Christian Friedrich: Clears waivers, heads to free agency

Friedrich (elbow) cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent Monday.

The Padres dropped Friedrich from their 40-man roster after elbow and lat injuries kept him from making an appearance with the big club in 2017. He passed through waivers untouched, but rather than return to San Diego's Triple-A affiliate, Friedrich opted to test the free agent waters. While he's expected to be ready for spring training next season, the 30-year-old southpaw is coming off elbow surgery in August, so he could be forced to settle for a minor-league deal. He posted a 4.80 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 129.1 innings during his last full season (2016).