The Pirates have placed veteran infielder on outright waivers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Hell be available to all 29 other clubs, with waiver priority determined based on the reverse order of the MLB-wide standings. (Outright waiver priority is not league-specific like the now-defunct revocable August trade waivers were.) Because he has not been designated for a signment, Kiner-Falefa can continue to play while on waivers. If another team claims him, which seems plausible, hed be postseason-eligible because hed join that club before Sept. 1. (Waivers are a 48-hour proce s.) Hes being paid $7.5MM this season, with about $1.21MM of that sum yet to be paid out. The Pirates do not have to a sign him outright to Trent Thornton Jersey a minor league affiliate if he goes unclaimed. They could do so if they choose, but Kiner-Falefa would have the right to then elect free agency and retain the remainder of his guaranteed money. They could also opt to simply release Kiner-Falefa if he goes unclaimed, as the Guardians did with veteran first baseman , which would give him one more chance to jump into a playoff hunt between now and seasons end. In 419 plate appearances, Kiner-Falefa is batting .268/.304/.337. Its a light batting line (78 wRC+), but hes gone 15-for-19 in stolen base attempts and played a respectable shortstop this season. Kiner-Falefa is a versatile defender with experience at short, second base, third base and all three outfield spots. The Pirates somewhat surprisingly didnt trade Kiner-Falefa at the deadline. Presumably, his middling offensive contributions didnt garner strong interest. However, as teams gear up for the stretch run and look to deepen their benches, Kiner-Falefas brand of speed, contact (15.5% strikeout rate) and defensive versatility could hold appeal. Hes struggling quite a bit against lefties this year, despite being a right-handed bat, but he entered the season with more or le s neutral platoon splits in his career. For the Bucs, the waiver route presents an opportunity to trim some payroll and to afford a veteran player the opportunity to join a postseason chase in the seasons final month. By waiting until the end of the month to make the move, they made it as affordable as po sible for teams with interest in claiming him. Kiner-Falefas contract does contain $250K bonuses for reaching 500 and 550 plate appearances, but hes 81 shy of that mark right now thanks largely to a monthlong stay on the IL for a hamstring strain back in April/May. If another club claims Kiner-Falefa, itd open more at-bats for younger infield options. Theres no way the Bucs would call up 19-year-old , currently ranked as MLBs top prospect, when he has just eight games above A-ball to his credit right now, but they could give some reps to former trade acquisitions like or in the seasons final month. Roenis Elias Jersey
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