The theme throughout this is going to be "contenders needing one more arm." The Diamondbacks might have too many relievers following July trades for Matt Andriese, Brad Ziegler and Jake Diekman. Even if Arizona opts to carry eight relievers, they'll need to make room for Andrew Chafin once he returns from paternity leave. That probably means Silvino Bracho heads back to the minors despite a 2.04 ERA and 4.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 appearances. The D-Backs just don't seem like a fit for Kelley, not anymore. The Braves also added to their relief corps at the deadline, freeing Jonny Venters and Brad Brach from the American League East. (Darren O'Day was acquired, too, but is expected to miss the rest of the season.) Atlanta could theoretically add Kelley and roll with an eight-man bullpen without having to remove anyone. The Nationals may prefer to ship Kelley outside of the division, however -- especially seeing as how they're well behind the Braves in the standings. Dave Dombrowski landed a second baseman and a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. He didn't land a reliever -- and that's unlikely to change with Kelley. By virtue of having the AL's best record, the Red Sox will have the lowest waiver priority here, complicating a potential deal. Kelley could in theory make it all the way to Boston in the process, but there are enough teams ahead of the Red Sox who could use him that it seems improbable. No team entered July with a more obvious need in the bullpen than Cleveland, who went on to add Brad Hand and Adam Cimber in a trade with the San Diego Padres. Now, Cleveland will have to make a tough decision to clear a forthcoming logjam. Cimber is the only reliever on staff with options remaining, yet Cleveland will need two spots to accommodate the rehabbing Andrew Miller and Ryan Merritt. Perhaps the answer is to expose Merritt to waivers, seeing as how Oliver Perez (really) has proven to be a capable left-handed reliever in addition to Miller and Hand. If it's not, Cleveland will have to banish two of Neil Ramirez, Dan Otero and Zach McAllister. Adding Kelley would necessitate the third member's demise. Cleveland might instead elect to stick with Otero, their own homer-prone righty who has more team control left. For as many resources as the Rockies poured into their bullpen over the winter, it's ridiculous to think they could be in the market for another veteran arm -- especially given they just acquired Seung hwan Oh at the deadline. Still, there's an argument to be made the Rockies should get Kelley and slot him into the spot occupied by either Harrison Musgrave or Yency Almonte. At minimum, the Rockies would block the Los Angeles Dodgers from adding him to their bullpen. Speaking of the Dodgers, their hunt for a reliever netted them John Axford at the deadline. Los Angeles could work Kelley into the fold by optioning J.T. Chargois, but they have a bigger picture to consider. The Dodgers have four pitchers on the disabled list who'll likely figure into their plans if and/or when they return: Ross Stripling, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields and Yimi Garcia. Injuries happen, particularly to this team, and roster expansion isn't too far off. All the same, the Dodgers might've already maxed out their capacity to add relievers. Much like the Rockies, the A's could add Kelley to help their bullpen and block a competitor from doing the same. In this case, the A's would be playing keep-away from the Seattle Mariners. Kelley would also enable the A's to remove their choice of Ryan Dull and J.B. Wendelken from heir bullpen until rosters expanded.<doc-sep>The Washington Nationals have designated reliever Shawn Kelley for assignment, one day after he threw a tantrum on the mound following a home run. In the ninth inning of Washington's 25-4 drubbing of the New York Mets on Tuesday, Kelley allowed a home run to Austin Jackson after he had been told to slow down by the plate umpire. Kelley wound up and flung his glove to the ground, later apologizing for his actions. "You should never throw your glove. We should act like adults," he said. Kelley had allowed a home run in two of his past four appearances. He had a 3.34 ERA in 35 games this season. The Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero in a corresponding move. Cordero is joining the majors for the first time. He has a 1.67 ERA in 38 appearances for Triple-A Syracuse in 2018. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Not everything was smooth sailing in Washington despite a blowout victory. Up 25–1 against the New York Mets in the ninth inning, the Washington Nationals called on reliever Shawn Kelley to close out the contest, and things went south from there. Kelley allowed three runs in the final frame—far from impacting the result—but a two-run homer from Austin Jackson caused quite a stir for the Nats pitcher. Kelley's glove slam cost him a trip out of the nation's capital, as he was designated for assignment on Wednesday morning. Jimmy Cordero will take Kelley's place on the Washington roster. According to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, manager Davey Martinez informed Kelley that the decision was made because slamming the glove was "disrespectful to the organization." GM Mike Rizzo called it a "selfish act" and said he believed Kelley was showing up his manager for putting him in at that point of the blowout. A 10-year veteran, Kelley has been with Washington since 2016. He boasts a 3.34 ERA in 2018, striking out 32 batters in 32 innings. The 25–4 drubbing of the Mets came just hours after Washington's front office elected to keep Bryce Harper at the trade deadline.<doc-sep>
G Fiume/Getty Images The Washington Nationals announced Wednesday that relief pitcher Shawn Kelley was designated for assignment following an outburst in Tuesday's 25-4 win over the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Kelley, who threw his glove to the ground after allowing a home run to Mets outfielder Austin Jackson, said he "acted like a baby," per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Nationals manager Dave Martinez called the reliever's actions "disrespectful to the organization." "You're either in or you're in the way. I thought he was in the way," general manager Mike Rizzo said, adding the incident was "selfish." Kelley was enjoying a strong season for Washington out of the bullpen. He compiled a 3.34 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. His 35 pitching appearances were tied for the fourth-most on the team. The 34-year-old Kentucky native struggled in 2017 en route to a 7.27 ERA in 33 games, but he finished with a sub-2.65 ERA in each of the previous two years. He owns a 3.73 career ERA across nine-plus seasons. He previously played for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The Nationals must decide whether to place Kelley on waivers, trade him or release him within the next seven days if they don't return him to the active 40-man roster. Since the non-waiver trade deadline passed Tuesday, he would need to clear waivers before Washington could deal him. Video Play Button Videos you might like Sammy Solis and Justin Miller will take on more prominent roles in the Nats pen in front of closer Kelvin Herrera and setup man Ryan Madson. Kelley should generate interest either via trade or free agency given his track record.