Reds To Sign Chris Paddack
The Reds and veteran righty Chris Paddack are in agreement on a contract, reports Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. The Boras Corporation client was released by the Marlins earlier this week after being designated for assignment.
Paddack, 30, signed a one-year, $4MM contract with Miami over the winter but had a short leash after an ugly start to his season. He made just seven appearances (six starts) and was tagged for a 7.63 ERA in 30 2/3 frames. Paddack struggled to work deep into games, completing five frames only once. He struck out a below-average 18.5% of his opponents but notched a characteristically sharp 6.8% walk rate.
Paddack was once a well-regarded prospect who had an outstanding rookie campaign in 2019. He pitched 140 2/3 innings of 3.33 ERA ball for the 2019 Padres — a performance that would make him a Rookie of the Year finalist, if not winner, in just about any other season. He was up against Pete Alonso‘s 53 homers, Michael Soroka‘s 174 2/3 innings of 2.68 ERA ball, and the debut campaigns of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bryan Reynolds, however, so he wasn’t even on the Rookie of the Year radar despite that stellar debut.
That debut now feels like a distant memory, as Paddack has been set back by injuries at multiple points and has never recaptured his 2019 form. Paddack missed time with a UCL sprain in 2021 and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022. His 2024 season was shortened by a forearm strain. All in all, he’s pitched 471 2/3 innings since that rookie showing and logged a 5.23 ERA. Paddack has good command but hasn’t missed many bats since his rookie season and is far too homer-prone (a daunting trait for any pitcher calling Great American Ball Park his home).
Cincinnati’s rotation is quite banged up at the moment, however. Hunter Greene underwent elbow surgery back in March and is out until midseason. Brandon Williamson was recently placed on the 60-day injured list due to shoulder troubles. Rhett Lowder was just placed on the 15-day IL yesterday due to a shoulder issue of his own. There’s no indication yet that Brady Singer will require an IL stint, but the right-hander took a comebacker off his right foot in yesterday’s game. He stayed in the contest but struggled thereafter, allowing three runs over the next inning-plus before being lifted in the fourth.
More to come.
Cubs, Liam Hendriks Agree To Minor League Deal
The Cubs and right-hander Liam Hendriks are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. The ALIGND Sports client was in camp with the Twins during spring training but was granted his release when informed he wouldn’t make the roster. He’s been a free agent since.
Hendriks, 37, had decent spring results with Minnesota, allowing three runs in seven innings. However, he walked as many batters as he he struck out (five), and a fastball that once averaged 97-98 mph was sitting at a diminished 93.9 mph — a mark that would be his lowest since moving to the bullpen more than a decade ago.
The Aussie-born hurler, of course, enjoyed a notable run as one of Major League Baseball’s most dominant relievers. From 2019-22, Hendriks pitched 239 innings with a 2.26 ERA, a mammoth 38.8% strikeout rate and a tiny 5.1% walk rate between the A’s and White Sox. He’d go on to miss time following a frightening diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Hendriks thankfully overcame that cancer diagnosis following chemotherapy treatment, but he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow not long after and wound up requiring Tommy John surgery. He inked a two-year deal with the Red Sox (2024-25), planning to rehab the first year and join their bullpen the second. It didn’t go as well as hoped. Hendriks pitched 13 2/3 innings with a 6.59 ERA last season.
Whether a 37-year-old Hendriks has anything left in the tank is an open question, but there’s no real risk for the Cubs in taking a look to see if he can engineer yet another comeback. Chicago has already lost righty Porter Hodge for the season (UCL surgery) and also has relievers Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin and Caleb Thielbar on the injured list. Hendriks might need some time to ramp back up in the lower levels of the Cubs’ system, but he’ll eventually head to Triple-A Iowa and look to pitch his way back into another major league opportunity.
Lucas Giolito Likely To Make Padres Debut This Weekend
A Padres team that’s been piecing together its rotation over the course of the season thus far is on the verge of getting some much-needed starting pitching help. Lucas Giolito is expected to make his team debut this weekend, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 31-year-old Giolito went unsigned all winter and eventually inked a one-year deal with the Friars last month. It contains just a $3MM base salary but an additional $5MM worth of incentives. Giolito has made four minor league starts as he ramps up after missing spring training. The results have been a bit shaky overall, though some early rust is to be expected. He’s tossed 17 innings with a 4.76 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. Giolito’s most recent start was his best; he went six innings and allowed one run on three hits and no walks against the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate.
