the left-hander won two consecutive World Series rings with the team.

The 32-year-old Banda had a 5-1 record with a 3.19 ERA in 71 games last season. He had an 8-3 record with a 3.14 ERA over two seasons.

Banda has been in the majors for parts of nine seasons with Arizona, Tampa Bay, the New York Mets, Pittsburgh, Toronto, the New York Yankees and Washington. He is a combined 15-9 with 4.44 ERA in 209 games.

The Dodgers claimed catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers after he was designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are in talks about buying out the final year of his seven-year, $245 million contract, a source told ESPN on Wednesday. Rendon, who missed the entire 2025 season recovering from hip surgery, is expected to retire if a buyout is finalized.

Rendon is owed $38 million in 2026. The expectation is that Rendon will defer at least part of that money, giving the Angels more financial flexibility to address roster needs this offseason.

Rendon appeared in just 205 of 810 games over the past five seasons due to injuries. If the buyout is finalized, he will have played in only a quarter of the Angels' games during the life of his deal while compiling 3.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement.

The Angels signed Rendon in December 2019 after he starred for the World Series champion Washington Nationals. Agent Scott Boras represents Rendon in the buyout negotiations.

Rendon looked like his usual self during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Over the next four years, he slashed just .231/.329/.336 while battling injuries to his groin, knee, hamstring, shin, oblique, back, wrists and hips.

The Angels announced February 12, 2025, that Rendon would undergo hip surgery and miss the entire season. He spent the year rehabbing near his home in Houston away from the team.

From 2016 to 2019, only nine position players produced more fWAR than Rendon. He slashed .299/.384/.528 during that four-year stretch with the Nationals.

His final season in Washington saw him finish third in National League MVP voting with a career-high 1.010 OPS, 34 home runs and a major-league-leading 126 RBIs. His performance helped the Nationals win their first franchise title.

Rendon's last home run with the Angels occurred July 1, 2023. He never played in more than 58 games in a season with Los Angeles.

The Atlanta Braves on Friday claimed right-hander Alek Manoah, the former Cy Young contender whose struggles with the Toronto Blue Jays led to him being designated for assignment earlier this week.

After going 9-2 as a rookie in 2021, Manoah went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 2022, finishing third in AL Cy Young voting.

The Atlanta Braves, hoping to shore up an uncertain middle-infield situation for next season, claimed Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

The 29-year-old Kim, who can play shortstop and second base, is owed roughly $2 million for the remainder of the 2025 season and another $16 million in 2026. He has been on the IL with lower back inflammation since Aug. 21 but is expected to join the Braves on Tuesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday claimed utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kiner-Falefa, who has played shortstop, third base and outfield, spent 2024 with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Pirates on July 30.

The New York Yankees have released Marcus Stroman. Stroman signed with a Yankees on a two-year contract worth $37 million guaranteed before the start of last seaso. Stroman has an $18 million option for 2026 that would have vested with 140 innings pitched this season, but Stroman, with 39 innings under his belt on Aug. 1, won't reach that goalpost and will become a free agent this offseason.

Stroman has a 6.23 ERA in nine starts this season and was the odd man out of their rotation with Luis Gil coming off the injured list. 

Stroman then spent more than two months on the injured list with a left knee injury, returning June 29 to make six starts. 

The Cincinnati Reds have designated Jeimer Candelario for assignment just one year after signing him to a three-year, $45 million contract.

"We felt this gives us our best chance to win games to keep the guys we had here versus activating him," Nick Krall, the Reds' president of baseball operations, said Monday, according to The Athletic. Krall called it a "sunk cost because you can't bring a player that's not going to help his team win."

Candelario had started 12 games at third base, seven at first base and three at designated hitter before landing on the 10-day injured list in late April with a lower back injury. He had struggled at the plate before his injury, hitting just. 113 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 22 games. 

Left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander, who got designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers this week, has elected free agency after clearing waivers.

Alexander, 30, had been designated for assignment on Sunday.