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José Cuas claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Sep 7, 2024, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 7, 2024, 19:18 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have lost a depth relief pitcher.
On Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies claimed José Cuas off waivers and optioned him to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. If you read the Minor League Reports, you’ll know that the Buffalo Bisons are currently in Lehigh Valley to face the IronPigs.
Cuas was claimed by the Blue Jays in late June, but spent the majority of tenure with the team with the Bisons. With the Triple-A team, Cuas had a 6.89 ERA and 5.73 FIP in 15.2 innings pitched. The 30-year-old also pitched three innings with the Jays, where he had a 9 ERA and an 11.52 FIP.
In his Blue Jays’ debut, Cuas became the first pitcher in the modern era to hit two batters on just three pitches in modern baseball, dating back to 1901. On July 3, he replaced Zach Pop, and intentionally walked Yordan Álvarez without throwing a pitch. The next batter he faced singled, before he plunked the next two batters he faced on the first pitch. It’s history, albeit not good history. 
On September 5, he was designated for assignment by the Jays, with Emmanuel Ramírez taking his spot on the 40-man roster after the Jays claimed him.
The bullpen was a strength for the Jays in 2023, but it’s statistically been one of the worst in the league this season. Last year, they had the eighth-best ERA at 3.68 and the sixth-best FIP at 3.91 in 557 innings pitched. The Jays’ bullpen fWAR of 4.6 sat tied for 13th, in the middle of the pack.
In 2024, their 4.78 ERA is the third worst in the league, while their 4.95 is the worst in the league. Moreover, the bullpen has given up a league-leading 82 home runs. They were middle of the pack last season with a 4.6 fWAR, but the -2.4 fWAR of the bullpen is horrendous. For context, the next lowest fWAR for a bullpen is the Rockies, who have a -0.2 fWAR from their bullpen.
A big part of this issue is the decline or injury of three key relievers, Erik Swanson, Jordan Romano, and Tim Mayza. Romano and Swanson spent time on the injured list, with the latter not coming back in 2024. Mayza was one of the best relievers in baseball last season, but was eventually designated for assignment for.. José Cuas. Full circle.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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