While Giolito’s debut is a welcome boost to the San Diego staff, it’ll also force the Padres into a decision. The Friars’ pitching staff lacks flexibility in the way of optionable arms. None of the five starters currently on the roster can be optioned. Moving a starter to the ‘pen isn’t all that easy, either. The only San Diego relievers with minor league options are Mason Miller (spoiler: he’s not going anywhere), Jeremiah Estrada and Bradgley Rodriguez. Estrada missed some time with an elbow injury but has a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings since being activated. He’s also been one of the team’s top relievers dating back to 2024. Rodriguez has a sparkling 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 frames.
The likeliest scenario would see righty Matt Waldron bumped from the roster. The 29-year-old knuckleballer opened the season on the injured list and has been hit hard since his return. In five appearances (three starts) he’s pitched 21 1/3 innings and been tagged for 22 runs (9.28 ERA) on 32 hits and seven walks. He’s set down 18 of his 103 opponents (17.5%) on strikes. Waldron has a better track record, having pitched 188 innings with a below-average but far more palatable 4.79 ERA in 2023-24.
Manager Craig Stammen called it “early” to talk about a potential DFA of Waldron when asked by Acee. Waldron himself seemed to acknowledge the writing on the wall, however, telling the Union-Tribune: “Safe to say my ERA and my numbers aren’t too attractive right now. And I have no options, so I mean, yeah, that’s where I’ll leave it. I’m smart enough (to know).”
The Padres would surely prefer to preserve as much depth as possible, and Waldron looked to be getting on track in his two starts prior to last night’s six-run, 2 2/3-inning clunker. Between his April 29 and May 5 starts, he pitched 10 innings and held the Cubs and Giants to a combined four runs on eight hits and a walk with eight punchouts.
That said, the Padres aren’t going to jettison Griffin Canning after two starts. Walker Buehler‘s 5.20 ERA isn’t pretty, but his rate stats are solid enough to give him a more appealing 3.64 FIP and 4.05 SIERA. Michael King and breakout righty Randy Vásquez are clearly locked into spots. Relievers Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio can’t be optioned but have all pitched well. It’s always possible an injury arises that kicks the decision down the road a bit, but as things stand, Waldron looks like the odd man out.
MLBTR Podcast: Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Giants trading Patrick Bailey to the Guardians (1:25)
- The Astros losing Carlos Correa to season-ending ankle surgery (18:40)
- The Diamondbacks calling up Ryan Waldschmidt and trading Alek Thomas to the Dodgers (28:05)
- The Mets calling up A.J. Ewing (38:25)
- The Marlins calling up Robby Snelling (42:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Are the Tigers struggling due to injuries and will be fine as guys get healthy? Or should fans be more worried? (49:30)
- Which starting pitchers can the Cubs pursue? (53:25)
- When will the Yankees realize they need to upgrade on David Bednar as the closer? (58:20)
Check out our past episodes!
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – listen here
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of David Dermer, Imagn Images
The Opener: Miller, Ohtani, Haase
Since giving up five earned runs on Opening Day, Paul Skenes has allowed six earned runs over eight starts. The reigning ERA champ has his mark back under 2.00 through 58 innings. Skenes had three career starts of 8+ innings heading into this season. He’s now done it in back-to-back outings.
1. Miller making his return
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller is slated to start on Wednesday against the Astros. Miller went down with an oblique strain in Spring Training. His absence has allowed Emerson Hancock to emerge as one of the more surprising breakouts of 2026. Miller’s return will force an adjustment to Seattle’s rotation. The initial plan is to roll with a six-man staff. The Mariners don’t have an off-day until May 21, so expanding the rotation will give the other starters extra rest during a tough stretch. From there, the club is considering piggybacking Miller with Luis Castillo, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The veteran has scuffled to a 6.57 ERA through eight starts.
2. Ohtani won’t hit for two days
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani won’t be in the hitting lineup when he pitches tonight against the Giants. He will also take a seat on Thursday. Manager Dave Roberts is sticking with the plan of Ohtani getting two days off, even after he snapped an 11-game home run drought on Tuesday. “I think that might’ve been something where, you know you get a couple days off of hitting and it might have freed him up,” Roberts told reporters, including Katie Woo of The Athletic. “You just never know. To go back on a pact, a decision that we came upon or I came upon, I don’t like that.” Ohtani entered Tuesday’s matchup stuck in a 4-for-38 rut over his last 10 games.
3. Haase homers twice
Giants catcher Eric Haase took Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep in consecutive at-bats on Tuesday. His second homer was back-to-back with Harrison Bader and gave the Giants a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Haase is part of a catching trio that includes youngsters Jesus Rodriguez and Daniel Susac. He joined the roster when Susac went down with an injury, and he’ll have a chance to stick around as a veteran presence now that Patrick Bailey is in Cleveland. Haase earned a Major League comp from manager Tony Vitello after the game. “I get Jake Taylor vibes from Haase, and those two (young) guys are sponges as far as what they’re looking to learn from their teammates and (nobody’s better to learn from) than the guy who’s actually doing what you’re doing,” Vitello told reporters, including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Mariners To Designate José Suarez For Assignment
The Mariners are designating left-hander José Suarez for assignment, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. Seattle will activate Bryce Miller from the 15-day injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Astros. They needed to drop someone from the pitching staff in a corresponding move.
