Varland buzzsaws through Rays for 21st save

Thompson is about ready to return from a strained back, but he’s ineligible to do so because of the decision to move him to the 60-day IL at the beginning of the month. He won’t be able to come off the IL until the postseason, and it doesn’t currently look like the Diamondbacks will be taking part.

If the Angels still have high hopes for the 21-year-old Rada, they’re not really showing it while batting him sixth and playing him in a corner in Triple-A. He ends the year at .278/.376/.362 with three homers and 43 steals. It’s a lot more difficult to imagine him making it in the majors as a platoon starter against righties if he’s not a center fielder.

Rockies fans were robbed of a Condon callup by the horrible decision to not trade but extend Mickey Moniak in August. Condon ends the year with a .273/.390/.514 line, 27 homers and 98 RBI in 130 games for Albuquerque. He still might have a chance to make the Rockies out of spring training, but that Moniak belongs at DH and isn’t going anywhere won’t help matters.

Oklahoma City will be in the PCL championship, so Kim isn’t done for the year just yet. Still, his regular season is done. He had a .794 OPS in 37 Triple-A games and a .699 OPS in 71 major league games last year, but he’s at .674 in Triple-A and .651 in 43 major league games this season. He’ll likely enter the final guaranteed season of his three-year, $12.5 million contract out of the Dodgers’ plans. They’ll probably be willing to take on a portion of the $5.25 million he’s still owed if someone else wants to give him a chance.

Ingle’s introduction to the majors in June couldn’t have gone much worse, but he ends the Triple-A season with a fantastic .297/.424/.528 line and 20 homers in 471 plate appearances. That .952 OPS leads all qualified International League hitters, Ingle did go back to catching in the minors after being looked at a left fielder and DH during his brief time in the majors. It doesn’t seem like he has a future behind the plate in Cleveland, but his bat should make him of some use next year.

Bradfield ended up playing in 88 games for Norfolk and hitting .262/.352/.363 with four homers and 36 steals. Durability remains an issue for the 2023 first-round pick, and his lack of exit velocity makes him look like a low-ceiling offensive prospect. Still, he plays a mean center field and is a force on the basepaths. The Orioles will almost certainly have to add him to the 40-man this winter, even if he doesn’t project as a quality regular at this point.

He struck out two. Expectations were that we’d be seeing quite a bit more of Barco in the majors this season, especially after he opened the year on the Pirates’ active roster, but he was sent down after four appearances in April and made just three more over the course of the season. In Triple-A, he ended up with a 3.79 ERA and an 80/41 K/BB over 14 starts and seven relief appearances. He’s gone from looking like a potential fourth or fifth starter to more of a middle relief guy now.

Neither the Pirates nor the Red Sox got what they wanted from the García-Johan Oviedo swap in year one. Garcia did spend a little time int he majors, but he went 8-for-48 with no homers and a 16/1 K/BB. With Esmerlyn Valdez having overtaken hm as a right-handed corner outfield option, his future is rather cloudy right now.

He allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning. Jiménez hasn’t pitched for the Braves since 2024 because of knee troubles. He’s giving it a go now, but it remains to be seen if Atlanta will activate him. His velocity is down about two mph from where he was two years ago.

Suarez, out since late June with a forearm strain, averaged 96.9 mph with his four fastballs, down about two mph from his season average of 98.8 mph. Sunday’s game was Gwinnett’s last of the season, so Suarez will not be able to make any additional appearances before coming off the IL.