Huh, between this and Donaldson, it appears that Clappers, "Magic of the pinstripes" is no longer effective.

Well, we may just be seeing Jasson Dominguez a bit sooner than expected.

MLB needs to put a stop to this as soon as they can. Bader is an average or better player who can substantially impact a pennant race and, as long as he's added before Sept 1, is postseason eligible. (Or did they change that rule?) Pretty much every contender could use Giolito.

I don't know how you do it without also killing the standard "this guy's no good" or "we need to get this reliever off the 40-man" type releases. Bader has been so bad since coming back from injury (226/267/297) but I assume is still useful as a Sept/postseason PR/defensive replacement guy although I suppose no team is likely to pay that much if that's all they think he is at this point.

Well, we may just be seeing Jasson Dominguez a bit sooner than expected.

@JeffPassan

The New York Yankees are calling up their top two prospects, outfielder Jasson Dominguez and catcher Austin Wells, sources tell ESPN.

The 20-year-old Dominguez, a center fielder, and 24-year-old Wells, a catcher, are expected to debut with the team this weekend in Houston.

Will no one help the Yankees manage their minuscule budget?

Pretty much every contender could use Giolito.

The Angels thought so too when they traded for him - but 25 runs in 32.2 innings later it turns out he wasn't so helpful.

I don't know how you do it without also killing the standard "this guy's no good" or "we need to get this reliever off the 40-man" type releases. Bader has been so bad since coming back from injury (226/267/297) but I assume is still useful as a Sept/postseason PR/defensive replacement guy although I suppose no team is likely to pay that much if that's all they think he is at this point.

The simplest solution would seem to be either move the playoff roster eligibility point to the same day as the trade deadline, or to re-instate the old waiver-wire trade deadline at some point in August. Restoring the old waiver-trade system wouldn't prohibit moves like this, but it would feel better as a Yankees fan today to see that the Yankees had traded Bader for some random low A pitching prospect than that just let him walk with a month's worth of games left in the season...and you'd think the teams would generally feel the same, even if the potential returns are nothing but lottery tickets.

...even if the potential returns are nothing but lottery tickets.

The reduced number of minor league teams may play a role here since there are fewer low-level roster spots to fill with lottery tickets.

Regardless, can anyone name players who were viewed as lottery tickets when traded and then had an MLB career (more than cups of coffee)? I can't, but I don't think that's an indication of anything.

Luis Gil on the Yankees was a lotto ticket trade. Yennier Cano was a toss-in.

Restoring the old waiver-trade system wouldn't prohibit moves like this, but it would feel better as a Yankees fan today to see that the Yankees had traded Bader for some random low A pitching prospect than that just let him walk with a month's worth of games left in the season...and you'd think the teams would generally feel the same, even if the potential returns are nothing but lottery tickets.

If they wanted to trade Bader for some random low A pitching prospect, they basically had 10 months in which to do it.

Per MLB network the Reds have claimed Bader

yes, Reds got both Bader and Renfroe to shore up their OF

I feel like we're in bizarro world if we've got the Yankee's cutting salary and the Reds adding it. To be clear, I'm happy here, but it is super weird.