MLB waiver roundup: Elvis Andrus, Dan Haren, Erik Bedard clear waivers

A quick summary of the biggest names involved in Thursday’s waiver rumors.

Aug 15, 2013, 4:32 PM UTC

Layne Murdoch

The August waiver wire is finally starting to heat up. Four players have been dealt in the last week -- including two on Wednesday -- and several other potential impact players are now finding their way through the waiver wire. Here’s the latest scoop on players to clear the wire, per Danny Knobler of CBS Sports and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

Elvis Andrus, SS

While Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has cleared waivers, there is no indication that Texas is interested in trading him, reports Knobler. He is likely one of the many players who will hit waivers this month whose club is just testing the trade waters on.

Andrus, 24, has taken a disappointing step back at the plate this season, but the Rangers invested at least four years and $60 million -- and as much as eight years and $118 million -- in the shortstop over the winter, so it’s unlikely that they’ll give up on him so soon. Andrus is batting just .255/.317/.306 with just 18 extra-base hits in 118 games this season.

The Rangers do have a surplus in the middle infield -- 20-year-old prospect Jurickson Profar is without a real position -- but the club seems to be content with Andrus remaining at short for the time being.

Dan Haren, RHP

Haren, 32, is another guy going through a disappointing season. The veteran right-hander owns a 4.99 earned-run average over 119 innings this year, and has spent some time on the disabled list with shoulder stiffness.

Haren, who is on a one-year, $13 million deal with the Nats, has already expressed that he is unlikely to return to D.C. next season because he misses playing close to his family in Southern California. With that in mind, and with the Nats’ playoff hopes fading, the club could decide to move Haren before the month is out.

The right-hander has pitched better since returning from the DL -- 2.43 ERA and .538 OPS against in 37 innings -- so he may generate trade interest if he can keep it up.

Erik Bedard, LHP

Bedard, 34, is nowhere near the pitcher that the Mariners thought he'd be when they traded prospect gold for him back in 2008, but he has managed to put up pretty decent numbers for the Astros this year.

The club jumped Bedard back and forth between starting and relieving early on in the season, but he’s been been firmly entrenched in the rotation since mid-May. The veteran left-hander owns a 4.28 earned-run average and better than eight strikeouts per nine in 115⅔ innings for Houston on the season, including a 3.56 ERA in 16 starts since moving to the rotation full-time.

It’s unclear what kind of trade interest, if any, Bedard will garner now that he’s cleared waivers. The Rangers already made one move with the Astros this week, and may be in need of more rotation help if Alexi Ogando’s shoulder injury turns out to be serious, but there’s no indication that they are interested in Bedard at this point.