Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Max Meyer To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

By | at

Marlins starter Max Meyer is headed for a season-ending labrum repair in his left hip, reports MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola. The procedure comes with a six-to-eight month recovery timeline, so the process could linger into the early portion of Spring Training. He is already on the 15-day injured list and will move to the 60-day IL once the Marlins need a 40-man roster spot.

Meyer, the third overall pick in 2020, has yet to really establish himself in the big leagues because of injury. He was one of the sport’s top pitching prospects when the Fish called him up in July ’22. He made two starts before his elbow gave out and sent him for Tommy John surgery. That wiped out the entire following season. The Marlins bounced him between MLB and Triple-A Jacksonville last year, a sequence that was ostensibly about managing his workload after surgery but also prevented him from reaching two full years of big league service by the end of the season.

The 26-year-old righty had been in Miami’s big league rotation this year. He got out to a brilliant start to the season, turning in a 2.10 earned run average through his first five starts. He fanned 14 hitters (tied for second by any pitcher in a game this season) over six scoreless innings against the Reds on April 21. It looked as if Meyer were in line for a breakout, but his production tanked over his final seven starts. He allowed more than seven earned runs per nine with a dramatically reduced 16.5% strikeout rate until landing on the injured list earlier this month.

Meyer was clearly not at full strength, as he’d shown none of the electric stuff he did early in the year. Manager Clayton McCullough said at the time of the IL placement that Meyer had been pitching through the injury for a few starts. His year will end with a somewhat misleading 4.73 ERA across 64 2/3 innings.

Miami has lost Meyer and Braxton Garrett to season-ending surgeries. Ryan Weathers will be out at least into August with a significant lat strain. All three have flashed promise but battled too many injuries to give the Marlins the elite rotation they’ve envisioned behind Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez. Meyer will fall a little shy of the three-year service cutoff. He’ll qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player but won’t make much more than the league minimum next season because of his limited body of work. He’s under club control until the 2029-30 offseason.

Padres Release Jason Heyward

By | at

The Padres announced that they’ve released Jason Heyward. That was the anticipated outcome after he was designated for assignment over the weekend.

San Diego signed Heyward to a one-year, $1MM free agent deal. They hoped he’d hold his own as the left-handed part of a cheap left field platoon. It hasn’t worked. Heyward hit .176/.223/.271 with a pair of home runs in 95 plate appearances. He missed a couple weeks in mid-April with knee inflammation and has been sidelined since May 24 with an oblique strain. He’s now healthy, but the Padres opted not to put him back on the active roster. San Diego left fielders are hitting .220/.270/.320 across 296 trips to the plate overall. It’s a clear area to upgrade as the deadline approaches.

Heyward, 35, returns to the open market. He split last season between the Dodgers and Astros, batting .211/.288/.412 over 87 games. He’d surprisingly turned in a robust .269/.340/.473 slash as a platoon bat for the Dodgers two seasons ago, but his production has dropped off since then. If he catches on elsewhere, his new team would only pay him the prorated portion of the $760K league minimum for whatever time he spends in the big leagues. The Padres would otherwise be on the hook for the rest of his salary.

Trade Deadline Outlook: Houston Astros

By | at

MLBTR’s team-by-team look at the upcoming deadline continues with the Astros. They're yet again in pole position in the AL West. Payroll might be an obstacle this summer, but they're in a familiar position as a deadline buyer.

Record: 45-33 (89.6% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)

Buy Mode

Potential needs: Left-handed bat, rotation depth, second base

Dana Brown gave us an easy starting point for the Astros' deadline outlook. Houston's general manager said over the weekend that the front office is already scouring the market for a left-handed hitter. That would have been easy enough to infer from a look at the roster. The Astros have the most right-handed lineup in recent history. They've given more than 2500 plate appearances to righty hitters this season (not including switch-hitters against lefty pitching). The second-place Angels are more than 400 PAs behind Houston, and no other team has even reached 1900. They're on pace to surpass the 2022 Blue Jays for the most plate appearances for right-handed batters in a season this century.

