THEY RELEASED...

HIM???

Not often do you see pitchers released the season after going 17-6, 2.19 with 244 K’s in 226 IP. Sure, if a guy completely falls apart and suffers his way to an ERA over 6.00, it’s almost a given. But this situation is different.

A BARB team has released a high-salaried pitcher in the middle of the season. They decided to give younger players having more immediate success the chance to help their team make the playoffs and with the World Series.

This player may now be signed by any BARB team for the LEAGUE MINIMUM salary. That’s right, just 0.49 added to the rolls gets your team his assistance the rest of the season. That’s because his former team is on the hook for the rest of his contract this year. Beware, though: if you want to protect him from next year’s draft you’ll have to pay DOUBLE his 2014 MLB salary.

Signing this player will be first-come, first-served. The first email I receive to sign him from a team with the salary cap room will be the winner.

Without further ado:

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The Yuma Firebirds have given a pink slip to JUSTIN VERLANDER.

Chris Melkonian decided he had too much quality starting pitching. With Verlander labeled as a Keeper this season, Melkonian had no choice but to dump him. He had agreed to a trade with another squad, but then Melkonian remembered Verlander’s no-trade designation.

Verlander was 8-6 with a 4.44 ERA for Yuma in 2014. This comes just a season-and-a-half after the Firebirds dealt no less than TEN prospects to Brooklyn for Verlander and Andrew McCutchen. The latter, of course, is still tearing up opponents to the tune of .330/.402/.561 with 13 HR and 61 RBI through half of the season.

But Melkonian had to make the tough choice of opening a roster spot. He already has a full rotation, likely the best in the league, without the struggling Verlander (who, by the way, earned his 100^th career BARB win this season).

Will adding the veteran change the fortunes of a team behind in the race? Or will a squad with a playoff spot in reach clinch even faster? Get your free agent request in and we’ll find out!