Suarez, who is out of minor league options, winds up being the roster casualty. (Seattle will also activate Jose A. Ferrer from the paternity list within the next day or two, so that’ll push someone else from the middle relief corps back to the minors.) Suarez made just one appearance in an M’s uniform, allowing a run on two hits and a couple walks over two innings. They’d claimed him off waivers from the Braves on May 3.
Between Atlanta and Seattle, the 28-year-old southpaw carries a 6.38 earned run average through 18 1/3 innings. He has punched out an above-average 27% of opponents but issued walks at a near-16% rate. Suarez had been a capable strike-thrower early in his career as a starter with the Angels. That has changed over the past few seasons.
Suarez is playing on a $900K arbitration salary that lands a little north of the league minimum. He’s capable of working multiple innings out of the bullpen but would require an active roster spot if another team claims him. The Mariners have five days to trade him or try to run him through outright waivers. If he clears waivers, Suarez would have the right to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’d forfeit his remaining salary to do so, however, so it’s likelier he’d report to Triple-A Tacoma if no other team carries him on the MLB roster.
The Mariners are moving to a six-man rotation with Miller’s return. They’ll drop to a seven-man bullpen as a result. Alex Hoppe has worked multiple innings on a couple occasions. Cooper Criswell has ample long relief experience as well, but he’s pitching his way towards the back of the bullpen in shorter high-leverage stints.
Alex Verdugo Released By Padres, Reportedly Will Undergo Shoulder Surgery
The Padres released Alex Verdugo from his minor league contract on Monday, according to the MiLB.com transaction tracker. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that’s because the veteran outfielder suffered a shoulder injury that is expected to necessitate season-ending surgery.
It’ll go down as a completely lost year for the 29-year-old. Verdugo played in two Spring Training games, going 1-6 with a walk. He did not appear in any minor league games. Verdugo also hadn’t played after being released by the Braves last July, so it’ll be close to two full years between his regular season appearances even if he’s ready for the start of 2027.
The lefty-hitting Verdugo had five straight seasons of average or better offense for the Dodgers and Red Sox between 2019-23. He never reached the lofty heights expected of the centerpiece of a Mookie Betts trade return, but he was a serviceable left fielder over four seasons in Boston. Verdugo’s numbers fell after a trade to the Yankees going into 2024. He didn’t join Atlanta until late in Spring Training last year and had a career-worst .239/.296/.289 showing without a home run over 56 games.
Gavin Lux Pulled Off Rehab Stint With Left Shoulder Injury
The Rays are pulling Gavin Lux off his rehab assignment with a left shoulder injury, manager Kevin Cash tells Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. He’ll go for imaging later in the week, and Cash said he’ll be out of action “for the foreseeable future.”
Lux has yet to make his team debut. The Rays acquired him from the Reds over the offseason and said he’d be their primary second baseman. Lux has battled various injuries over the past couple months. He was nagged by oblique discomfort during Spring Training, then suffered a right shoulder impingement in mid-March. Lux then tweaked his left ankle in April. That halted his rehab assignment for a couple weeks.
The ankle injury meant Lux has had two rehab stints without making it back to the MLB roster. He has appeared in 21 Triple-A games overall, hitting .200 with one home run across 90 plate appearances. He has taken 20 walks while striking out 23 times.
Tampa Bay will now await the imaging from what is evidently a new injury. It seems inevitable he’ll be moved to the 60-day injured list once the Rays need a roster spot. That’d backdate to Opening Day, meaning he’d be eligible to return in less than two weeks. Given Cash’s comments, he’s almost certainly not going to be ready by then.
It’s particularly ill timing for Lux, who’ll be a first-time free agent next winter. He has been a league average hitter for the last two seasons, so he was already something of a reclamation pickup for Tampa Bay. The Reds played him more at designated hitter or in left field than at second base a year ago. Tampa Bay had intended to give him another opportunity in the middle infield.
The Rays have used a Richie Palacios/Ben Williamson platoon at second base. They’ve each been league average offensive players. Palacios and Williamson have combined for one home run but have a strong .354 on-base percentage in a total of 190 plate appearances. That’s similar to what the Rays hoped to get out of Lux and emblematic of their offensive approach as a team. Tampa Bay is 25th in home runs and 22nd in slugging but has the eighth-best OBP in the league. They’ve been a league average offense overall, ranking 14th in scoring.