The flip side, of course, is that they've given a staggeringly low 175 plate appearances to pure left-handed hitters. Victor Caratini is their only switch-hitter of note. Yordan Alvarez should be back at some point, but he's coming up on two months since he fractured his right hand. Opponents have unsurprisingly thrown more right-handed pitchers at Houston than at any other. It hasn't stopped them from having success so far, but they'll obviously prefer to have more balance as they look ahead to potential playoff series.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
  • Remove ads and support our writers.
  • Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Whit Merrifield Announces Retirement

By | at

Longtime infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield has announced his retirement, via his agency at Warner Sports Management.

“Hey guys,” Merrifield says, “You all should know that I decided a while back to retire. When it came down to it, it was an easy decision. Many factors played a role in my decision, but the main one was a 6 pound 6 ounce gift from God my wife and I were blessed with in March of 2024. I was never talented enough to just show up and play. Baseball required my full focus and energy for me to compete at the level I wanted to, and I realize I can no longer give that effort. At this point in life, I’d much rather chase around a toddler than chase sliders.” He goes on to thank the various clubs he played for and their fans while acknowledging those who believed in him along the way.

As Merrifield alluded to in his statement, he had a reputation for being a scrappy grinder, as opposed to the most naturally gifted athlete. But he nonetheless was able to carve out an impressive career in the big leagues as a late bloomer.

A ninth-round pick of the Royals in 2010, Merrifield was never really on the radars of prospect evaluators as a minor leaguer. Regardless, he climbed the ladder, impressing the Royals in various ways. He could bounce all over the diamond on defense. Offensively, he didn’t have a ton of power or draw many walks, but he didn’t strike out much and could steal plenty of bases once he got on.

He got called up to the majors in May of 2016 at the age of 27, significantly older than when most players make their debuts. At the time, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweeted that many people within the organization viewed Merrifield as the ideal guy to have the final spot on the roster. In other words, a utility guy.

His usage in that 2016 season reflected that. He was optioned to the minors and recalled a few times, eventually getting into 81 big league games and taking 332 plate appearances. He only hit two home runs and didn’t walk much but produced a .283/.323/.392 batting line and 91 wRC+. He stole eight bases and played the three non-shortstop infield positions as well as the outfield corners.

In 2017, he showed he was capable of being more than just a utility guy. He broke out at the plate that year by hitting 19 home runs, helping him produce a .288/.324/.460 line and 105 wRC+. He also swiped 34 bags and effectively took over as the club’s everyday second baseman, while still occasionally moving to other spots.

He had arguably the best season of his career in 2018. His home run total dropped to 12 but his walk rate almost doubled compared to the year prior, jumping from 4.6% to 8.6%. A .352 batting average on balls in play also helped him out, leading to a .304/.367/.438 line and 119 wRC+, with another 45 stolen bases to boot. FanGraphs credited him with 5.0 wins above replacement that year, the best tally of his career.

Going into 2019, the Royals and Merrifield agreed to an extension. The deal guaranteed him $16.25MM over four years with a club option for a fifth year. That total looks fairly modest to compared to some more recent deals but it was a product of his late-bloomer status. Since he didn’t debut until his age-27 season, he wasn’t going to qualify for arbitration until after he turned 30 and wasn’t slated for free agency until after his age-33 season. That deal may have sacrificed a bit of future upside but it allowed him to guarantee himself some life-changing money ahead of schedule.

His performance held pretty steady for the next couple of years. Over 2019 and the shortened 2020 season, he slashed .297/.342/.456 for a 109 wRC+ while stealing another 32 bases, while the emergence of Nicky Lopez bumped him to spending more time in the outfield and less at second base. He was selected to the All-Star team for the first time in that 2019 campaign, the first of three honors he would eventually earn.

His offense dipped a bit in 2021, as his .277/.317/.395 line translated to an 89 wRC+, though he still stole 40 bases. Going into 2022, it felt like maybe the end of his time as a Royal was drawing close. It was the final guaranteed year of that extension. He was also going into his age-33 season. The Royals were rebuilding during this whole era and had rebuffed plenty of trade calls, but given his age and contract status, the window appeared to be closing.

