THE Nationals‘launch of Jeremy Jeffress yesterday carried some mystery, both because it came so early in spring training (and within three weeks after Jeffress signed with Nats) and because GM Mike Rizzo used the weird phrase to describe the launch as due to “staff reasons.“Rizzo did not provide much additional clarification when speaking with Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com and other reporters today, in addition to saying that Jeffress’s release was”a job problem”And unrelated to performance in the field.
Jeffress himself gave his opinion, sending a text message to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post to say that the reason given by the Nationals to release him was “Is not true, ”Without specifying what the club said. The veteran reliever also wrote two tweets yesterday, 1 stating “I am not what they say I am, I am what God says! I don’t deserve this false negativity!“And another tweet deleted saying that his former agent”jus ruined my life.“It remains to be seen whether the reason behind Jeffress’s release will be fully revealed, but if nothing else, this uncertain situation appears to hamper Jeffress’s chances of picking up another team.
More from the National League …
- “Catcher / center fielder” is not exactly a common defensive skill set, and while Daulton Varsho saw more time on the outside field than behind the plate in his debut season, the Diamondbacks are clear about the prospect’s future role. “We see him as a catcher who can play other positions, not as a central defender who can take”, Arizona assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye said to The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan. Varsho is happy to play anywhere, and the outfield may be his clearest path to more MLB playing time in 2021, considering that the D’Backs Carson Kelly and Stephen Vogt as your regular catching duo. The team does not want to waste a lot of time on Varsho’s development as a receiver, however, given the amount of specialized work required to learn the position at the level of the major leagues.
- THE Phillies also face a question about how to deploy a potential customer, such as Spencer Howard he has never played more than 112 entries in any of his four professional seasons. As Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen wrote, the Phils could start Howard as minors, since the rotation space can be difficult to find, or they could manage their entries throughout the season in a substitute role on the MLB list. The latter option would leave the door open for Howard to eventually make some starts in 2021, although he did require the Phillies to also keep Howard stretched out in a sort of swingman role so that he could more easily move on to work as an initial pitcher. A second-round pick for the Phillies in the 2017 draft, Howard’s rise in the secondary league was slowed down by some shoulder problems in 2019, and he still hasn’t hit the Triple-A ball. Philadelphia promoted Howard to the majors last summer after watching him at the alternate training site, and Howard posted an ERA of 5.92 on 24 1/3 entries and six matches.