The Guardians have designated right-hander Scott Barlow for assignment, according to MLB.com’s Transactions Tracker. Left-hander Anthony Gose, whose contract was selected, will take his place on the 40-man and active rosters, according to his MLB.com Player Page.
The Guardians acquired Barlow, 31, in a trade with the Padres last November that sent right-hander Enyel De Los Santos to San Diego. A veteran Royals bullpen pitcher who emerged as the club’s top leverage arm during the 2021 season, Barlow pitched to an excellent 2.30 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 148 2/3 innings between 2021 and ’22, striking out 28.2% of hitters faced and recording 40 saves.
Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2023, with an unsatisfactory season. While his numbers under the hood with the Royals last year, including a 26.7% strikeout rate and a 4.04 SIERA, were encouraging, he struggled to prevent runs and eventually surrendered a 5.35 ERA in 38 2/3 innings of work before being traded to the Padres at the deadline. Once in San Diego, Barlow pitched significantly better down the stretch, finishing with a 3.07 ERA and 3.15 FIP in 29 1/3 innings last year. This appeared to leave Barlow positioned to play a crucial role with the Padres in the late innings this year, but he was eventually transferred to the Guardians as part of an effort to slash the club’s payroll and duck under the luxury tax for 2024.
That gave the Guardians the opportunity to add Barlow to their already-excellent bullpen, where he was expected to serve as one of the best setup guys for closer Emmanuel Clase. For much of the season, the right-hander excelled in that position, posting a 3.12 ERA and 3.50 FIP in 43 1/3 innings of work until the end of July. Things took a quick turn for the worse when the calendar switched to August, when Barlow was pounded for an 8.49 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander has been lost on the mound for over a month now, with a 17.9% strikeout percentage against a 10.7% walk rate and three hit batters and two home runs over his last 13 appearances. As the Guardians look to fend off the Royals and Twins in the AL Central and earn a bye through the Wild Card Series this October, the club evidently felt they couldn’t afford to continue giving the righty opportunities to get right.
With Barlow’s departure, Gose, 34, will join the major league roster. Once a top-100 bat prospect for the Phillies, he labored through five seasons in the majors with a below-average.240/.309/.348 slash line in 372 career games before deciding to try his hand at pitching. In 2021, he returned to the big leagues as a reliever in Cleveland, excelling with six appearances in which he struck out 37.5% of opponents and posted a 1.35 ERA. Gose had a respectable 3.90 ERA and 4.17 FIP in 27 2/3 innings of work as a pitcher before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2022, and he spent the whole 2023 season recuperating.
Gose, who is now back in action with the Guardians, gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings of work earlier this year, but has a 3.27 ERA in 41 1/3 frames at Triple-A. He’ll have another chance with the big league team down the line as he seeks to establish himself as a viable bullpen option for the 2025 season, whether in Cleveland or elsewhere.