He stuck with the Royals into the start of the 2022 season. He and the club agreed to a reworked contract, with the club preemptively triggering his 2023 club option and shifting some of the salary commitments to the ongoing 2022 campaign. The Royals were still mired in their rebuild and would eventually finish the year with a record of 65-97, so trade talk picked up that summer.

Merrifield was eventually dealt to the Blue Jays for minor leaguers Max Castillo and Samad Taylor. It was a bit of a surprising landing spot at the time. With travel restrictions still in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, ten Royals players were unable to cross the border to play in Toronto earlier that summer due to not being vaccinated. Merrifield was one of them, which led to the question of how he would be able to play for the Jays down the stretch, but he eventually agreed to receive the jab.

Though his production was a bit lackluster at the time of the trade, he caught fire down the stretch, hitting .281/.323/.446 for a 120 wRC+. He helped the Blue Jays earn a Wild Card spot, which allowed him to appear in the postseason for the first time in his career. However, the Jays were swept out of the Wild Card round, falling 2-0 to the Mariners. He stuck with the Jays in 2023, stealing another 23 bases with offense just a bit below league average. The Jays grabbed another Wild Card spot but were swept out again, this time by the Twins.

He finally reached free agency for the first time in his career, ahead of his age-35 season, and landed an $8MM guarantee from the Phillies on a one-year deal. That didn’t really pan out, as he hit .199/.277/.295 and was released in July. “Philly, I liked you way more than you liked me,” he said in his statement today. “Sorry I stunk for you.”

He then signed with Atlanta, which was a personal thrill for him. In his statement today, he described them as his “childhood team,” having grown up in the Carolinas. He had a solid .248/.348/.336 showing in 42 games for Atlanta and made the club’s Wild Card roster but didn’t appear in a game as the club was swept by the Padres.

Merrifield was a free agent this winter and didn’t appear in any rumors. In hindsight, it seems that was because he had no intention of playing this year. He hangs up his spikes having played in 1,147 games with 4,866 plate appearances. He knocked 1,249 hits, scored 632 runs, drove in 485 and stole 218 bases. FanGraphs credits him with 19.8 wins above replacement for his career, with Baseball Reference giving him 17.9. BR also pegs his career earnings justs over $35MM. And he managed to do all of that despite not making it to the majors until well after his 27th birthday.

We at MLB Trade Rumors salute Merrifield on a fine career and wish him the best in whatever comes next.

Photos courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Wendell Cruz and Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

Orioles Sign Jacob Stallings To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Orioles announced that they have signed veteran catcher Jacob Stallings to a minor league deal. He had been released by the Rockies earlier this month. He will presumably head to Triple-A Norfolk in the near future.

The move is clearly a response to the club’s catching corps taking a couple of recent hits. Adley Rutschman hit the injured list due to an oblique strain a few days ago. Maverick Handley was called up to replace him but then he himself was injured when he collided with Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees in a play at the plate. Handley was placed on the concussion IL yesterday with Chadwick Tromp selected to the roster, joining Gary Sánchez to form the club’s current catching duo.

Stallings, 35, signed with the Rockies this winter on a one-year deal with a $2.5MM guarantee. That didn’t pan out, as he hit .143/.217/.179 in 93 plate appearances and got released in early June. However, he is a veteran with a solid defensive reputation in roughly a decade in the big leagues. His bat was also in good form as recently as last year, when he hit .263/.357/.453 for Colorado.

Since the Rockies released him, they are on the hook for the remainder of his salary. If the O’s call Stallings up at any point, they would only have to pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for whatever time he spends on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Rockies pay. For now, he’ll give the O’s some experienced non-roster depth. If they need further catching reinforcements at any point, he’ll be able to provide them with a veteran backstop on the cheap.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

Tigers To Select Dietrich Enns For Thursday’s Game

By | at

The Tigers are going to select left-hander Dietrich Enns to the roster to start Thursday’s game, as first reported by @juiceyballl. The southpaw will have to be added to the 40-man and active rosters beforehand.

Enns, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason. He has since made 14 Triple-A starts, logging 62 1/3 innings with 2.89 earned runs allowed per nine. He has struck out 26.7% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 5.6% clip and getting grounders on 41.5% of balls in play.