Despite the middling lineup, the Rays have raced to a 28-13 start to jump to the top of the American League. Only the Braves have a better record in MLB. Tampa Bay has pitched well and been one of the more productive offenses with runners in scoring position. Even if they’re not going to continue playing at a 111-win pace, they’ve positioned themselves very well in an otherwise weak AL.
They’re two games up on the Yankees in the division and 8.5 clear of the top team not in playoff position. It sets them up to approach deadline season as buyers, with center field and the middle infield spots the clearest places they can look to add. Luis Arraez seems likely to be the top rental second baseman available. CJ Abrams would be the top middle infield target for most clubs if the Nationals dangle him with two and a half seasons of remaining arbitration control.
Brewers Notes: Yelich, Black, Priester, Lockridge
Christian Yelich made his return to the Brewers lineup tonight, as the former MVP was activated from the 10-day injured list. Tyler Black was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville to open the needed active roster spot.
Yelich missed a month due to the left groin strain he suffered in the middle of April. That halted an excellent start to the season. The 34-year-old designated hitter carried a .314/.375/.451 line with a home run through his first 56 plate appearances. Although Yelich is no longer the superstar he was at his peak, he remains one of the better hitters in the National League. He popped 29 homers with a .264/.343/.452 slash a year ago.
Milwaukee penciled him right back into the #3 spot in the order tonight against San Diego righty Matt Waldron. They weathered Yelich’s absence well, ranking eighth in the Majors in scoring while he was out. Black and Gary Sánchez got the majority of the DH reps in that time. They’ve both hit well, but Black’s limited defensive value meant he didn’t have a path to even semi-regular playing time now that Yelich and Andrew Vaughn are back from injury.
Milwaukee has gotten very little out of the left side of their infield — Joey Ortiz’s first homer of the season tonight notwithstanding — but Milwaukee hasn’t used Black as a third baseman since 2024. He’s a first baseman/corner outfielder at this point.
There aren’t going to be many first base or DH at-bats available on a team with Yelich, Vaughn, Jake Bauers and the catching tandem of William Contreras and Sánchez. This is Black’s final minor league option year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he comes up in trade conversations this summer. He’s not going to center a trade for any marquee names, but he could net the Brewers bullpen or multi-positional infield help.
Skipper Pat Murphy also provided a few injury updates before tonight’s game (relayed by Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). The most notable is that starter Quinn Priester is scheduled to resume his rehab assignment on Saturday. The righty has been out all season after being diagnosed with a nerve issue during Spring Training.
Priester started a rehab stint in late April. He clearly wasn’t right, walking eight batters and hitting two more in five innings. Milwaukee pulled him back but now feel he’s ready to get back to game action after throwing a 50-pitch bullpen session yesterday. The Brewers are hoping to get Priester back in the beginning of June.
Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is aiming a couple weeks after that for his own return to MLB action. The speedy outfielder sustained a deep laceration in his right knee after sliding into the side wall at American Family Field on Friday. It was a scary injury, as his knee hit directly into concrete below the padding. Lockridge had to be carted off but fortunately avoided any fractures.
Lou Trivino Elects Free Agency
Veteran righty Lou Trivino is back on the free agent market. The Orioles announced that the reliever elected free agency after clearing outright waivers on Tuesday. Baltimore designated him for assignment on Sunday.
Trivino had a very brief stint with the O’s. They signed him to a major league contract last Monday, a few days after he’d opted out of a minor league deal with Philadelphia. Trivino was rocked for six runs on four hits and three walks without completing a full inning against the Yankees in his O’s debut. He rebounded with 2 1/3 scoreless frames with three strikeouts against the A’s on Saturday.
After tossing 31 pitches in that outing, Trivino would’ve been unavailable for a day or two. The O’s swapped him out for a fresh arm, which required a DFA since Trivino has well above the five years of MLB service to refuse a minor league assignment.
While the small sample numbers in Baltimore were ugly, Trivino pitched well in Triple-A for the Phils last month. The 34-year-old righty struck out 20 of 56 batters faced (36%) while issuing four walks. He surrendered 15 hits and 10 runs, though only four of those were earned. Trivino’s sinker and four-seam fastball each sat in the 94-95 mph range and he used three other pitches — cutter, slider and changeup — with regularity. The fastballs were up to 96 during his MLB work.
That was Trivino’s second stint with the Philly organization. He signed a minor league deal last August and was selected onto the MLB roster at the end of the month. He worked nine innings of three-run ball to close the season. Trivino pitched for three different clubs overall and tallied a 3.97 earned run average across 47 2/3 MLB innings a year ago. It was first big league action in three seasons, as he’d missed most of 2023-24 due to Tommy John surgery.