7:22 p.m.: Baumann is actually headed to Japan. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports (at X) that client CAA has agreed to a deal with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows.
7:13 p.m.: The Marlins released a reliever Mike Baumannas first shown on MLB.com’s transaction tracker. Miami’s 40-man roster count is down to 39.
Baumann reached out to Fish on waivers in late August. It was his impressive fifth team of the season. The out-of-options righty pitched as the last man in the bullpen for each of the Orioles, Mariners, Giants and Angels. Baumann did not perform well at either of those clubs. He finished the year with a 5.55 earned run average over 58 1/3 innings. His 22% hitting percentage wasn’t far off the MLB average, but he walked 10.6% of his opponents while giving up hard contact.
The 29-year-old was a potential reliever for the Orioles as recently as 2023. He worked to a 3.76 ERA in a career-high 64 2/3 innings with Baltimore the past two seasons. Assuming he clears waivers, Baumann will be a free agent. He’s probably looking at minor league deals but he’ll have no problem getting an unsigned invite to MLB camp.
As for Miami, the move appears to be related to Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft. The Fish wouldn’t pick if he made the 40-man roster. Miami takes third behind the White Sox and Rockies. The Marlins can have their target in mind or try to draft and trade with a team that sits down in order.
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