That strong performance will get Enns back to the majors, which has been a long and winding road. He previously made two appearances with the 2017 Twins and then another nine with the 2021 Rays. That stint with Tampa was pretty decent, as he had a 2.82 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate in 22 1/3 innings.

Despite those solid numbers, he may not have felt great about his job security going into 2022, as he was out of options. He decided to head overseas and signed with the Seibu Lions in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He had a strong performance that year, tossing 122 1/3 innings with a 2.94 ERA. He stuck with the Lions for 2022 but his results backed up, posting a 5.17 ERA over 12 starts. He then headed to Korea for the 2024 season, signing with the LG Twins. He made 30 starts for that club last year with a 4.19 ERA.

In the past month-plus, the Tigers have lost Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe to the injured list, blowing two holes in their rotation. Olson has been battling finger inflammation while Jobe required Tommy John surgery. In recent weeks, they have had a rotation core of Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Sawyer Gipson-Long, with Keider Montero also pitching in a sort of bulk role.

Montero was optioned to the minors recently, so Enns will step in for him. It’s unclear if Enns will get to make more than one start, however, as Olson is going to be back soon. Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, he’s making another rehab start tomorrow and the club hopes he can return after that. Perhaps that means this will just be a spot start for Enns, though Gipson-Long also has options and could be bumped for Olson’s return instead. As mentioned, Enns is out of options. If the Tigers plan to bump him off the roster after his outing, he’ll effectively need to be designated for assignment.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Brewers’ Garrett Mitchell Recommended For Shoulder Surgery

By | at

Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been rehabbing an oblique strain that’s kept him on the injured list dating back to April, but he now appears to be facing a much larger absence due to a new injury. Manager Pat Murphy tells the Brewers beat that Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury during his rehab stint (link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy).

The initial diagnosis on Mitchell is that he’s dislodged some of the anchors that were installed in his left shoulder after he underwent surgery to address a subluxation back in April 2023. He’s been recommended for another surgery that would sideline him for an additional eight to ten weeks, but he’ll get a second opinion to confirm that prognosis before any action is taken. Regardless, he won’t be back with Milwaukee any time soon.

Mitchell, 26, was the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2020 and has dealt with myriad injuries throughout his pro career. He’s typically been productive when he’s been able to take the field, hitting .264/.343/.463 with 13 homers and 20 steals in 365 plate appearances from 2021-23. That strong output was buoyed by a whopping .389 average on balls in play and belied a concerning 34.2% strikeout rate, however, leading to some skepticism of Mitchell’s ability to sustain that production. His bat indeed regressed this season prior to injury, as Mitchell hit just .206/.286/.294 with no home runs in 78 plate appearances.

The Brewers have been going with Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick across the outfield on most nights. Collins, selected from the Rockies in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, has been an unexpected godsend. He’s come up and played 60 games (172 plate appearances) and turned in a .260/.363/.404 slash with four homers and eight steals while taking near-regular reps in left field. Chourio has taken up the mantle in center field, with Frelick playing a plus right field. Chourio has held his own but doesn’t grade nearly as well defensively as Mitchell.

A return for Mitchell could’ve freed Collins to play more in the infield; he has experience at second base in particular but has some briefer forays into the left side of the diamond, which has been an ongoing issue for Milwaukee all season. Instead, it seems likely that Mitchell will now be sidelined into mid-August or perhaps even early September, depending on the outcome of his second opinion with Dr. Neal ElAttrache (and, presumably, the progress of his rehab from the forthcoming procedure).

Mitchell has still only played in 141 major league games, but he’ll cross three years of service time this season while on the 60-day injured list. That’ll put him in position to reach arbitration for the first time in the coming offseason. His lack of time on the field will keep his first-year salary fairly light, and he’s still controlled three more years beyond the current season, so this setback — frustrating as it is for all parties — shouldn’t put Mitchell at any risk of a non-tender.

White Sox Sign Noah Syndergaard To Minor League Deal

By | at

4:05pm: Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Syndergaard gets $30K per month in the minors. If he’s selected to the majors, he gets a base salary of $1.75MM, though that would presumably be prorated to account for the portion of the season that has already transpired. He can earn an extra $50K by logging 40 innings and $100K each for getting to 55 and 75 innings. He also has a release clause if he’s not in the majors prior to August 1st.

