1:01pm: Borbon will be placed on outright waivers after the Rangers were unable to work out a trade, Heyman tweets. That means the Astros will have the first crack at him should they wish to make a claim.
12:53pm: A trade now looks unlikely, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, who notes that teams like Borbon but don't have fits on their roster. Borbon looks to be headed for waivers.
12:50pm: The Orioles won't pull the trigger on a Borbon trade, tweets Heyman.
11:16am: The Rangers are still expecting to trade Julio Borbon, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who adds the Mets and Astros into the mix in addition to the previously reported Orioles.
After designating Borbon for assignment eight days ago, general manager Jon Daniels has until 2pm ET to pull off a trade for Borbon. Otherwise Borbon will be subjected to waivers, and teams (presumably the Astros) will have a shot at acquiring him for nothing.
The 27-year-old Borbon is a career .283/.324/.358 hitter whose value comes primarily from a strong glove and plus speed. He's stolen 40 bases in 53 career attempts (75 percent), and both The Fielding Bible and UZR suggest that he's saved seven to eight runs in 1,365 career innings in center field.
It's also been reported that the Twins have kicked the tires on Borbon but were more interested in a waiver claim than a trade. It's possible that the prolonged struggles of Aaron Hicks and an injury to Darin Mastroianni have altered that thinking, though that's just me speculating.
The Rangers are said to be seeking a pitcher with options remaining in any deal for Borbon.