8:47am: The White Sox have signed former All-Star righty Noah Syndergaard to a minor league contract, per James Fegan of Sox Machine. The CAA client is headed to the team’s spring complex in Arizona to build up.

Syndergaard, 33 in August, hasn’t pitched in the majors since splitting the 2023 season between the Dodgers and Guardians. The former Mets star was one of the sport’s most promising young arms from 2015-19 before injuries derailed his career. Syndergaard posted a combined 3.31 ERA with a 26.4% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 716 innings over that five-year period but never got back on track after multiple arm injuries, most notably including Tommy John surgery.

The Angels signed Syndergaard post-surgery, shelling out a hefty $21MM on a one-year deal and forfeiting a draft pick — the Mets had issued him a qualifying offer — in hopes he’d recapture his ace form. He pitched more like a fourth starter with the Halos, logging a 3.83 ERA with a below-average strikeout rate and a heater that was down more than three miles per hour. They traded him to the Phillies for Mickey Moniak at the ’22 trade deadline, and he gave Philadelphia a similar performance.

A 2023 deal to join the Dodgers didn’t pan out, and L.A. swapped him out for another underperforming veteran (Amed Rosario) in a deadline deal with Cleveland that year. Syndergaard didn’t pitch well with either club and wound up being released by the Guardians about a month after the trade. He opted not to sign anywhere for the 2024 season despite rumored interest from the Padres and Pirates. Midway through last summer, it was reported that Syndergaard was setting his sights on a 2025 comeback. That’ll manifest in the form of an early-summer deal with a rebuilding White Sox club that can provide ample opportunity.

All told, Syndergaard has pitched only 225 1/3 innings in the majors since returning from Tommy John surgery. He’s pitched to a 4.99 ERA in that time with a 15.9% strikeout rate that’s nowhere close to his prior standards. Syndergaard averaged 98.6 mph on his fastball at peak, per Statcast, but has sat 93.2 mph post-surgery — including a 92.2 mph average between Cleveland and Los Angeles in 2023.

With the prevalence of Tommy John surgery in today’s sport, it’s easy to presume the surgery will be a 14-month (give or take) bump in the road for pitchers — one from which they’ll bounce back to full strength or something close to it. Syndergaard is a key reminder that such surgeries are major procedures that come with no promise of rebounding to full strength, or even an approximation of peak form. Hopefully, he can get back on track with the South Siders, but given his post-surgery performance and a big league layoff now approaching two calendar years, Syndergaard is more or less a risk-free lottery ticket for GM Chris Getz’s club.

Astros Select Jordan Weems

By | at

The Astros announced to reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that right-hander Jordan Weems has been selected to the roster. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow righty Shawn Dubin, who has landed on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. Outfielder Pedro León has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot.

Dubin has thrown 20 1/3 innings for the Astros this year with a 1.33 earned run average. That’s a fairly misleading number, however, as he won’t be able to maintain a 99.1% strand rate forever. His 22.2% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate are closer to average, hence his 3.76 FIP and 3.73 SIERA being closer to par as well. Per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle, Dubin hopes the strain is minor and believes he can avoid surgery. He had an MRI yesterday which will presumably determine if his feelings are accurate or not.

For now, Weems will take his roster spot. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with Houston earlier this month. He has since tossed 11 1/3 innings over nine Triple-A appearances with a 3.97 ERA. His 19.6% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate in that time were both subpar figures but his 54.3% ground ball rate was quite strong.

That’s obviously a small sample of work to judge. Weems has a larger track record of major league pitching, mostly with the Nationals. He had a decent two-year run for Washington over 2022 and 2023, logging 94 1/3 innings over those two seasons with a 4.29 ERA. His 10.1% walk rate was a tad high but he also struck out 25.4% of batters faced.

Since then, his results have backed up. His ERA spiked to 6.70 last year, with his strikeout and walk rate each worsening to 17.9% and 12.2% respectively. He was outrighted off the roster during the season and became a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta but was released after posting a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Weems will give the Astros a fresh arm with some major league experience on his track record. He is out of options, so he’ll effectively have to be designated for assignment if the club wants to remove him from the active roster at any point.

As for León, he started the season on the 15-day IL due to a left MCL sprain. He’s already been on the shelf more than 60 days, so he’s eligible for reinstatement at any time. He doesn’t appear close to a return, however. He started a rehab assignment in late May but was pulled off that after just five games.

Photo courtesy of Mike Lang, Imagn Images

Cubs Option Ben Brown

By | at

The Cubs announced Tuesday that they’ve optioned righty Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa. Reliever Porter Hodge was reinstated from the injured list in a corresponding move. Brown’s demotion opens a spot in the rotation for lefty Shota Imanaga, who is set to return to start Thursday’s game for Chicago.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the 25-year-old Brown, who has at times looked the part of a potential long-term member of the Cubs’ rotation. More often than not — and especially recently — he’s struggled to work deep into games, however. Brown is sitting on a 6.13 ERA at this point, a number that’s been inflated over the past five weeks. In Brown’s past seven starts, he’s had individual outings wherein he’s yielded six runs (twice) and eight runs (twice). It’s derailed a decent start to the season for the promising young righty and has at least for now cost him his spot on the big league roster.

Imanaga’s return will bolster what’s been a reeling Cubs staff. They’ve made no secret about their plans to upgrade the rotation via the trade market. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer publicly said as much just two weeks ago. Even beyond that comment, a need for help was readily apparent. Chicago has lost ace Justin Steele for the season due to elbow surgery. Young righty Javier Assad has yet to pitch this season due to multiple oblique injuries. Colin Rea was excellent upon first moving into the rotation but has struggled over the past month, just as Brown has. Imanaga was sidelined nearly two months with a hamstring injury.

The Cubs’ need for pitching is no secret, but they’re one of just several clubs looking for immediate rotation help — and doing so at a time when there are few clubs around the league willing to engage in genuine trade conversations. Be that as it may, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score said in a radio appearance on 670’s Mully & Haugh this week (audio link) that the Cubs are being extremely aggressive and working on multiple fronts. Levine suggested a deal could come together well ahead of next month’s trade deadline and possibly even within the next week to ten days.

Levine downplayed the possibility of the Cubs acquiring former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who’s slowly turning his season around after an awful start to the year in his return from Tommy John surgery. (Alcantara has a 2.74 ERA and 19-to-5 K/BB ratio in 23 innings across his past four starts.) Rather, he suggests that the Cubs have been looking at some less-obvious trade candidates around the league.

The Marlins themselves have other, less-heralded trade candidates than Alcantara (e.g. Edward Cabrera). The Mets appeared to have some arms available before injuries to Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill thinned their depth. Clubs like the Orioles, Twins and D-backs could ultimately end up with starters on the market, but none of them seem ready to move in a sell direction with five-plus weeks before the deadline. The Rays can never be discounted as a possible trade partner at any juncture, and they’re again rich in pitching (at a time when Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour are thriving in Triple-A). Zack Littell is almost certain to be available as a rental, but an aggressive team could try to make a more substantial offer for someone like Drew Rasmussen.

Those are all speculative possibilities, of course. The Cubs have kept their rotation search generally close to the vest. With Brown and Rea struggling recently and Matthew Boyd a bit banged up — he exited his most recent start after a rough landing on his shoulder when spearing a J.P. Crawford comeback liner (video link) — the need has become more noticeable. Boyd is on track to start tomorrow’s game for the Cubs, and the team called the issue “minor,” but it’ll still be worth tracking how he gets through tomorrow’s outing.

As for Brown, he’ll head back to Triple-A and look to get back on track. Injuries to any pitching staff are an inevitability, so even if the Cubs wind up adding a starter sooner than later, as Levine suggests, additional opportunities for Brown to start games could present themselves as the summer wears on. This is his second of three option years for the right-hander, so even if he stays down longer than 20 days and formally burns a minor league option, he’ll retain one more option year and remain a flexible piece for the Cubs moving forward. If Brown spends more than two weeks in Triple-A, it’d push his path to free agency back by a year.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top